Metalografa

Aluminum and Aluminum Alloys

Etchant Conc. Conditions Comments
Kellers Etch
190 ml
Distilled water 10-30 second
5 ml For most aluminum
Nitric acid immersion
3 ml and aluminum alloys
Hydrochloric acid Use fresh
2 ml
Hydrofluoric acid

Pure aluminum,
Methanol 25 ml aluminum-
Hydrochloric acid 25 ml 10-60 magnesium, and
Nitric acid 25 ml seconds aluminum-
Hydrofluoric acid 1 drop magnesium-silicon
alloys

Krolls Reagent
92 ml
Distilled water Aluminum-copper
6 ml 15 seconds
Nitric acid alloys
2 ml
Hydrofluoric acid
Aluminum-Silicon Alloy, Kellers etch, 200X
 Brass and Bronze Alloys
Etchant Conc. Conditions Comments

Attack polishing,
Ammonium ASTM 30 is also a
hydroxide Dilute Immersion good etchant for
(dilute solutions) copper and coper
alloys

Copper No. 1 Brasses, bronzes,

Distilled water 200 ml Immersion or aluminum brass,
Ferric chloride 10 grams swabbing alpha -phases in
Hydrochloric acid 50 ml brass

1 second to several Common etchant

Copper No. 2
minutes by for copper and
Nitric acid 125 ml
immersion or copper alloys such
Distilled water 125 ml
swabbing as brass and bronze
Manganese-Aluminum Bronze Alloy, 400X DIC)
 Cast Iron

Etchant Conc. Conditions Comments

Nital
100 ml Seconds to Do not exceed 10%
Ethanol
1-10 ml minutes nitric acid -explosive
Nitric acid
Cast Iron, 2% Nital,, 100X (DIC)
 Copper Alloys

Etchant Conc. Conditions Comments

Distilled water
25 ml Seconds to -Grain boundaries use less
Ammonium hydroxide
25 ml minutes (use H2O2
Hydrogen peroxide
5-25 ml only fresh) -Grain contrast use more H2O2
(3%)

Distilled water 50 ml Seconds to

Copper and copper alloys
Nitric acid 50 ml minutes

Distilled water or
100-120 ml
Ethanol Seconds to
25-50 ml Produce grain contrast
Hydrochloric acid minutes
5-10 grams
Ferric chloride
Tough Pitch copper, etched, Mag. 100X
 Low Carbon Steel

Etchant Conc. Conditions Comments

Nital
100 ml Seconds to Do not exceed 10% nitric
Ethanol
1-10 ml minutes acid-explosive
Nitric acid

Picral
100 ml Seconds to Do not let etchant dry-
Ethanol
2-4 grams minutes explosive
Picric acid
1018 Low Carbon Steel (quenched), etched, Mag. 100X
 High Carbon Steel

Etchant Conc. Conditions Comments

Picral For heat treated steels

100 ml Seconds to
Ethanol Do not let etchant dry-
2-4 grams minutes
Picric acid explosive

Ethanol 80 ml
Nitric acid 10 ml Seconds to
Grain boundaries
Hydrochloric acid 10 ml minutes
Picric acid 1 gram

Nital
100 ml Seconds to Do not exceed 10% nitric acid
Ethanol
1-10 ml minutes -explosive
Nitric acid
1095 High Carbon Steel (furnace cooled), etched, Mag. 100X
 Stainless Steel
Etchant Conc. Conditions Comments
Carpenter 300 Series
Stainless Steel Etchant
Ferric chloride
8.5 grans A nice etchant for 300 series,
Cupric chloride Immerse for several
2.4 grams austenitic, duplex stainless
Alcohol seconds.
122 ml steels
Hydrochloric acid
122 ml
Nitric acid
6 ml

Kalling' No. 2
Cupric chloride 12 grams Immerse or swab - For 400 series or martensitic
Hydrochloric acid 20 ml seconds to minutes stainless steel
Alcohol 225 ml
Modified Murakami's
1 second to several Mix potassium hydroxide into
K3Fe(CN)6 30 grams
minutes by immersion or water before adding
Potassium hydroxide 30 grams
swabbing K3Fe(CN)6.
Distilled water 150 ml
Hydrochloric acid 20-30 ml Immerse at room Color etching. Colors carbides
Selenic acid 1-3 ml temperature for 1-4 and gamma prime phase in
Ethyl alcohol 100 ml minutes heat resisting steels
Color etching. Etching of
Ammonium bifluoride 20 grams Immersion at room
austenitic stainless steel and
Potassium metabisulfite 0.5 grams temperature for 1-2
welds. Reveals delta ferrite in
Distilled water 100 ml minutes
welds.
431 Stainless Steel, etched with Modified Murakami's, Mag. 400X (DIC)
 Tin Alloy

Etchant Conc. Conditions Comments

Ethanol or methanol Pure tin, tin-lead alloys,

or Distilled water 100 ml Several minutes tin-antimony-copper
Hydrochloric acid 2-5 ml alloys

Nital
Ethanol 100 ml Seconds to Do not exceed 10% nitric
Nitric acid 1-10 ml minutes acid -explosive

Distilled water or
100 ml
methanol Seconds to
5-25 ml Tin-copper alloys
Hydrochloric acid minutes
10 grams
Ferric chloride
Tin-copper alloy, etched with 2% Nital, Mag. 100X (DIC)
 Zinc Alloy
Etchant Conc. Conditions Comments

Distilled water or
100 ml
Ethanol Several minutes Zinc and zinc alloys
1-5 ml
Hydrochloric acid

Distilled water 100 ml Low alloy zinc and pure

1-5 seconds
Sodium Hydroxide 10 grams zinc

Distilled water 100 ml

CrO3 20 grams Seconds Swabbing
Na2SO4 1-5 grams
Zinc-aluminum alloy, 200X B.F., (etchant CrO3, Na2SO4)
 Oxide Ceramics (e.g alumina, zirconia, etc.)

Etchant Conc. Conditions Comments

Minutes to hours at 100-200C AL2O3,

Thermal etching in air
below the sintering temperature Al2O3-MgO

Molten Salt
Al2O3,
Potassium hydrogen 5-10 minutes in Pt crucible
Al2SiO5
fluoride melt

Distilled water 15 ml Boiling for 5 minutes to

Al2O3
Phosphoric acid 85 ml 2 hours

Distilled water 50 ml
Boiling for 1-5 minutes ZrO2
Sulfuric acid 50 ml
 Carbide Ceramics (e.g silicon carbide, tungsten carbide)

Etchant Conc. Conditions Comments

Molten Salt
Sodium or
10 minutes in Pt crucible SiC
potassium
bicarbonate melt

Hydrochloric acid
10 ml
Hydrogen Seconds to minutes WC
10 ml
peroxide (30%)
 Nitride Ceramics (e.g. silicon nitride)

Etchant Conc. Conditions Comments

Thermal etching
Si3N4
in high purity Several hours at 1600 C
nitrogen

Molten Salt Si3N4

Seconds to minutes in
Potassium
Pt crucible
hydroxide melt

Hydrofluoric acid 100% 10-15 minutes Si3N4

Boride Ceramics (e.g. zirconium boride, titanium boride)

Etchant Conc. Conditions Comments

Latic acid 30 ml
Nitric acid 10 ml Seconds to minutes ZrB2 ,TiB2
Hydrofluoric acid 10 ml
FUNDICION NODULAR
FUNDICION MALEABLE