Metallurgical Services

As our primary business focus, ASTON's laboratories are equipped to handle a variety of metallurgical testing. We can provide everything from routine analysis on raw material, semi-processed and completed parts to comprehensive failure and corrosion investigations.

Tests include:

• Microhardness Testing Knoop and Vickers down to 1 gram loads

• Case Depth

• Decarburization

• Effective Case Depth

• Nitride Case Depth

• Corrosion Testing

• Photomicrography

• Macro Etching and Macro Ratings

Microstructural Analysis is another metallurgical specialty, with a variety of tests, including:

• Case Depth & Plating Depth

• Heat Treatment Evaluations

• Intergranular Oxidation

• Carbide Formation and Carbide Precipitation

• Retained Austenite Measurements

• Sensitization

• Formation of Ferrite and Sigma Phase in Stainless Steel

• Grain Boundary Precipitation

• Eutectic Melting

• Structural Identification such as martensite, bainite, pearlite, ferrite

• Grain Size

• Welded Joint Evaluation

• Identification of defects such as inclusions, laps, seams, voids, gas porosity, shrinkage porosity

ASTON also offers Digital Image Analysis for:

• Grain Size

• Graphite & Inclusion Characterization

• Phase Percentage

• Area Fraction

• Porosity

• Feature Counts

• Length

• Length / Width Ratio

Technology Spotlight

ASTON prides itself on having metallurgical microscopes with the finest quality optics available. Our newest addition, the Leica DMR is equipped with brightfield/darkfield/ oblique/polarized light and differential interference contrast illumination, a high end and optically matched Leica digital camera and Leica comprehensive QWin image analysis and archiving software. In addition to other metallographs, we have our Leitz Orthoplan with extreme high magnification capabilities and a digitally encoded stage for extremely accurate dimensional measurements. Our heavy duty Leitz MM6 accommodates oversized samples and is also equipped with a variety of illumination methods.

The Aston Advantage | Services and Specialties | Metallurgical Testing Procedures
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Aston Metallurgical Services Company, Inc.  •  200 Larkin Drive  •  Wheeling, IL 60090-6498
Toll Free: 888-ASTON10 (888-278-6610)  •  Email: Alan Stone, President  •  Fax: 847-353-8204
© Copyright 2005 Aston Metallurgical Services Company, Inc.

quench and temper, anneal, austemper, induction harden, vacuum, carburize, nitride, salt quench, oil quench, atmosphere furnace, vacuum furnace, normalize, grain boundary precipitation, grain growth, hydrogen embrittlement