10 - Microstructure of Metals and Alloys

Abstract

Since publication of the 4th edition of Physical Metallurgy, there have been many breakthroughs in the characterization and analysis of microstructure, and probably none more important than the rapid evolution of three-dimensional (3D) materials analyses. This chapter provides an overview of microstructure in metallic materials that captures many of these new developments, with emphasis on microstructures developed during solid-state evolution. Including all microstructural forms and elements of microstructure is well beyond the scope of a single chapter; the focus here is thus on some representative examples centered about the characterization, description, and classification of 3D solid-state metallic microstructures.