Microstructures Gallery
A microstructure is what the structure looks like in a material on the microscopic scale.
This involves preparation of a sample by polishing, followed by etching the sample with specific chemicals and viewing under a microscope.
Below are a selection of microstructures we have examined.
- Brass #1
Poor structure for brass plumbing fittings – prone to dezincification corrosion
- Brass #2
Good structure for brass plumbing fittings – dezincification resistant (DR)
- Grinding Burn
Grinding burn
- Decarburisation
Decarburisation at the surface of normalised AISI 1050 medium carbon steel
- Ductile cast Iron
Ductile cast Iron
- Crack after welding
Cracking in heat affected zone (HAZ) of a weld
- Microhardness after welding
Microhardness in weld and HAZ
- Grey cast iron
Fracture along graphite flakes in grey cast iron
- Modified cast Aluminium
Modified aluminium-silicon casting alloy
- Unmodified cast Aluminium
unmodified aluminium-silicon casting alloy
- NiHard
NiHard
- Tempered Martensite
Tempered martensite
- Plating on brass
chromium-nickel-copper plating on brass
- Duplex Stainless
2205 Duplex stainless 500x
- Carbides
carbides in knife blade
- Carburised Case
Carburised case 200x
- Corrosion and cracking
Corroded and fractured ball valve
- Weld in SS Sheet
Cross section through weld in 0.6mm stainless steel sheet
- Conrod
Failed conrod on Piston
- Brake Disc
Fractured brake disc
- Capscrews
Fractured-cap-screws
- Incipient melting
Incipient elting
- Banding
Martensite pearlite ferrite banding
- Microhardness – Chromium plating
Microhardness indents in Chromium plating 500x
- Phosphor Bronze
Phosphor Bronze
- Stripped gear
Stripped gear
Interesting Electron Microscope images we have captured.
- Corrosion – Copper #1
Corrosion products in copper pipe – cuprous oxide Cu2O
- Corrosion – Copper #2
Corrosion products in copper pipe – cubic cuprous oxide higher magnification
- Brittle weld
Brittle cleavage in weld
- Rust
Rust – iron oxide 8000x magnification
- Swarf
Swarf
- Cleavage
Cleavage
- Ductile and brittle
Ductile and brittle
- Grinding spark
Grinding spark