Metallographer’s Guide: Practices and Procedures for Irons and Steels (Repost)

This guide was prepared not only for the beginning metallographer but also for the experienced metallographer who may be looking for alternatives and new approaches to metallographic practice. For the beginning metallographer, little or no knowledge of steels and cast irons the guide provides the basic information needed to understand the various types of steels and cast irons available in the commercial world; provides examples of the multitude of microstructures that the metallographer will encounter, how these microstructures are created, and how they can be altered by heat treatment and other means. Some metallographers may be working in a small laboratory where no metallurgical support is available.

A unique feature of this guide is a separate and complete index of the various steels and cast irons used as examples throughout the book. The index makes the hundreds of micrographs essentially an Atlas of Microstructures.

Although this book is for the novice metallographer, an experienced metallographer may find it useful in that dozens of special metallographic tips are scattered through the chapters on specimen preparation and the art of revealing microstructure. This guide could be used as a university or technical school text to accompany the teaching of a laboratory course in metallography.

Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Atlas of Microstructures
Chapter 1: Introduction to Steels and Cast Irons
Steels
Carbon and Low-Alloy Steels
High-Alloy Steels
Cast Irons
Chapter 2: Origin of Microstructure
Microstructural Development Resulting from Heat Treatment
The Iron-Carbon Phase Diagram
Kinetics of Phase Transformations
The Microstructural Constituents in Steel
Microstructural Development Resulting from Solidification
Phase Transformations in Cast Irons
Transformations in a 3% C Cast Iron
General Description of Microstructures in Cast Irons
Commercial Cast Irons
Chapter 3: Alteration of Microstructure
The Intentional Alteration of Microstructure in Steels and Cast Irons
The Unintentional Alteration of Microstructure in Steels and Cast Irons
Chapter 4: The Metallographer and the Metallographic Laboratory
The Metallographer
The Metallographer versus the Chemist
The Metallographer’s Workday
The Metallographic Laboratory
Safety in the Metallographic Laboratory
Chapter 5: The Metallurgical Microscope
The Microscope
The Objective
The Nosepiece
Optical Defects in Objectives
Types of Objectives
Types of Eyepieces
The Illumination System
The Components of the Illumination System
Types of Illumination
Accessories for the Microscope
The Metallograph
Special Procedures for the Metallurgical Microscope
Chapter 6: The Expanded Metallographic Laboratory
The Image Analyzer
The Electron Microscope
The X-Ray Diffractometer
The Hot Stage Microscope
The Microhardness Tester
The Hot Microhardness Tester
Other Specialized Techniques
Chapter 7: Metallographic Specimen Preparation
Information Gathering
Sectioning
Mounting
Grinding
Polishing
Specimen Storage
Chapter 8: The Art of Revealing Microstructure
Etching Response
Revealing Microstructure in an As-Polished Specimen
Revealing Microstructure by Etching
The Basic Etchants for Carbon and Low-Alloy Steels and Cast Irons
The Attack Etchants
Picral
Variations of Picral
4% Picral and 2% Nital
Basic Tint Etchants for Carbon and Low-Alloy Steels and Cast Irons
General Procedure in Using Tint Etchants
The Common Tint Etchants
The Basic Etchants for Stainless Steels
Attack Etchants for Stainless Steels
Electrolytic Etchants for Stainless Steels
The Basic Etchants for Coated Steels
Special Etching Procedures
The Use of the Microscope to Enhance Microstructural
Features
Chapter 9: Glossary
Appendix: Tables Helpful to the Metallographer
List of ASTM standards that pertain to ferrous metallography
List of vendors for metallographic supplies
List of light optical microscope manufacturers
Microscope reticle manufacturer
Scientific imaging products
Used and/or reconditioned equipment
Conversion of average grain intercept length (microns) to ASTM number
Chemical polishing solutions
Electroless and electrolytic coatings for edge protection
Etchants for revealing macrostructures in iron and steel
Etchants for carbon and alloy steels
Carbon steel compositions
Free-machining (resulfurized) carbon steel compositions
Free-machining (rephosphorized and resulfurized)
carbon steel compositions
High-manganese carbon steel compositions
High-manganese carbon steel compositions
Alloy steel compositions applicable to billets, blooms, slabs, and hot-rolled and cold-finished bars
Chemical compositions for typical low-alloy steels
ASTM specifications for chromium-molybdenum steel product forms
Nominal chemical compositions for heat-resistant chromium-molybdenum steels
Compositions of standard stainless steels
Compositions of nonstandard stainless steels
Nominal compositions of wrought iron-base heat-resistant alloys
Composition limits of principal types of tool steels
Standard composition ranges for austenitic manganese steel castings
Typical compositions for malleable iron
Nominal compositions of commercial maraging steels
Typical base compositions of SAE J431 automotive gray cast irons for heavy-duty service
Chemical compositions and mechanical properties of austenitic manganese steels for nonmagnetic and cryogenic applications
Composition of selected cast irons
Temperature Conversions
Index