Metallographer's Guide: Practices and Procedures for Irons and Steels

By understanding microstructure and its origin, one can develop a basis for achieving specific properties tailored for a particular application. This book provides a solid overview of the important metallurgical concepts related to the microstructures of irons and steels, and it provides detailed guidelines for the proper metallographic techniques used to reveal, capture, and understand microstructures. This book provides clearly written explanations of important concepts, and step-by-step instructions for equipment selection and use, microscopy techniques, specimen preparation, and etching. Dozens of concise and helpful "metallographic tips" are included in the chapters on laboratory practices and specimen preparation. The book features more than 500 representative microstructures, with discussions of how the structures can be altered by heat treatment and other means. A handy index to these images is provided, so the book can also be used as an atlas of iron and steel microstructures. The Metallographer's Guide was prepared with the beginning metallographer in mind, but it will also be of interest to experienced metallographers who are seeking practical tips, alternative approaches, and useful insights.