Metallography...A Look Inside

摘要

Metallography is a valuable tool in the performance of failure investigations. The techniques utilized may be applied to metals, ceramics, composites and polymers; hence it is sometimes referred to as "materialography". This paper focuses on metallography as it applies to metal samples. The basic steps of metallography include sectioning, mounting, grinding, polishing and etching. For metals, metallography can be used to reveal microstructure, defects, grain size and grain flow among other features. The prepared specimen is analyzed through optical and scanning electron microscopy. This paper provides a brief history of metallography, a basic description of the process (as performed on metallic materials), and how the US Army Research Laboratory (ARL) uses metallography as a failure analysis tool.