Metallography Services

Our lab provides metallographic services for analyzing grain size and inclusions. The surface of a metallographic specimen is prepared by mounting the sample in an epoxy, then grinding, polishing, and etching if necessary. 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.

Once prepared, samples are examined by the unaided eye, the metallograph, and the scanning electron microscope.

The metallograph is simply an inverted light microscope where light is directed vertically through the microscope objective and reflected back through the objective to an eyepiece. Specimens are prepared to obtain a polished finish. Chemical or other etching methods are often used to delineate macrostructure and microstructure features.

 

 

Explanation on how the Scanning Electron Microscope works and also for the Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy. Houston Electron Microscopy invites you to tour our lab and see our SEM/EDS system in action.

 

Houston Electron Microscopy
281-888-4261 or 281-704-0188

Close up of Our Location

View Google Map