Topic: SPECIMEN PREPARATION AND CARBON STEEL METALLOGRAPHY STUDY

Objectves :

a) To study the techniques of specimen preparation.

b) To study the carbon steel metallography which undergoes different heat treatments.

Results:

e) Specimen 1 d) Specimen 2
Microstructure: Pearlite Microstructure: Ferrite + Pearlite
Enlargement: 1000x Enlargement: 500x

c) Specimen 3 b) Specimen 4
Microstructure: Sorbite Microstructure: Martensite
Enlargement: 1000x Enlargement: 1000x

a) Specimen 5
Microstructure: Pearlite + Cementite
Enlargement: 500x
Discussions :

a) Sketch the specimen preparation flow chart.

Sectionig
(cut the specimen to a small piece)

Mounting
(mounting the specimen to a plastic)

Grinding
(grinding the specimen's surface)

Polishing
(Polishing the specimen's surface)

Etching
(cutting into a surface of a material using acid)

Washing
(washing the specimen after etching

Drying
(drying the specimen after washing

Microscopic Analysis
(observing the specimen under the microscope)

b) State the objectives of the specimen preparation steps and list the apparatus used.
 i. Mounting
 To protect the specimen edge and maintain the integrity of materials surface features.
 Improves handling of irregular shaped specimen.

Apparatus and substances:

 Mounting machine
 A compression/hot mounting compound , for examples the thermoplastics

ii. Grinding
 To ensure the specimen’s surface is flat & parallel.
 To reduce the damage created during sectioning (specimen cutting).

Apparatus and substances:

 Grinder
 Silicon carbide paper (4 different grades)
 Water

iii. Polishing
 To remove the damage produced during grinding

Apparatus and substances:

 Polisher
 Soft cloth
 Lubricant
 Diamond spray

iv. Etching
 To alters and develop the surface topology to make it visible in the microscope

Apparatus and substances:

 Nital solution (2% HNO3)
 Alcohol
 Dryer

c) Discuss the importances of specimen preparation for exact and orderly metallography
examination.
 A specimen must be appropriately prepared to ensure correct observation and interpretation
of the microstructure. Sectioning, grinding and polishing are used to prepare a flat specimen
with a mirror like finish. Care must be taken during sample preparation so that it does not
lead to invalid microstructure interpretations. It is beneficial to examine the specimen in the
as polished condition. The as polished condition is useful for examining the microstructures
of materials whose constituents exhibit large differences in light reflectivity after polishing.
Porosity and inclusions are examples of features that are easily observed in the as polished
condition. Materials are etched to reveal the microstructure. Etching reveals the
microstructure of a material by selective dissolution of the structure. Specimens are then
examined using optical and electron microscopes.

d) What to be done to obtain a clearer microstructure if there are still some fine scratches after
etching?

If there are still some fine scratches after etching, the specimen surface should be washed
with soap and warm water to obtain a clearer microstructure.

e) Name the heat treatment done to the specimen 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Explain briefly about the
differences of the microstructure and the mechanical properties.

i. Specimen 1 and 2
Specimen 1 and specimen 2 undergoes annealing heat treatment process. Specimen 1 only
contain pearlite because it is a eutectoid carbon steel which left to cool off in furnace
from 100˚C. Specimen 2 contains ferrite + pearlite microstructure because it is a hypo-
eutectoid carbon steel which was left to cool off in furnace from 850˚C. Mechanical
properties for both specimen are soft and ductile.

ii. Specimen 2 and 5

Specimen 2 undergoes annealing while specimen 5 undergoes normalization. The
microstructure for specimen 2 is ferrite + pearlite because it is a hypo-eutectoid carbon
steel that was left to cool off in furnace from 850˚C. Specimen 5 contains pearlite +
cementite because it is a hypo-eutectoid steel which was annealed and then let to cool off
in room temperature. Mechanical properties for specimen 2 are soft and ductile while
mechanical properties for specimen 3 are better which is harder with less ductility.

iii. Specimen 3 and 4

 Specimen 3 undergoes quenching process from 850˚C in water while specimen 4
undergoes quenching and tempering at 600˚C for 2 hours. The microstructure for
specimen 3 is sorbite while specimen 4 is martensite. The mechanical properties for
specimen 3 is brittle and hard while specimen 4 is elastic and tough.

Conclussions :

This experiment is important to make us familiar with metallography techniques such as

grinding, polishing and etching. We can also get to be familiar with metallurgy microscope to
investigate the microstructure of metal and alloy. We can also learn the microstructure of the
specimen which undergoes different kinds of heat treatment. The preparation of the specimen
must be carefully perform step by step to ensure an accurate and clear result for microstructural
analysis. Improper technique such as not aiding the grinding process with water or touching the
specimen’s surface after etching will cause scratches to specimen which will bother the
microstructural analysis. To enhance the quality of the result for this experiment, we should
follow the specimen preparation step carefully. The suggestion in improving the quality are the
mounting process should be watched so that the pressure should not go lower than 20kN, enough
water should be added while grinding, new silicon carbide paper and polishing cloth should be
used for grinding and polishing, the diamond spray should be added while polishing, accurate
amount of 2% of Nital solution is used and we should not touch the specimen’s surface after
etching. As the conclusions, we should follow the specimen preparation method accurately so
that we can achieve a good result in microstructural analysis of the specimen for the different
heat treatments.