Quantitative characterization of fracture surfaces
Abstract
The stereological parameters of fractures are functions of the applied stresses and the mechanical and structural properties of the material. The characterization of 3D surfaces by means of consistent mathematical methods and the possibilities of the well-known microscopic techniques give new ways of scientific cognition of fracture processes. Recently profilometric characterization of fracture surfaces of unalloyed steel samples was carried out. The samples had been broken with standard Charpy examination. The samples had to be mounted to protect the profiles while polishing. Next the surfaces were sectioned vertically. This paper deals with modes of polishing and mounting the samples in order to prepare them for evaluation by image analyzer. Morphological transformations of the binary pictures are necessary to obtain the matrix of pixels appropriate for further investigations.