Cast and Aged Cu-Cr-Zr alloy
(A little something from work.)
Backscattered Electron Image taken with a Scanning Electron Microscope
Sample was mounted and polished
If you look at a metal, you find that it has grains like wood. It can also have different phases like concrete. In this case, the dark material is elemental Cr, the medium gray material is Cu and the lightest material is an alloy of Cu and Zr. During solidification, the Cr solidified first as dendrites that look like pine trees. Next was the pure Cu and finally the Cu-Zr phase immediately thereafter. cutting a plane through the 3D structure results in an image like this.
Cast and Aged Cu-Cr-Zr alloy
(A little something from work.)
Backscattered Electron Image taken with a Scanning Electron Microscope
Sample was mounted and polished
If you look at a metal, you find that it has grains like wood. It can also have different phases like concrete. In this case, the dark material is elemental Cr, the medium gray material is Cu and the lightest material is an alloy of Cu and Zr. During solidification, the Cr solidified first as dendrites that look like pine trees. Next was the pure Cu and finally the Cu-Zr phase immediately thereafter. cutting a plane through the 3D structure results in an image like this.