Martensitic Steel
Purpose：The
martensitic steel specimen is prepared by sectioning using the TableCUT-200
Automatic Precision Cut-Off
Machine, hot mounting with the FlexPress automatic mounting machine, and
grinding and polishing using the ALPHA 610 automatic grinding and polishing
machine. After etching, the microstructure of the specimen is examined under an
optical microscope.
Basic Guide：
Cutting：1. For
martensitic steel, select an A60 aluminum oxide cutting wheel.The specific wheel specification should be selected
according to the Trojan Cutting Guide.
2.Use pulse cutting mode for sectioning. The
recommended maximum cutting speed is ≤ 0.25 mm/s.
Mounting：For the
observation of the internal microstructure, either a high edge-retention hot
mounting compound or a cold mounting resin may be used.
Grinding：1.Start
grinding with SiC paper beginning at P400, and grind until the specimen surface
is flat and the
cutting damage layer is completely removed.
2.Continue grinding using a POS disc in combination
with 9μm polycrystalline diamond suspension.
3.After each grinding step, thoroughly clean the
specimen, specimen holder, and hands to prevent contamination.
Polishing：1.Before
starting polishing, the polishing cloth, specimen holder, and hands must be
thoroughly cleaned. This cleaning procedure shall be repeated after each
subsequent polishing step.
2.Polishing discs used with different abrasive particle sizes must
not be mixed. 3.After polishing, rinse the specimen with alcohol and dry the
surface using a blower to remove residual water stains and prevent corrosion.
4.After each polishing step, examine the specimen
under a metallurgical microscope to verify that the scratch size corresponds to
the polishing particle size and that the scratches are randomly oriented.
5.After use, polishing cloths should be cleaned with
running water and a soft brush, drained, and stored properly.
