Photomicrographs (ASTM E883) are incorporated in reports showing the structure of metals, unetched or etched with a variety of different etchants, using the microscope's camera.
Some of the structures typically photographed from 25X to 1000X are:
Alpha Case
Banding
Case Depth
Decarb
Grain Boundaries
Graphite in Castings
Nodularity
Plating
Ferrite Rating
The left photo represents an inclusion in a high manganese casting.
The rightphoto shows deformation bands.
These are typical structures.
Photomacrographs are routinely taken depicting the specimen's condition for macro-cleanliness or grain flow of forgings. Photos are also taken of the specimen in the as received condition for failure analysis.
