Photomicrograph Gallery I:

Color Etching in Foundry Metallography . . .







Following are some examples of color etching in foundry metallography, working with cast iron and cast steel.

Click a photomicrograph to open a larger, close up view.

Figure 1.   This alloyed cast iron specimen has composition 3.5C, 3Mn, and 35Cr.

Figure 2.   This alloyed cast iron sample contains 3.5C, 3Mn, and 40 Cr.

Figure 3.   This cast iron specimen is alloyed with 15Cr, 2C, and 3Mn.

Figure 4.   Ferrite is the predominant phase in this cast steel specimen, which also shows needles of austenite.

Figure 5.   Increasing the nitrogen to 0.42% decreases ferrite content and causes the needles of austenite to disappear.

Figure 6.   Increasing the carbon content to 0.21% increases the amount of ferrite.

Figure 7.   Ferrite content is reduced by increasing nitrogen to 0.38% Figure 8.   Chromium carbides are visible in this cast steel microstructure. Figure 9.   Cast steel microstructure is shown after heat treatment.