NONDESTRUCTIVE IN-SITU REPLICATION METALLOGRAPHY

By using plastic films and other materials and making replicas of micr ostructures, the scope and usefulness of conventional optical metallog raphy have been extended to field studies. However, replication does n ot always produce the same high-quality micrographs as are obtained wi th normal metallography. In this investigation some of the techniques of replication, the factors affecting such techniques and several alte rnative replicating materials were further studied, analysed and asses sed. Replication cannot be adapted easily to underwater structures: th e paper also describes a simple laboratory-made fixture which can be u sed successfully to etch and replicate such structures.