Analysis and Identification of Similar Microstructure of Steel

In daily microstructure testing, because the mesh ferrite and mesh second cementite, needle ferrite and needle cementite, martensite and their tempered products (tempered martensite, tempered troostite and tempered sorbite), undissolved ferrite and proeutectoid ferrite, and quenched troostite and tempered troostite are very similar and difficultly identified. With carbon steels as examples, by means of observing microstructure, microhardness testing and chemical reagents erosion, the shape, distribution and color of the similar microstructures were compared. It was summarized identification methods to above several kinds of similar microstructure which are useful for the metallographic workers.