1.

NATURE OF WORK:
1.1 INTRODUCTION
Metallurgical analysis can be a valuable
source of information to any industry working
with metals. The engineers in metallurgical
laboratory can examine samples to detect surface
and internal flaws, determine microstructural
features, evaluate heat treatments and assure
conformance to required specifications. The first
step in metallurgical analysis is test sample
preparation. Samples are prepared in our
metallurgical lab using precision cutting,
mounting, grinding and polishing techniques, as
well as etching when required.
The mechanical properties of a metal
determines the range of usefulness and the
service that can be expected from the material.
Mechanical
properties
testing
provides
information on strength, ductility impact
resistance, hardness and fracture toughness.
Testing for mechanical properties is performed
under various conditions such as:
1

Tension
Stress

Elongation
Compression

and
Load

and

Impact
Fatigue and Creep
Laboratory Testing has the ability to
handle a wide-range of mechanical properties
testing for metals including, Hardness testing on
Rockwell, Brinell and Vickers testing machines,
Tensile testing, Compression testing, Izod and
Charpy impact testing, Chemical composition
testing, Microscopic visual and dimensional tests
and others. Metallurgical testing and analysis
can be a valuable source of information to any
industry working with metals. Laboratory
Testings metallography experts can examine
samples to:
Detect surface and internal flaws
Determine

microstructural

features Evaluate heat treatments

The hardness test is extremely useful in

material selection because it provides a hardness
value which indicates how easily a material can
be machined and how well the material will
wear. Hardness testing is also valuable in
making decisions about treatments and coatings.
Hardness testing is usually performed using test
machines equipped with an indenter that is
forced into the test material over a certain
amount of time. The shape of the indentor varies
by type of hardness test and includes cone, ball
and pyramid shapes. Each test machine also uses
a different force or load application system and
records an indentation hardness value in
kilograms-force according to their individual
hardness scales.
The materials coming to Metallurgy lab
for inspection are classified into 4 categories
based on their place of arrival, and they are:
1. Incoming samples
3. Plating samples

2.Heat treated samples

4.NPD / Final samples

1.2 PROBLEM DEFINITION:

The highest level of quality standards is
maintained in all of the processes and
procedures. Utmost importance is given on
maintaining the optimum level of quality at all
levels from raw material testing, patrol and stage
inspection to final inspection. In-house facilities
have enabled it to maintain quality standards in
all the processes. Total quality is achieved
through implementation of Quality Management
Systems. State of the art testing and measuring
equipment ensure perfect quality of all the
products. All components are first stimulated on
computers to ensure accuracy. Technologies like
microscopes, image analyser, hardness tester,
surface roughness tester are used for ensuring
the perfection and precision of our products. To
specify the various physical and mechanical
properties of the finished product, various tests,
both destructive and non-destructive, are
performed. Metallurgical, hardness, tension,
compression, impact, are some of the major tests
that are performed by quality control personnel.
4

1.3 METALLURGICAL TESTING:

It is used to determine the quality of steel
by analysing the microstructure of a sample
under a microscope. A cross section of a sample
is first highly polished and then examined under
microscope. The microstructure of steel consists
of grains of different compositions and sizes.
Generally, a sample of steel with fine grains is
tougher than one with large grains. Different
characteristics are produced through alloying the
steel with other substances.
It is possible to determine grain size,
shape, and distribution of various phases and
inclusions (non-metallic material) which have a
great effect on the mechanical properties of the
metal. Some grains are made of ferrite, or pure
metallic iron; graphite, a crystal form of carbon;
pearlite, an alloy of iron of carbon; cementite,
also called iron carbide, a hard compound of
iron and carbon and other carbide-forming
elements; austenite, a solution of carbon in
gamma iron, a nonmagnetic form of iron and

martensite, an extremely hard constituent of

steel produced by heat-treating.
The sample can also be etched to make
visible many structural characteristics of the
metal or alloy by a preferential attack on the
different constituents. The microstructure will
reveal the mechanical and thermal treatment of
the metal, and it may be possible to predict its
expected behaviour under a given set of
conditions.
1.4 THE TESTS:
HARDNESS:
It is not a fundamental property of a material,
but is related to its elastic and plastic properties.
The hardness value obtained in a particular test
serves only as a comparison between materials
or treatments. The test procedure and sample
preparation are fairly simple and the results may
be used in estimating other mechanical
properties. Rockwell and Brinell are two popular
hardness tests that are widely used for inspection
and control. These tests are usually performed
6

