MOHD AIDIL MUNIR BIN KHIDER 2009617152

RESULT:

Lens focuses M40/0.65.Illustration under microscope after etching:

Ferrite

Ferrite: A body centered cubic iron. It will dissolve only 0.008 percent carbon at room temperature and a maximum of 0.025 percent carbon at 1330F. Very limited extent in this area, ferrite form and interstitial solid solution with carbon. Ferrite is the softest structure that appears on the diagram. It appears light gray or white through the microscope.

MOHD AIDIL MUNIR BIN KHIDER 2009617152

DISCUSSION : 1) Metallographic of the microstructures provides the Material Scientist or Engineering information varying from phase structure, grain size, and solidification structure and casting voids. Analysis of a materials grain size provides valuable information regarding a materials physical hardness and ductility. Microstructures analysis can also provide very useful information about the types of phases that occur during cooling. 2) The purpose of etching is to optically enhance microstructures features such as grain size and phase features. Etching selectively alters these microstructures features based on composition, stress, or crystal structure. The most common technique for etching is selective chemical etching and numerous formulations have been used over the years. Other techniques such as molten salt, electrolytic, thermal and plasma etching have also found specialized applications. Chemical etching selectively attacks specific microstructures features. It generally consists of a mixture of acids or bases with oxidizing or reducing agents. For more technical information on selective chemical etching consult corrosion books which discuss the relationship between pH and Eh (oxidation/reduction potentials), often known as Eh-pH diagrams or Pourbaix diagrams. Over the years numerous chemical etchants have been formulated. Some of the more common chemical etchants are listed in the following table. 3) Table below lists some of the more common etchants.

MOHD AIDIL MUNIR BIN KHIDER 2009617152

4) A phase diagram is a type of graph used to show the equilibrium conditions between the thermodynamically-distinct phases. Figure below shows the equilibrium diagram for combinations of carbon in a solid solution of iron. The diagram shows iron and carbons combined to form Fe-Fe3C at the 6.67%C end of the diagram. The left side of the diagram is pure iron combined with carbon, resulting in steel alloys. Three significant regions can be made relative to the steel portion of the diagram. They are the eutectoid E, the hypoeutectoid A, and the hypereutectoid B. The right side of the pure iron line is carbon in combination with various forms of iron called alpha iron (ferrite), gamma iron (austenite), and delta iron. The black dots mark clickable sections of the diagram.

MOHD AIDIL MUNIR BIN KHIDER 2009617152

CONCLUSION Microstructure refers of the microscopic description of the individual constituents of a material. The microstructure of a material really is a study of the crystal structure of a material, their size, composition, orientation, formation, interaction and ultimately their effect on the macroscopic behaviour in terms of physical properties such as strength, toughness, ductility, hardness, corrosion resistance and so on which in turn govern the application of these materials in industry and manufacture. This can be observed when we do the heat treatment process. As we know, this method used to alter the physical, and sometimes chemical, properties of a material. The most common application is metallurgical. Heat treatments are also used in the manufacture of many other materials, such as glass. Heat treatment involves the use of heating or chilling, normally to extreme temperatures, to achieve a desired result such as hardening or softening of a material. Heat treatment techniques include annealing, case hardening, precipitation strengthening, tempering and quenching. Optical microscopes through their use of visible wavelengths of light, are the simplest and hence most widely used type of microscope.

REFERENCE: 1. Materials Science and Engineering an Introduction, William D. Callister, Jr, 6th Edition John Wiley & Sons, Inc 2. McGraw-Hill Series in Materials Science and Engineering 3rd Edition by George E. Dieter 3. http://www.springerlink.com/content/u322x2672373w124/ 4. http://www.matter.org.uk/steelmatter/metallurgy/strength/6_1_2.html 5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microstructure