prEN ISO 4499-1

SLOVENSKI STANDARD oSIST prEN ISO 4499-1:2018 01-junij-2018

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Hardmetals - Metallographic determination of microstructure - Part 1: Photomicrographs

Hartmetalle - Metallographische Bestimmung der Mikrostruktur - Teil 1: Gefügebilder und

Métaux-durs - Détermination métallographique de la microstructure - Partie 1: Prises de

2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may

be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting

on the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address

Foreword ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................iv

1 Scope ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 1

2 Normative references ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 1

3 Terms and definitions ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 1

4 Apparatus ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 1

5 Preparation of testpiece section .......................................................................................................................................................... 2

6 Procedure..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 2

6.1 Metallographic preparation ......................................................................................................................................................... 2

6.1.1 General...................................................................................................................................................................................... 2

6.1.2 Sectioning ............................................................................................................................................................................... 2

6.1.3 Mounting ................................................................................................................................................................................. 2

6.1.4 Grinding ................................................................................................................................................................................... 3

6.1.5 Lapping..................................................................................................................................................................................... 3

6.1.6 Polishing .................................................................................................................................................................................. 3

6.1.7 Cleaning ................................................................................................................................................................................... 4

6.2 Etching ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4

6.2.1 General...................................................................................................................................................................................... 4

7 Test report ................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 8

Bibliography ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 9

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different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the

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This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 119 Powder metallurgy, Subcommittee

This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition (ISO 4499-1:2008), which has been technically

This document specifies the methods of metallographic determination of the microstructure of

The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content

constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For

undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.

ISO 4499-2, Hardmetals — Metallographic determination of microstructure — Part 2: Measurement of WC

ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:

carbide having a cubic lattice (for example, TiC, Tac) which may contain other carbides (for example

4.1 Metallographic microscope, permitting observations at magnifications up to 1 500 ×.

The testpiece section shall be prepared as for metallographic examination, and the surface to be

examined shall be free from grinding and polishing marks. Care shall be taken to avoid tearing-out of

NOTE There are several methods for preparation of hardmetal surfaces for metallographic examination.

Firstly, careful coarse grinding is carried out to remove sufficient material to ensure that the true structure is

revealed. After grinding with fine diamond-grit wheels, polishing is effected by using diamond paste or diamond

powders, of progressively finer grain size down to 1 µm, on rigidly supported laps of, for example, thin plastic,

thin felt or paper. A Good Practice Guide has been written by the UK National Physical Laboratory that gives

detailed guidelines on microstructural preparation. Key points from the Good Practice Guide are included in 6.1.

ASTM has also prepared a thorough standard on sample preparation that merits study (ASTM B665).

Good metallographic preparation is essential to produce a plane polished sample that when etched

reveals the true microstructure of the hardmetal. Bad preparation can lead to grain tear-out, uneven

etching and misleading detail in the microstructure which will affect any subsequent measurement.

Preparation and etching procedures may require toxic or dangerous chemicals. Personnel should be

adequately trained, and facilities and precautions as laid down in the relevant safety guidelines in place

In many cases, the hardmetal sample may have to be sectioned into smaller samples for metallographic

preparation. Diamond tooling is normally required to cut hardmetals into smaller samples. There is a

wide variety of cut-off machines which use blades with diamond embedded on the rim of the disc. Fast

cutting times are easily achieved. Wire-cutting machines, in which diamond is embedded in a wire,

offer a cheaper method. Very fine slices can be obtained using this method but only at a relatively slow

rate of cutting. A faster method is electro-discharge machining, but sufficiently fast machines are not

Mounting of the sample into a resin has several advantages: it is more suitable for automatic preparation,

the sample is easier to handle, and the specimen codes or identification can be inscribed or written

Thermo-setting powders (such as phenolic or diallyl phthalate powders) require a mounting press in

which the sample is placed in a chamber, resin is then added, and is melted under pressure. The cycle

time for these machines can be quite slow. The advantage is that hazardous chemicals are not used and

Cold-setting resins (such as epoxy, acrylic or polyester resins) do not require additional equipment

apart from the moulds in which the sample is placed and the resin is poured on top. The resins normally

consist of two parts, a monomer and a catalyst. Occasionally a third filler material is used; this may

be to increase the hardness or to act as a conductive medium. Various types are available which set