by impressing into the test specimen, which is

resting on a rigid platform, an indenter of fixed
and known geometry, under a known static load.
TENSILE TEST:
The tensile test is the most frequently performed
test to determine certain mechanical properties.
A specifically prepared tensile sample is placed
in the heads of a testing machine and an axial
load is placed on the sample through a hydraulic
loading system. The tensile test is used to
determine several important material properties
such as yield strength, where the material starts
to exhibit plastic or permanent deformation, and
the ultimate tensile or breaking strength.
IMPACT TEST:
Impact tests are used to determine the behaviour
of materials when subjected to sudden loading,
usually in bending, torsion. The quantity of
energy absorbed in breaking the specimen in one
blow is measured using two such tests, the
Charpy and the Izod, which uses notched bar
specimens. A swinging pendulum of fixed
7

weight raised to a standard height is used to

strike the specimen. Some of the energy of the
pendulum is used to rupture the specimen so that
the pendulum rises to a lower height than the
standard height.
1.5
PROCEDURES
SAMPLES:

FOR

TESTING

ABRASIVE CUTTING MACHINE

GRINDING MACHINE
HOT MOUNTING
DISC POLISHING MACHINE
ROCKWELL HARDNESS MACHINE
BRINELL HARDNESS MACHINE
VICKERS HARDNESS MACHINE
DIGITAL ROCKWELL HARDNESS
MACHINE
DIGITALVICKERSHARDNESS
MACHINE
PORTABLE HARDNESS MACHINE
SPECTROMETER
UNIVERSAL TESTING MACHINE
IMPACT TESTING MACHINE

1.6 THE EQUIPMENT

i.

ABRASIVE CUTTING MACHINE:

Fig.1
Hold the sample in abrasive cutting
machine.
Locate the cutting wheel blade at the
cutting position by moving vice in X- Y
directions.
Switch on coolant and cutting motors.
Start cutting the sample by applying the
load gradually, to avoid overheating and
burning of the specimen.
9

 Ensure that coolant continuous flow

on the sample.
After completion of the cutting stop
the cutting wheel motor coolant motor
and open the cutting machine door.
Release the vice and take out the sample.
ii.

GRINDING MACHINE:

Fig.2
Grinding is used to finish work pieces that must
show low surface quality and low accuracy of
shape and dimension. As accuracy in dimensions
in grinding is of the order 0.000025 mm, in most
applications it tends to be a finishing operation
and removes comparatively little metal, about
10

0.25 to 0.50 mm depth. However, there are some

roughing applications in which grinding
removes high volumes of metal quite rapidly.
iii.

HOT MOUNTING:

Fig.3
Cut carefully sample on abrasive cutting
machine of size maximum length of 30
mm.
Place the test specimen in such a manner
that the test surface faces the bottom
portion of the plunger die.
Pour hot mounting powder on sample
kept in the plunger of machine, the
quantity of powder should kept at a height
nearly not

11

less than three times the thickness of

specimen.
Close the moulding machine and raise
plunger by rotating the handle till got
tight.
Switch on machine by an on-off switch
and set time and temperature.
After completion of moulding take out the
sample by lifting the handle of pneumatic.
iv.

DISC POLISHING MACHINE:

Fig.4
Switch on the Disc polishing machine
power.

12

 Adjust the disc rotating speed by rotating

handle.
Start the sample polishing with emery
papers of 180, 220, 400 and 600
respectively.
Once completion of polishing on emery
paper with 180 rotate the sample at 90
Deg and start polishing on 220 emery
paper Again change the direction of the
sample into 90 Deg with changing the
emery paper like 400 and 600.
After completion of the emery paper
polishing go for diamond paste polishing
on the velvet cloth.
Use Lubricant liquid (aerosol) during
polishing on velvet cloth.
Polishing is completed, once sample
obtain mirror finish on the polished
surface without any scratches.
Now Wash the sample with running water.
Sample is ready for micro analysis under
the Microscope for its microstructure and
grain structure.
13

v.

ROCKWELL HARDNESS
MACHINE:

Fig.5
Grind the surface of specimen on a belt
grinder to remove scale and pits.
Place specimen on testing plate in the
testing direction. Adjust the indenter point
on hardness check point.
Apply minor load by turning the lead
screw wheel in clockwise direction and
this can be read on dial and then the dial
graduated on the hardness scale is set to
zero.

14

 Apply the major load by moving the

loading handle in On-condition, apply the
load at least for 10-15 seconds.
Relieve the applied load by moving
handle off position.
Read hardness directly on required scale.
Precautions before testing:
a. The component to be tested should be free
from scale, grease, dents and turnings.
b. The opposite surface of specimen should
be smooth and parallel to the indentation
surface.
c. Rockwell hardness on C-scale with load
150kg is not suitable for soft material
having hardness less than 20 HRC.
d. For case hardened component having case
depth less than 0.50mm, HRC is not
suitable.
e. Testing on Rockwell, C-scale specimen
thickness should be more than 5 mm.

