Advanced Materials Course

Tutorial Questions 1:
Experimental Techniques
1. What information can be found from the following techniques? and what are the
advantages and disadvantages of each technique?

optical microscopy (stereo, reflected and transmitted light)

SEM
XRD
chemical analysis
hardness testing
tensile testing

Failure Analysis
2. Photographs from fracture surfaces of two broken tools from a pneumatic drill are shown
(Fig A). The circular fracture surface is 35 mm in diameter and the other is ca. 24 x 39 mm.
Discuss the features of each fracture surface and relate them to the mechanisms by which
the failure occurred.

(i)

(ii)

Fig A fracture surfaces of two broken tools from a pneumatic drill.