Electron microscopy--new tool for service failure study

Journal Article · Sat May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1965 · SAE J.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6344018

Warke, W R; McCall, J L

Electron microscopy, now well established as a research tool for the study of metal fractures, can be valuable for analyzing service failures. The high magnifications of electron microscopes, ranging from 500 to 200,000 X, coupled with their large vertical resolution, make it possible to distinguish overload failures from fatigue failures from brittle intergranular failures, and so on. Generally speaking, 2 basic techniques are used to replicate fractured surfaces. They the direct carbon method and the 2-stage plastic carbon technique. Each has its limitations and specific areas of application. Direct carbon eliminates an intermediate step; it thus gives a higher fidelity replica and allows extraction of inclusions and precipitates, but destroys the sample. The plastic carbon replica is nondestructive, but less faithful in reproducing the finest features of the surface. For this reason, the direct method is used primarily for fundamental research, while the plastic carbon technique is used when specimen availability is a problem or service failures are to be analyzed. The applicability of electron microscopy to service failure analyses is illustrated by 3 examples.

• Research Organization: Battelle Memorial Inst.
• OSTI ID: 6344018
• Journal Information: SAE J.; (United States), Journal Name: SAE J.; (United States) Vol. 73:5; ISSN SAEJA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360103* -- Metals & Alloys-- Mechanical Properties
ALLOYS
COMMINUTION
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
ELEMENTS
FRACTURING
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
METALS
MICROSCOPY