Microstructural analysis of the composite matrix is necessary to understand the performance of the part and its long-term durability. This article focuses on the microstructural analysis of engineering thermoplastic-matrix composites and the influence of cooling rate and nucleation on the formation of spherulites in high-temperature thermoplastic-matrix carbon-fiber-reinforced composites. It also describes the microstructural analysis of a bio-based thermosetting-matrix natural fiber composite system.

Crystallographic texture measurement and analysis is an important tool for correlating material properties with microstructural features. This article describes the general approach to quantifying crystallographic texture, namely, the collection of statistical data from grain measurements and subsequent analysis based on Euler plots (i.e., pole figures), orientation distribution functions, and stereographic projections. Using detailed illustrations and examples, it explains the significance of preferred crystallographic orientations and their influence on properties and material behavior. The article also discusses sample selection and preparation as well as the challenges and limitations of various methods.

X-ray diffraction (XRD) is the most extensively used method for identifying and characterizing various aspects of metals related to the arrangements and spacings of their atoms for bulk structural analysis. XRD techniques are also applicable to ceramics, geologic materials, and most inorganic chemical compounds. This article describes the operating principles and types of XRD analyses, along with information about the threshold sensitivity and precision, limitations, sample requirements, and capabilities of related techniques. The necessary instrumentation for XRD analyses include the Debye-Scherrer camera and the X-ray diffractometer. The article also describes the uses of XRD analyses, such as the identification of phases or compounds in metals and ceramics; detection of order and disorder transformation; determination of lattice parameters and changes in lattice parameters due to alloying and temperature effects; measurement of residual stresses; characterization of crystallite size and perfection; characterization of preferred orientations; and determination of single crystal orientations.

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) approach enables essentially simultaneous examination of microstructural features through imaging from lower magnifications to atomic resolution and the acquisition of chemical and crystallographic information from small regions of the thin specimen. This article discusses fundamentals of the technique, especially for solving materials problems. Background information is provided to help understand basic operations and principles, including instrumentation, the physics of signal generation and detection, image formation, electron diffraction, and spectrometry techniques with data analysis.

Engineering component and structure failures manifest through many mechanisms but are most often associated with fracture in one or more forms. This article introduces the subject of fractography and aspects of how it is used in failure analysis. The basic types of fracture processes (ductile, brittle, fatigue, and creep) are described briefly, principally in terms of fracture appearances. A description of the surface, structure, and behavior of each fracture process is also included. The article provides a framework from which a prospective analyst can begin to study the fracture of a component of interest in a failure investigation. Details on the mechanisms of deformation, brittle transgranular fracture, intergranular fracture, fatigue fracture, and environmentally affected fracture are also provided.

This article provides an overview of fractography and explains how it is used in failure analysis. It reviews the basic types of fracture processes, namely, ductile, brittle, fatigue, and creep, principally in terms of fracture appearances, such as microstructure. The article also describes the general features of fatigue fractures in terms of crack initiation and fatigue crack propagation.

This article provides a detailed account of the concepts of single-crystal x-ray diffraction (XRD). It begins with a historical review of XRD methods, followed by a description of the various factors involved in crystal symmetry. The article then focuses on the phase problem in x-ray structural analysis and validation of the structural model. Some of the factors to be considered for performing experimental procedure are provided. The article presents several examples of applications of single-crystal XRD. The following sections cover the crystallographic problem in terms of structural analysis, software programs for crystal structure solution and refinement, and visualization of crystal structures. The article ends with a discussion on various databases available for single-crystal XRD analysis.

The corrosion behavior of a metal or alloy is determined by its composition and structural features, the environment and stresses to which it is exposed, and the behavior of any corrosion products generated. This article provides a detailed discussion on the fundamentals of pure metals, impure metals, and alloys. It highlights the ways in which the metallurgical variables, namely, composition and structure, influence the corrosion properties of metals and alloys in aqueous environment.

This article focuses on the relationships among material properties and material structure. It summarizes the fundamental characteristics of metals, ceramics, and polymers. The article provides information on the crystal structure, the atomic coordination, and crystalline defects. It discusses the relevance of the properties to design. The article describes the common means for increasing low-temperature strength and presents an example that shows structure-property relationships in nickel-base superalloys for high-temperature applications. The relationships of microstructure with low-temperature fracture, high-temperature fracture, and fatigue failure are also discussed.

This article presents the Schmid's law that describes the response of crystal structures to loading. It describes the Taylor model to calculate the uniaxial yield stress of an isotropic face-centered cubic aggregate in terms of critical resolved shear stress. The article discusses the stress-based approach of the Bishop and Hill procedure to directly find stress states that could simultaneously operate at least five independent slip systems. It presents ways to find isostress or lower-bound yield loci for sheets having single-crystal orientation.

This article reviews the fundamental relationships between microstructure and mechanical properties for major classes of nonmetallic engineering materials: metals, ceramics and glasses, intermetallic compounds, polymers, and composites. It details the structures of inorganic crystalline solids, inorganic noncrystalline solids, and polymers. The article describes the various strengthening mechanisms of crystalline solids, namely, work hardening, solid-solution hardening, particle/precipitation hardening, and grain size hardening. Deformation and strengthening of composite materials, polymers, and glasses are reviewed. The article concludes with information on the two important aspects of the mechanical behavior of any class of engineering material: fatigue response and fracture resistance.

Overload failures refer to the ductile or brittle fracture of a material when stresses exceed the load-bearing capacity of a material. This article reviews some mechanistic aspects of ductile and brittle crack propagation, including a discussion on mixed-mode cracking, which may also occur when an overload failure is caused by a combination of ductile and brittle cracking mechanisms. It describes the general aspects of fracture modes and mechanisms. The article discusses some of the material, mechanical, and environmental factors that may be involved in determining the root cause of an overload failure. It also presents examples of thermally and environmentally induced embrittlement effects that can alter the overload fracture behavior of metals.

Rapid solidification is a tool for modifying the microstructure of alloys that are obtained by ordinary casting. This article describes the fundamentals of the four microstructural changes, namely, microsegregation, identity of the primary phase, identity of the secondary phase, and the formation of noncrystalline phases. It considers three factors to understand the fundamentals of these changes: heat flow, thermodynamic constraints/conditions at the liquid-solid interfaces, and diffusional kinetics/microsegregation. These factors are described in detail.

X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) techniques are used to characterize samples in the form of loose powders or aggregates of finely divided material that readily diffract x-rays in specified patterns. This article provides an introduction to XRPD, beginning with a review of sensing devices, including pinhole/Laue cameras, Debye-Scherrer/Gandolfi cameras, Guinier cameras, glancing angle cameras, conventional diffractometers, thin film diffractometers, Guinier diffractometers, and micro diffractometers. The article then describes several quantitative measurement methods, such as lattice parameter, absorption diffraction, spiking, and direct comparison, explaining where each may be used. It also identifies potential sources of error in XRPD measurements.