Applications for Fractographic Surface Preparation and Preservation

The presentation “Applications for Fractographic Surface Preparation and Preservation” will cover numerous tools, applications, precautions, and results from fractographic specimen cleaning practices. The presentation will include a brief overview of common practices used throughout the failure investigation industry as detailed in the ASM Fractography Handbook. It will also explain the logic for which techniques will work most effectively in different scenarios, including material type, fracture origin condition, and final examination goals. The presentation will highlight precautions to have in place when determining the preparation tools, such as abrasives, chemicals in soaps, and masking features of interest. The presentation will conclude with more modern and meticulous practices that are used internally and externally in the community with a focus on dry ice blast for removing surface corrosion on fracture surfaces.