15

vi.

BRINELL HARDNESS TESTING:

Fig.6
Grind on a pedestal grinder up to 0.3- 0.5
mm depth, the surface (Hardness check
point) to remove scale.
Place specimen on a Brinell hardness
testing machine test plate.
Turn lead screw wheel in clockwise
direction till the surface of specimen is
touched with the ball of machine.
Apply 100 kg. Setting load by moving
wheel in clockwise direction till small
middle of dial reaches red dot.
Apply load by moving the loading handle
in position, apply load for at least 10
seconds.
16

 After full application of load, load is

slowly remove by moving loading handle
in reverse position.
Un-screw the specimen by moving lead
screw wheel in anti-clock wise direction.
Measure diameter of indentation by a
Brinell microscope.
Verify hardness by looking at a conversion
chart having Co-relation between
indentation diameter and Brinell hardness
values.
Precautions for Brinell Hardness Testing:
a. The specimen should be free from pit,
scale, or grease before testing, a
satisfactory surface is obtained by
grinding on a pedestal grinder.
b. The test surface of the specimen should be
plain and parallel, to obtain a circular
impression.
c. The specimen to be tested should have a
thickness of at least 8 times the depth of
indentation.

17

vii.

DIGITAL
TEST:

VICKERS

HARDNESS

Fig.7
Place the specimen on micro hardness
tester test plate and switch on the
motor and reflecting light lamp.
Select the applied location and select the
load as 500gms as specified and press
the load push button.
Automatically after the indentation the
indenter will be removed and by
objective lens magnified indentation will
be visible on the screen.

18

 Read diagonal length of diamond

impression by adjusting cross bars by
micrometre scale in X and Y direction.
Enter the micrometre value of D1 and
D2 on the screen
Micro Vickers Hardness value will be
calculated and displayed on the screen.

viii.

PORTABLE HARDNESS MACHINE:

Fig.8

Take the polishing completed sample and

clean it thoroughly. Apply nital solution
2% for light etching and 3% for dark
19

etching for 10-15 Sec and clean in

running water.
Dry the sample for microstructure
examination. Locate etched specimen
before objective of the metallurgical
microscope.
Switch on metallurgical microscope light
by an on-off switch. Turn levelling table
in X and Y direction to locate specimen
under the light of objective lens.
Focus specimen by adjusting table in Z
direction moving specimen closer to
objective of microscope.
Adjust
magnification
by
moving
objectives (10X) observe micro structure
on an eye piece of 10 X.
Compare the micro structure with the
standard chart.

20

ix.

SPECTROMETER:

It is used for determining the chemical

composition of the sample specimen. It utilizes a
carrier gas, such as helium or nitrogen and a
pressurized gas cylinder to carry the spark
sample through the column and to the prism
where it gets refracted into several lights with
different wavelengths based on the elements
present in the alloy and determines their
percentages in it.
PROCEDURE:

Fig.9

21

 Maintain the room temperature at 23

5C.
Maintain the argon gas pressure as 4 bar
minimum, Argon gas purity should be
almost 99.95 %.
Turn on the main power switch. Switch on
source, switch on aircon, and switch on
console and switch on the motor.
Time set as non-measurement time from
discharge start until emission intensity is
stabilized.
Now the test specimen is placed on the
test platform and the spark is started.
The spark fired is converted into light
energy and that light beam travels through
a prism and is focused on to several
photometers.
They calculate the percentage of each
element present in the alloy and gives a
detailed table on those contents.

22

x.

IMPACT TESTING:

Fig.10
Cut the sample using abrasive cutting
Machine.
A test specimen is to be machined to a
55mm *10mm cross- section, with either
"V" or "U" notch should be 2mm.
Specimens will be tested down to
cryogenic temperatures.
Clamp the specimen in to the pendulum
impact test fixture with the notched side
facing the striking edge of the pendulum.
23

 Release the pendulum and allow to strike

through the specimen.
The specimen is fractured and the
pendulum swings. Through the height of
the swing being a measure of the amount
of energy absorbed in fracturing the
specimen.
The test result will be the average of 3
specimens.
Again impact test is classified into two types
based on the angle at which the pendulum is
released and the notch placed on the test
specimen.
xi.

UNIVERSAL TESTING MACHINE:

A Universal Testing Machine (UTM), also

known as universal tester, materials testing
machine or materials test frame, is used to test
tensile and compressive strength of materials. It
is also used to test customized ball-push tests
and many other standard tests.

