EBSD (Electron Backscatter Diffraction) is a “microscopic perspective lens” for the R&D and quality control of alloy steel! It accurately captures core microstructural information including grain orientation, grain boundary characteristics, phase distribution and dislocation density, revealing the correlation between microstructure and mechanical properties such as strength, toughness and corrosion resistance. It provides direct evidence for optimizing rolling and heat treatment processes and troubleshooting failure risks, serving as a core tool to shift alloy steel development from “empirical R&D” to “precision control”.
Sample preparation is the prerequisite for successful EBSD analysis, which requires a flat sample surface free of contamination and deformation layers. Mechanical polishing tends to introduce plastic deformation layers that mask the true microstructure; residual deformation layers, internal stress or surface contamination will lead to a sharp drop in indexing rate. A strict combined process of step-by-step mechanical grinding & polishing + vibratory polishing is essential to obtain high-resolution samples and reliable EBSD data.
The Trojan VP-430 Vibratory Polisher is a powerful tool for sample preparation that greatly improves the quality of EBSD Kikuchi patterns and significantly boosts work efficiency. Specially designed for polishing soft and ductile materials, it is ideal for titanium, aluminum, pure copper and copper alloys, aluminum alloys, steel and nickel-based alloys—a true must-have for EBSD sample preparation.
Recommended EBSD Sample Preparation Protocol
1️⃣ : Grind the sample to a flat surface with P400 metallographic sandpaper.
2️⃣ : Perform fine grinding with a POS grinding disc + 9μm PD-WT polishing fluid.
3️⃣ : Polish with an SC-JP polishing cloth + 3μm PD-WT polishing fluid.
4️⃣ : Polish with a ZN-ZP polishing cloth + SO-T401 50nm polishing fluid.
5️⃣ : Conduct vibratory polishing with a ZN-ZP polishing cloth + SO-T401 50nm polishing fluid.
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