Metallography of Mg Alloys

Processing and composition determine microstructural properties. To reveal the microstructure, the metallographic investigation is a commonly used method, and therefore, it is a crucial part in the characterization of metals and alloys. Choosing incorrect preparation steps will lead to artefacts and misleading conclusions due to the compositional analysis and processing steps influencing the microstructure. However, in the published literature, it is obvious that not all reported microstructures are in fact true microstructures of investigated material. Especially in the case of magnesium and its alloys, special care is necessary to obtain micrographs with a true representation. What quite often is presented are surfaces that show artefacts rather than microstructures. Examples of this will be shown as well as their counterpart real microstructures.