JJ508 ENGINEERING LABORATORY 3

LAB REPORT

TITLE: METALLOGRAPHIC SPECIMEN PREPARATION

NAME
ONG MIN XUAN
MUHAMMAD AZRI BIN RUZAIDI
MUHAMMAD HARIS BIN MUKTAAR
ALI
MUHAMMAD SYAFIQ BIN
MOHAMAD
MUHAMMAD AQIUDDIN BIN ISHAK

MATRIC NO
15DKM13F1005
15DKM13F1007
15DKM13F1013
15DKM13F1021
15DKM13F1027

LECTURE NAME: PUAN KHAIRUL FAIZAH BINTI SHAHRUDIN

OBJECTIVES: At the end of the session the students will be able to;
1.) Study the methods of metal cutting of specimen.
2.) Study the methods to place the specimen for hot mounting.
3.) Study the methods of grinding process and polishing process and etching process
of specimen.

Equipment /Apparatus /Component:

1.) Metallographic cutter machine

2.) Mounting Compound

3.) Mounting Press machine

4.) Rotary pregrinder

5.) Polisher

6.) Nital liquid(100ml alcohol and 2ml sulphuric acid)

7.) Specimen to be mounted

8.) Specimen Drier SD6000

9.) Cotton buds,file

SAFETY:

1.) Never Use a metallographic cutter machine and mounting press machine
without permission.
2.) Use Glove when handling chemicals

PROCEDURES:
A. HOT MOUNTING
1.) First, cut the metal with size not more than 15x15mm using the
Metallographic cutter machine.
2.) Secondly, smooth the rough surface of metal with the file.
3.) Third, the specimen should be placed with the surface to be examined down.
4.) Fourth, spray mounting release on the mould.
5.) Fifth, spray mounting release on the mould.
6.) Sixth, add scope of the mounting compound (pallet of polymers)into the
mould.
7.) Seventh, close the mould tightly and loose up the knob for cycle to open it
up.
8.) Next, key in the data in the machine according to type of mounting compound
being used.
9.) After that, Press start button and make sure the pressure is levelled at 270 bar
during the heating operation.
10.) For a while, once the machine completes its operation , the buzzer will be
on,
11.) Next, press again the pressure button, and take out the specimen carefully
from the machine.
12.) Lastly, clean the mould and spray mounting release, and then place it back
on the machine.
B. GRINDIN PROCESS
1.) First, fit the specimens into the apparatus of the specimen holder.
2.) Second, switch on the rotary pre-grinder machine with 240 grit paper.
3.) Third, turn on the pipe source on machine.
4.) Fourth ,set FWD at 200 rpm
5.) Lastly, repeat the same procedures for 360, 600, 800, 1000, 1200 grit papers.

C.POLISHING PROCESS
1.) First, wash the specimen with the warm soapy water followed by alcohol to
prevent contamination of the disc.

2.) Second, fit the specimens into the apparatus of the specimen holder for
coarser polisher (3 microns.)
3.) Third, use the diamond paste for 3 micron.
4.) Fourth, switch on the polisher machine and use diamond lubricator during the
polishing process.
5.) Lastly, repeat the same procedures for finer polisher (1micro and diamond
paste for 1 micron.)

D.)ETCHING PROCESS
1.) First, make sure the specimen is clean from any dirt.
2.) Second, wash the specimen using Ultrasonic Cleaner and dry it by using
Specimen Drier SD6000 if necessary.
3.) Third, the specimen is etched using a reagent.
4.) Fourth, etching the specimen by using a regent called as natal.(natal:2ml sulphuric
acid and 100ml alcohol).
5.) Next, by using a cotton bud wipe over the surface a few times.
6.) Lastly, immediately wash the specimen in alcohol and dry it using Specimen
Drier SD6000.

Result

QUESTIONS:
1) What are the importance of doing Metallographic specimen for examination
by microscope?

