Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Stainless Steel
Stainless Steel
Application
Notes AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND NETHERLANDS
Struers Australia Struers GmbH Nederland
Metallographic preparation of stainless steel 27 Mayneview Street Zomerdijk 34 A
Milton QLD 4064 3143 CT Maassluis
Elisabeth Weidmann, Struers A/S, Copenhagen Australia Tel.: +31 (10) 599 7209
Anne Guesnier, Struers A/S, Copenhagen Tel.: +61 7 3512 9600 Fax: +31 (10) 5997201
Fax: +61 7 3369 8200 netherlands@struers.de
Bill Taylor, Struers, Ltd., Glasgow, UK. info.au@struers.dk
NORWAY
BELGIUM (Wallonie) Struers ApS, Norge
Acknowledgements Struers S.A.S. Sjøskogenveien 44C
We wish to thank Böhler Edelstahl GmbH, Kapfenberg, 370, rue du Marché Rollay 1407 Vinterbro
F- 94507 Champigny Tel.: +47 970 94 285
Austria, for generously supplying information, sample sur Marne Cedex info@struers.no
material, and the permission to reproduce the photo Tel.: +33 1 5509 1430
Fax: +33 1 5509 1449 AUSTRIA
of parts on page 1 and the diagram of production struers@struers.fr Struers GmbH
flow on page 2. Special thanks go to J. Hofstätter for Zweigniederlassung Österreich
BELGIUM (Flanders) Betriebsgebiet Puch Nord 7
the co-operation and to A. Dreindl for contributing Struers GmbH Nederland 5412 Puch
micrographs Figs. 1, 2, 6, 9 and 10. Zomerdijk 34 A Tel.: +43 6245 70567
We thank Dr. H. Schnarr, Struers GmbH, Willich, 3143 CT Maassluis austria@struers.de
Tel.: +31 (10) 599 7209
Germany, for micrographs Figs. 4 and 7. Fax: +31 (10) 5997201 POLAND
netherlands@struers.de Struers Sp. z o.o.
Oddział w Polsce
Bibliography CANADA ul. Jasnogórska 44
Schumann, VEB Deutscher Verlag für Struers Ltd. 31-358 Kraków
7275 West Credit Avenue Tel.: +48 12 661 20 60
Grundstoffindustrie, Leipzig 1968 Mississauga, Ontario L5N 5M9 Fax: +48 12 626 01 46
Werkstoffkunde und Werkstoffprüfung, W. Domke, Tel.: +1 905-814-8855 poland@struers.de
Verlag W. Giradet, Essen, 1977 Fax: +1 905-814-1440
info@struers.com ROMANIA
Metals Handbook, Desk Edition, ASM, Metals Park, Struers GmbH, Sucursala
Ohio, 44073, 1985 CHINA Bucuresti
Struers Ltd. Str. Preciziei nr. 6R
Color Metallography, E. Beraha, B. Shpigler, ASM, No. 1696 Zhang Heng Road 062203 sector 6, Bucuresti
Metals Park, Ohio, 44073, 1977 Zhang Jiang Hi-Tech Park Tel.: +40 (31) 101 9548
Shanghai 201203, P.R. China Fax: +40 (31) 101 9549
Handbuch der metallographischen Ätzverfahren, Tel.: +86 (21) 6035 3900 romania@struers.de
M.Beckert, H. Klemm, VEB Deutscher Verlag für Fax: +86 (21) 6035 3999
struers@struers.cn SWITZERLAND
Grunstoffindustrie, Leipzig, 1976 Struers GmbH
Metallography, Principles and Practice, George F. CZECH REPUBLIC & SLOVAKIA Zweigniederlassung Schweiz
Struers GmbH Organizační složka Weissenbrunnenstraße 41
VanderVoort, McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1984 vědeckotechnický park CH-8903 Birmensdorf
Merkblatt 821, Edelstahl Rostfrei-Eigenschaften Přílepská 1920, Tel.: +41 44 777 63 07
Informationsstelle Edelstahl Rostfrei, Düsseldorf, BRD CZ-252 63 Roztoky u Prahy Fax: +41 44 777 63 09
Tel.: +420 233 312 625 switzerland@struers.de
Metallographic instructions for color etching by Fax: +420 233 312 640
immersion, E. Weck, E. Leistner, Deutscher Verlag für czechrepublic@struers.de SINGAPORE
slovakia@struers.de Struers Singapore
Schweisstechnik (DVS), Düsseldorf, 1983 627A Aljunied Road,
GERMANY #07-08 BizTech Centre
Struers GmbH Singapore 389842
Carl-Friedrich-Benz-Straße 5 Tel.: +65 6299 2268
D- 47877 Willich Fax: +65 6299 2661
Tel.: +49 (0) 2154 486-0 struers.sg@struers.dk
Fax: +49 (0) 2154 486-222
infoservice@struers.de SPAIN
Struers España
FRANCE Camino Cerro de los Gamos 1
Struers S.A.S. Building 1 - Pozuelo de Alarcón
370, rue du Marché Rollay CP 28224 Madrid
F-94507 Champigny Tel.: +34 917 901 204
sur Marne Cedex Fax: +34 917 901 112
Tel.: +33 1 5509 1430 struers.es@struers.es
Fax: +33 1 5509 1449
struers@struers.fr FINLAND
Struers ApS Suomi
HUNGARY Sahaajankatu 20-22 A6
Struers GmbH 00880 Helsinki
Magyarországi Fióktelep Tel.: +358 (0)207 919 430
2040 Budaörs finland@struers.fi
Szabadság utca 117
Phone +36 (23) 80 60 90 SWEDEN
Fax +36 (23) 80 90 91 Struers Sverige
hungary@struers.de Box 20038
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IRELAND Tel.: +46 (0)8 447 53 90
Struers Ltd. Fax: +46 (0)8 447 53 99
Unit 11 Evolution@ AMP info@struers.se
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Tel.: +44 0845 604 6664 Struers Ltd.
