Materials Testing & Analysis Services
Optical microscopy is probably the most available and widely used tool for failure analysis.
The range of applications is very broad and included among the typical types of application are the characterisation, identification and comparison of such samples as metals, plastics, powders, glass, minerals, soil, dusts, polymers, fibres, paper and various biological material.
Low magnification observation, X5 to X40, with a stereo microscope can be followed by higher magnification examination, from X50 to X1250, with an incident reflected or transmitted light, high power microscope.
Specimen preparation can be very minimal and non-destructive or can involve the cutting, mounting and polishing of samples. Further preparation involving chemical etching can often be carried out to reveal details of the microstructure of the material examined.
Additional facilities such as polarised light, phase contrast and Nomarski microscopy have a number of applications including the identification of man-made and asbestos fibres.
1.Optical microscopy image through intergranular stress corrosion cracking of a brass bolt.
2.Optical microscopy image of etched brass sample showing equiaxed grains with twinning.
3.Optical Microscope.
An image analyser on the microscope enables accurate determination the various dimensions, size distribution and population of any feature including grain size, particulate and fibres.
Optical Microscopy and Image Analysis.
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