Section, Mount, and Polish

Metallographic preparation of a specimen for micrography.  The process involves: sectioning of the specimen in the area of interest to fit in a mount of a certain size, molding the specimen in a mounting medium, rough grinding the mounted specimen to obtain a plane surface, and fine polishing to a mirror-like finish for viewing at very high magnifications.  A chemical etchant is typically applied to reveal microstructural characteristics.

Micrography

An inverted microscope is used to view mounted and polished specimens at very high magnifications.  This is done to analyze such things as: microstructures, grain size, non-metallic inclusion content, surface discontinuities, case depth, and depth of decarburization.  Micrography is typically used as part of failure analysis.

Macrography

Visual and low magnification observations are made to examine specimens for such things as: surface conditions, fracture surfaces (fracture modes), small markings, and thread inspection.  Macrography is typically used as part of failure analysis.

Failure Analysis

Failure analysis uses metallurgical techniques to determine the causes of part and material failures.  This process can involve all of the testing described above.

Technical Report

A technical report is typically associated with a failure analysis process.  It details the steps performed and routinely includes several photographs.  A technical report includes a conclusion detailing the findings.