Development of metallographic preparation techniques for group IVA and VA elements
- Sherri A.
- Terri G.
- Dan J.
- Jason C.
- William L.
- Anna Marie
Existing metallographic preparation techniques for Group IVA/VA (e.g. V, Ti, Ta, Hf, Nb, Zr) materials do not reveal all microstructural features inherent to the process history. As a result, new techniques have been developed and compared to existing procedures. For example, in pure tantalum, the new procedure exposes a substructure that is not evident using previously published techniques. In niobium, better grain boundary delineation is possible with the new process. Similar results are evident for titanium, zirconium, vanadium, and hafnium. The new preparation stage includes a chemical polish and etchant. The chemical polish was found to eliminate problems associated with the mechanical polish. Specifically, the chemical polish removes the worked surface and eliminates smearing. The etching stage serves to delineate the grain boundaries, and in some cases allows bright field as well as polarized or differential interference contrast (DIC) for optical examination. Finally, optical lighting conditions to enhance the observations available with the optimized procedure will be discussed.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- OSTI ID:
- 975321
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-01-2520; TRN: US201008%%49
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: "Submitted to: 4th PRIC, December 11-15, 2001, Honolulu, Hawaii".
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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