This article focuses on the metallography and microstructures of wrought and cast aluminum and aluminum alloys. It describes the role of major alloying elements and their effect on phase formation and the morphologies of constituents formed by liquid-solid and/or solid-state transformations. The article also describes specimen preparation procedures and examines the microstructure of several alloy samples.

The two major types of beryllium-containing alloys are copper-berylliums and nickel-berylliums. The most widely used beryllium-containing alloys are wrought copper-berylliums, which provide good strength while retaining useful levels of electrical and thermal conductivity. This article provides information on the specimen preparation procedures,...