This article describes sample preparation to create a visually impressive micrograph image of single-phase cartridge brass, C26000, an alloy composition of 70% copper and 30% zinc. C26000 was chosen due to the striking twins and large grain size that are easily generated by annealing a cold-worked sample, the large range of contrast and colors that can be created by etching, and the wide availability of the material. This entry won the Jacquet-Lucas Award for Best in Show at the 2021 International Metallographic Contest.

A microscope using differential interference contrast inspects grains and inclusions on heat treated aluminum parts to help predict the performance of the metal.

This entry won the prestigious Jacquet-Lucas Award for Best in Show in the 2020 International Metallographic Contest. In the research discussed in this article, light microscopy was applied to a Co28Cr6Mo alloy for a biomedical application processed by laser bed powder fusion (LPBF) additive manufacturing.

Focused ion beam (FIB) systems are selectively used in cold spray coating characterization to gather information on the nature of splat formation, single splats, multiple splats, or the coating-substrate interface. Electron probe microanalysis has been used in cold-sprayed coating characterization primarily to understand the bonding mechanism at the coating-substrate interface.

Optical or light microscopy uses the visible or near-visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum and is one of the oldest characterization techniques. With any cold spray coating, it is the first characterization process used to evaluate and optimize process variables.

Microanalysis tools and techniques are often required to identify and characterize the root cause of paint adhesion failures in passenger cars and trucks. In the examples presented, different types of light microscopes, including polarized, interference contrast, fluorescence, and infrared, and various spectroscopy methods were used to reveal paint formulation abnormalities and sources of contamination that were found to be the cause of paint adhesion failures occurring on polymer-based parts and between paint layers.