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Micro-structure Assessment

The microstructure of a material is used to determine the thermal processing, condition, operating temperatures, or service conditions. Samples are polished to 1 µm diamond finish and etched with a specific etchant to resolve the microstructure. Carbon steels may have different microstructures depending on the alloying contents and the thermal processing that has occurred. The possible microstructures for an AISI 1030 carbon steel are pearlite islands in a ferrite matrix, martensite, or spheroidal structure. Austenitic stainless steels may be sensitized, have strain induced martensite, or ferrite phase present. These are two examples, but all materials have unique features that are determined by the microstructure, and often assist in failure analysis, or materials evaluation.