About On-site Materialography

Conventional materialographic preparation entails taking a representative sample from a workpiece or part by cutting or sawing. This method is not always appropriate as it destroys the component which is being examined. The non-destructive testing method enables the necessary inspection to be carried out on-site with or without minimum damage to the subject.

Struers’ lightweight portable equipment and advanced replica techniques can be used to acquire a high quality image or take a replica of the prepared surface that enables a complete evaluation of the surface without damaging the whole part.

On-site materialographic preparation and examination is particularly important for quality control, inspection, and failure analysis in power stations, aircraft, chemical plants, offshore platforms, etc.

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How to Do On-site Materialography

Mechanical Preparation

Non-destructive testing enables the necessary inspection to be carried out on-site. The usual Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) preparation steps for subsequent surface examination such as grinding, polishing, and etching are performed in a limited area on the item to be examined where no or minimum damage can be done. Non-destructive testing enables the necessary inspection to be carried out on-site.

Electrolytic Preparation

Electrolytic preparation is a particularly fast and efficient method of non-destructive metallographic testing. It can be applied directly to critical surfaces and is widely used for metal safety inspection, especially for critical parts of larger units such as welds and other joints. The method effectively reveals changes in the microstructure.

Replica Methods for Examination in the Lab

Replica methods enable the microscopic examination to be performed under laboratory conditions. Replication is used to make negative copies of geometric forms and to show the microstructure after metallographic preparation under light microscopes up to 500x. It is also useful for making replicas of the microstructures, like grain sizes, inclusions, and welds.