The laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technique has been
used to analyze a diverse array of materials for several decades. LIBS
is ideal for rapid materials analysis since data can be collected in real
time with no sample preparation. The coupling of LIBS with multivariate
analysis has increased in recent years and allows for rapid processing
of spectral information for qualitative or quantitative analysis. We will
discuss several examples of how LIBS and multivariate analysis has
been used to classify geological and energetic materials at the United
States Army Research Laboratory. It is important to understand the
parameters that influence the results and the limitations of multivariate
analysis for LIBS applications.