24

PROCEDURE:

Fig.11
The specimen is placed in the machine
between the grips and an extensometer
if required can automatically record the
change in gauge length during the test.
Once the machine is started it begins to
apply an increasing load on specimen.
Throughout the tests the control system
and its associated software record the load
and extension or compression of the
specimen.

25

2. INTERNSHIP OUTCOMES
It is simply defined as Any official or
formal program to provide practical experience
for beginners in an occupation or profession.
An internship offers you the chance to learn
by doing in a setting where you are supervised
by a work-place professional, and have the
opportunity to achieve your own learning goals,
without the responsibilities of being a permanent
employee. An internship also offers you the
opportunity to work with someone who can
become a mentor for you - not only in the
internship, but throughout your career.

2.1 INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING

INTERNSHIP OBJECTIVES:
a. Successfully practice industrial and
systems engineering to serve local, state,
regional, national, and international
industries, and government agencies.
b. Work professionally in the fields of
industrial and systems engineering in
26

either manufacturing or service sectors,

working in areas such as systems
engineering,
quality
engineering,
logistics, supply chain management,
advanced manufacturing, human factors,
health care or transportation.
c. Achieve personal and professional
success with an understanding and
appreciation of ethical behaviour, social
responsibility and diversity, both as
individuals and in team environments.

2.2

MAJOR INTERNSHIP OUTCOMES:

1. Career Exploration:

i.

ii.
iii.

Learn about a career field from the inside

and decide if this is the right career field
for you.
Work alongside a professional in your
chosen career area.
Observe the work place and see if it
matches your expectations.

27

2. Leadership and Skill Development:

i.

ii.
iii.

iv.

Learn new skills and add to your

knowledge base while gaining confidence
in your abilities.
Gain industry knowledge first hand from
an organization and professionals.
Apply some of the ideas learned in
institutions and provide a bridge between
learning and the professional world.
Opportunity to practice communication
and teamwork skills.
3. Networking
and
Establishing
Mentors and References:

i.

ii.

Meet new people and practice networking

skills while establishing a network of
professional contacts, mentors, and
references.
Opens a door to advice for the next steps
to take on your career path.

28

3. SUMMARY
Metallurgical laboratory technicians assist
metallurgy engineers and materials scientists in
day-to-day lab operations involving metallic
elements. They perform routine technical tasks,
including operating and maintaining equipment,
as well as conducting analysis and experimental
procedures. Metallurgy is a domain of materials
science and engineering that studies the physical
and chemical behaviour of metallic elements,
their compounds, and their mixtures.
Metallurgical analysis can be a valuable
source of information to any industry working
with metals. The first step in metallurgical
analysis is test sample preparation. Samples are
prepared in our metallurgical lab using precision
cutting, mounting, grinding and polishing
techniques, as well as etching when required.
1. Rockwell hardness
2. Brinell hardness
3. Vickers hardness
29

We can use these machines according to the

customer requirement and specification given.
The micro hardness testing contains the
case depth, profiles, surface hardness, induction
hardening length. By using the spectrometer, we
determine the chemical properties of the sample.
We can also determine the tensile and
compressive strength of the sample by using
universal testing machine. Finally in metallurgy
lab the product is checked for the percentage of
carbon, mechanical properties of product and
also tests the hardness of that product as per the
customer requirement.
Metallurgy is a domain of materials
science and engineering that studies the physical
and chemical behaviour of metallic elements,
their intermetallic compounds, and their
mixtures, which are called alloys. Metallurgy is
also the technology of metals: the way in which
science is applied to the production of metals,
and the engineering of metal components for
usage in products for consumers and
manufacturers.
30

REFERENCES

Arthur Reardon (2011), Metallurgy for the

Non-Metallurgist (2nd edition) ASM
International, ISBN 978-1-61503-821-3.
Radivojevi, Miljana; Rehren, Thilo; Ernst;
Duan; Brauns, Michael; Bori, Duan (2010).
On the origins of extractive metallurgy: New
evidence
from
Europe.
Journal
of
Archaeological Science. 37 (11): 2775.
Manhattan District (1947). Manhattan District
History, Book IV Pile Project X-10, Volume 2
Research, Part 1 Metallurgical Laboratory.
Washington, D.C.: Manhattan District.
https://www.labtesting.com/about/capabilities/m
etal-and-material-analysis/metallurgical- analysis/
https://www.atimetals.com/businesses/atispecialt
yalloysandcomponents/services/laboratoryservices/Pages/Metallurgical-LaboratoryEquipment-Capabilities.aspx
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