Microscopic Examination

MICROSCOPIC EXAMINATION OF METALS In this experiment, our aim is examining the microstructure of metals. By studying microscopic structures of metals, we determine which material fits best to a given application. We used the most common method, optical technique, to examine the microstructure. We used a small specimen cut from the metal to be examined. To be able to see the structure clearly, we first cleaned and polished the specimen. First we start polishing with …

…we used an etchant like 1% Nital. We immersed the mount with the polished face upward in a small dish of etching solution. As soon as a bloom appeared we removed the mount. At this stage, the first appearance of microstructure can be observed. After etching, we rinsed the mount in water and sprayed alcohol over it. Finally we dried it in a stream of hot air to get it ready to be examined under microscope.