Fax: +44 0845 604 6651 Unit 11 Evolution @ AMP
info@struers.co.uk Whittle Way, Catcliffe
Rotherham S60 5BL
ITALY Tel.: +44 0845 604 6664
Struers Italia Fax: +44 0845 604 6651
Via Monte Grappa 80/4 info@struers.co.uk
20020 Arese (MI)
Tel.: +39-02/38236281 USA
Stainless steel weld Fax: +39-02/38236274 Struers Inc.
etched according to struers.it@struers.it 24766 Detroit Road
Westlake, OH 44145-1598
Beraha II. JAPAN Tel.: +1 440 871 0071
Struers K.K Fax: +1 440 871 8188
20x Takanawa Muse Bldg. 1F info@struers.com
3-14-13 Higashi-Gotanda,
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Tel.: +81 3 5488 6207
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struers@struers.co.jp 23.01.2020 / 62140005
Metallographic
preparation
of stainless steel Application
Corrosion resistant steels contain at
least 11% chromium and are collectively
Notes
known as “stainless steels“. Within this
group of high alloy steels four categories
can be identified: ferritic, martensitic,
austenitic, and austenitic-ferritic (duplex)
stainless steels. These categories de-
scribe the alloy’s microstructure at room
temperature, which is largely influenced
by the alloy composition.
Surface of stainless steel after 3µm polish, DIC 25x Insufficiently polished stainless steel after 100x
showing deformation from grinding colour etching (Beraha II), showing deformation
Production and
application of
stainless steel
Fig.2:
Austenitic steel,
colour etched
(Beraha II).
100x
Application
The corrosion resistance of stainless steels
is based on alloying chromium with iron, Heat
and is dependant on the formation of a pas- treatment
sive surface oxide layer, which rebuilds itself and
machining
spontaneously when mechanically damaged.
Ferritic stainless steels are soft and Table 1 shows a preparation method for stain-
rpm 300 150
austenitic steels are ductile. Both are prone less steel samples, 30 mm mounted, on the
to mechanical deformation. Final polishing semi-automatic Tegramin 300 mm diameter.
usually leaves these steels highly reflective, Table 2 shows a preparation method for 6 Force [N]/ 25 40
specimen
however, if they are not thoroughly prepol- stainless steel samples, 65x30 mm, cold
ished, deformation can reappear after etching mounted or unmounted using Struers MAPS
Time (min) As needed 5
(Fig. 3). or AbraPlan/AbraPol, 350 mm diameter.
final polishing.
Preparation method for electrolytic polishing and
etching of stainless steel. Grinding on SiC foil/paper
320#, 500# and 1000#.
Grinding
Step PG FG
Chemical etching
3) V2A etchant:
Caution: Always follow the recommended
100 ml water
safety precautions when working with chemi-
100 ml hydrochloric acid
cal reagents.
10 ml nitric acid
For martensitic steels Etch at room temperature or
925 ml ethanol up to 50°C
25 g picric acid
Color etchant Beraha II:
50 ml hydrochloric acid
Stock solution
For austenitic steels 800 ml distilled water Fig. 5: Ferritic stainless steel with manganese 200x
sulfides and strings of small carbides, etched
1) Swab etch: 400 ml hydrochloric acid electrolytically with 10% oxalic acid
500 ml distilled water 48 g ammonium biflouride
300 ml hydrochloric acid To 100 ml of this stock solution
200 ml nitric acid add 1-2 g potassium metabisulfite
50 ml of a saturated for etching.
iron-III-chloride solution
2.5 g copper-II-chloride Electrolytic etching
For austenitic-ferritic steels (Duplex)
2) 100 ml water
40% aqueous sodium hydroxide
300 ml hydrochloric acid
solution
15 ml hydrogen peroxide (30%)
All stainless steels:
10% aqueous oxalic acid
Fig. 6: Tempered martensitic stainless 75x
steel with delta ferrite, etched with picric acid