Introduction

In the study of metallic materials it is often to analyze the phases exist and grain size in
the structure. Details of the structure of metals are not readily visible through naked eyes, but
grain structures in metals may be seen with the aid of microscope. Metal characteristics such as
grain sizes, effect of heat treatment, and carbon content of steels may be determined by studying
the micrograph. For this purpose, the metal used in the metallurgical examination must be
prepared and polished carefully before a good microscopic image can be seen. It is important to
ensure that the surface is totally flat and smooth before the microstructure observation. Any
irregularity will appear as a dark image and may create confusion to the observer who attempts
to analyze a structure. In order to obtain this smooth flat surface, several preparatory steps are
required: Cutting, Molding, Grinding, Polishing and Etching.
Cutting is a process done to cut the sample metal to appropriate size to have an easy
holding for grinding and polishing processes. The cutting tool used is abrasive cut off machine
which used proper cutting blade for the material of sample. Molding process is a process done
when the sample is too small and hard to handle by hand for grinding and polishing processes.
Molding consist of 2 types which is Hot Mounting and Cold Mounting which differs by the
sensitivity of heat and pressure of the sample used. For Hot Mounting the substance used to form
the mold is Phenolic Powder and took a short time to prepare rather than the Cold Mounting
process. The Cold Mounting process used a mixture of resin and took about 24 hour to form the
mold.
Grinding process is main process to get the microstructure of the sample. This process is
done to remove the rough surface of the sample. The sample need to undergo a long grinding
process using different grades of sand paper. The process must start from lower grade of sand
paper until the highest grade. Polishing is a process carried out to get the best surface of sample
where the sample shining and turn to be a mirror-like surface. This process is carried out on a
cloth covered rotating wheels and involve with a different grade of abrasive powders, suspended
in a water solution. The sample need to be hold firmly on the polishing wheel with a specific
period of time and to get better result, use the higher grade of abrasive powder. Etching process
is a crucial process for this lab experiment. This process is done to bring out the microstructure
of the polished sample. The polished surface of the sample is subjected to the chemical action of
an appropriate reagent depends on the material of sample. This process need to be done in
specific period of time correctly depend on the material. If the etching time is too long, it may
burnt the surface of the sample and can not be used to see the microstructure under the
microscope. The sample need to start over from the grinding process to get the new surface.

A metallurgical microscope has a system of lenses (objectives and eyepiece), because of

its ability to study objects with highly polished like metals, a metallurgical microscope is
different from other microscopes. When a mirror-like metal surface has been obtained, the
structure can be observed with the aid of optical microscope. Schematic diagram of an optical
microscope is shown in the right figure. The optical microscope magnifies an image by sending a
beam of light through the object as seen in the schematic diagram. The condenser lens focuses
the light on the sample and the objective lenses (10X, 40X, 2000X) magnifies the beam, which
contains the image, to the projector lens so the image can be viewed by the observer.