Three-Dimensional Visualization of Microstructures

Abstract

This case study describes a technique for the three-dimensional analysis of the internal microscopic structure ("microstructure") of materials. This technique consists of incrementally polishing through a thin layer (approximately 0.2 microns) of material, chemically etching the polished surface, applying reference marks, and performing optical or scanning electron microscopy on selected areas. The series of images are then processed employing AVS and other visualization software to obtain a 3D reconstruction of the material. We describe how we applied this technique to an alloy steel to study the morphology, connectivity, and distribution of cementite precipitates formed during thermal processing. The results showed microstructural features not previously identified with traditional 2D techniques.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 01, 1998
Accession Number
ADA606765

Entities

People

  • Eddy Kuo
  • George Spanos
  • J. E. Swan Ii
  • Marco Lanzagorta
  • Milo V. Kral
  • Rob Rosenberg

Organizations

  • United States Naval Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Computers
  • Data Visualization
  • Geometry
  • Grain Boundaries
  • Heat Treatment
  • Image Processing
  • Materials
  • Materials Science
  • Mechanical Properties
  • Metallurgy
  • Microstructure
  • Military Research
  • Precipitates
  • Three Dimensional
  • Two Dimensional
  • Virtual Reality
  • Visualizations

Fields of Study

  • Materials science

Readers

  • Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
  • Image Processing and Computer Vision.
  • Powder metallurgy of Titanium alloys.

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics
  • Microelectronics - Graphene