Prepared specimens should be examined with the unaided eye after etching to
detect any visible areas that have responded to the etchant differently from the
norm as a guide to where microscopical examination should be employed.
2) What type of cutting abrasive used in metallographic cutter? Explain in
detail.
Material

Composition

Recommended
Blade
MAX-E

Soft non-ferrous
metals
(aluminum,
brass, zinc, etc.)

Alumina/
resin
bonded

Hard non-ferrous
metals (titanium,
zirconium, etc.)

Silicon
carbide /
resinrubber
bond
Alumina/
resin
bonded

MAX-C

Hard and case

hardened steels

Alumina/
resin
bonded

MAXHVS

General purpose
blade for steels
and ferrous
metals
Universal thin
resin/rubber
blade

Alumina/
resin
bonded

MAX-D

Alumina /
resinrubber
bond
Alumina /
resinrubber
bond

MAX-A

Soft steels

Industrial
general purpose
thin blade

MAX-E

MAX-I

3) Why should mounting, grinding, and etching process done first before
conducting an examination by using microscope? Explain in detail.

In this experiment, we using only metallographic techniques, a skilled technician

can identify alloys and predict material properties. After mounting, the specimen

is wet ground to reveal the surface of the metal. The specimen is successively
ground with finer and finer abrasive media. After polishing, certain
microstructural constituents can be seen with the microscope, e.g., inclusions and
nitrides. If the crystal structure is non-cubic (e.g., a metal with a hexagonal-closed
packed crystal structure, such as Ti or Zr) the microstructure can be revealed
without etching using crossed polarized light (light microscopy). Otherwise, the
microstructural constituents of the specimen are revealed by using a suitable
chemical or electrolytic etchant.

4) Why are there sequence steps in grinding and polishing? What will happen if
the steps are not followed or ignored
Grinding: After mounting, the specimen is wet ground to reveal the surface of the
metal. The specimen is successively ground with finer and finer abrasive media.
Silicon carbide abrasive paper was the first method of grinding and is still used
today. Many metallographic, however, prefer to use a diamond grit suspension
which is dosed onto a reusable fabric pad throughout the polishing process.
Diamond grit in suspension might start at 9 micrometer and finish at one
micrometer. This process is doing every 5 minutes with different size of grinding
paper.
Polishing: Polishing with diamond suspension gives finer results than using
silicon carbide papers (SiC papers), especially with revealing porosity, which
silicon carbide paper sometimes "smear" over. After grinding the specimen,
polishing is performed. Typically, a specimen is polished with a slurry of alumina,
silica, or diamond on a napless cloth to produce a scratch-free mirror finish, free
from smear, drag, or pull-outs and with minimal deformation remaining from the
preparation process. This process will repeat two times every 5 minutes with two
different size of polisher paper.
If those two process are not followed or ignored the certain microstructural
constituents cannot be seen clearly or cannot see anything the right
microstructural with the microscope.

5) Can we conduct the examination of microscope without etching process?

Metallographic etching is the process of revealing microstructural details that
would otherwise not be evident on the as-polished sample. Etching is not always

required as some features are visible in the as-polished condition such as porosity,
cracks and inclusions.
A properly prepared specimen will reveal properties such as grain size,
segregation, and the shape, size, and distribution of the phases and inclusions that
are present, while other aspects such as mechanical deformation and thermal
treatments may also be able to be determined.

CONCLUSION:
First, we saw the microstructure of all types of metallic alloys. It can be more
precisely defined as the scientific discipline of observing and determining the chemical
and atomic structure and spatial distribution of the constituents, inclusions or phases in
metallic alloys. By extension, these same principles can be applied to the characterization
of any material.

Different techniques are used to reveal the microstructural features of metals. Most
investigations are carried out with incident light microscopy in brightfield mode, but
other less common contrasting techniques, like darkfield or differential interference
contrast (DIC), and the use of color (tint) etching are expanding the scope of light
microscopy for metallographic applications.