304 Austenitic Stainless Steel
Purpose：304
stainless steel exhibits excellent corrosion resistance and surface finish. It is widely used in
various industries, including aerospace, automotive, chemical, medical, food
processing, and construction, due to its outstanding performance and
versatility. Metallographic testing is a crucial component of quality control
in the production and processing of stainless steel. It is primarily used to
examine the grain structure of samples and conduct failure analysis of
components. The sample undergoes cutting (using the Beta300 Pro), mounting
(with the FlexPRESS Mounting Press), and grinding/polishing (using the Alpha610
grinder polisher). It is then electrochemically etched with a 10% oxalic
acidsolution before its microstructure is examined under the MN80
metallurgicalmicroscope.
Basic
guide：
Cutting：1.For
Austenitic stainless steel, select A30 series alumina abrasive cutting discs.
For specific
models, refer to Trojan's cutting guide.
2.Select
pulse mode, with a recommended maximum cutting speed≤0.3mm/s.
Mounting：Either
high edge retention hot mounting resin or cold mounting resin can be used.
Grinding：1.Start
grinding with silicon carbide paper/grinding foil from P400, grinding until the
sample is flat
and the cutting damage layer is completely removed.
2.After
each grinding step, clean the sample, sample holder, and your hands.
Polishing：1.Before
starting polishing, clean the polishing cloth, sample holder, and your hands.
Repeat the cleaning process after each polishing step.
2.Polishing
discs used with polishing suspensions of different abrasive sizes should not be
mixed.
3.Use
alcohol and a blow dryer to clean and dry the sample surface, removing any
residual water spots.
4.After
each polishing step, observe the polishing scratches under a metallographic
microscope to check if the scratch size corresponds to the polishing grit and
if the direction is random.
5.After
use, clean the polishing cloth with running water and a soft brush, then allow
it to drain and store it properly.
6.The
polishing cloth used for austenitic stainless steel should only be used for
polishing austenitic stainless steel samples and should not be mixed with
cloths used for other materials.
