Abstract
It is well known that non-metallic compounds in aluminum and its alloys have important effects on the properties of cast or wrought products. Accordingly, it is very important for industry to investigate the non-metallic compounds. Nevertheless, the observation methods have been rarely studied and it has been very difficult until now to examine the non-metallic compounds.
We made experiments on the observation methods of non-metallic compounds. Results are as follows:
1) Large oxide films revealed on the observation plane by fracture or by etching with Br2-CH3OH were dyed and then distinctly observed.
2) Oxide inclusions on the polished plane which were dyed after ultrasonic washing were distinctly observed through a microscope equipped with an oblique xenon lamp.
3) Various non-metallic compounds were distinctly observed and classified by the secondary electron image and characteristic X-ray image obtained by a scanning electron microscope equipped with X-ray micro-analyzer.
