Metallurgical Analysis Services

We have an extensive range of equipment to enable both macroscopic and microscopic examinations to be conducted on most types of components and/or failures.

Sectioning and Metallurgical Preparation

Due to the limitation in size of the specimen that examination instruments such as optical and electron microscopes can accept, it is often necessary to section and prepare a component to a suitable size for detailed evaluation. To enable us to offer a comprehensive service we have a complementary range of:

In addition our laboratory has a full range of chemicals enabling preparation of most frequently used metallurgical etchants for use on all common and exotic metals and alloys.

Macroscopic Examinations

In many cases detailed examinations of fractured surfaces can be undertaken using a low magnification technique. Hand lenses, binocular microscopes enabling magnification from 1× to 100× are available, along with macro-photographic facilities.

Microscopic Examinations

A range of optical microscopes are available enabling detailed metallurgical evaluation to be conducted up to magnifications of 100×. The images can be magnified by a further factor of 2× by a colour camera linked through proprietary software to a colour monitor enabling storage of images to hard disk. This method of data storage is particularly useful for transfer to Word documents for subsequent report writing.

Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)

A requirement of an ISO 9001 & Quality Management System is the operation of a continual improvement policy (Clause 8.5.1). The addition of a SEM to our list of test equipment allows a significant improvement in the ability to determine the causes of non conformities.

The equipment has the capability of high magnifications and allows images in the range ×30 to ×50,000 to be achieved. In addition the equipment has I-Scan digital software allowing digital imaging and image storage thus enabling transfer to a wide range of Windows applications. A Polaron coating unit is available enabling coating of non conducting specimens by precious metal and carbon thereby allowing the equipment to be used on a wide range of applications.

Hardness Testing

The properties conferred to any ferrous or non-ferrous material needs to be tested and verified. After heat treatment a component is usually hardness tested and the value obtained being acknowledged as an indication of the effectiveness of the treatment.

MSL have a full range of commonly used hardness testing equipment. All equipment is calibrated on an annual basis to internationally recognised standards by a UKAS accredited external contractor. In addition internal calibration checks using calibrated test blocks are performed on a basis that satisfies the requirements of ISO9002.

Fractographic Analysis

Fractography is a descriptive explanation of a fracture process, usually in metals with specific reference to the use of photographs to study the fracture surface.

Macrofractography involves low magnification (<25×)
Microfractography involves higher magnification (>25×)

The scanning electron microscope is a very popular tool in the field of fractography. The large depth of focus, the ability to vary magnification over a wide range, the non-destructive nature of the examination and the 3D appearances of SEM fractography makes the instrument an indispensable tool in failure investigations.

Several clearly unique and recognisable features of a particular fracture surface enable the failure mode to be established by the investigator.

Common features include:

Images