Includes CD-ROM with document summaries of 87 ASTM standards, Standard Guide on Metallographic Laboratory Safety (E 2014), Standard Conversion Tables for Metals (E 140), and SI Quick Reference Guide: International System of Units (SI).

Twenty-seven comprehensive chapters cover all important aspects of the metallographic and materialographic specimen preparation process, light microscopy, image analysis, hardness testing, and directions for establishing and maintaining a modern metallographic/materialographic laboratory.

Part I is description of sectioning, mounting, grinding, polishing, and etching of specimens for examination in reflected light, enabling the reader to understand the mechanisms of the entire preparation process.

Part II is a "hands-on" manual guiding the metallographer and materialographer to the correct preparation method, based on the material to be prepared and on the purpose of examination. More than 150 methods are indicated covering practically all types of materials, describing the preparation process from sectioning to etching. This part also includes a section on trouble shooting, covering all stages in the preparation process and artifacts developed during the preparation.

Part III is a description of the optical reflected-light microscope with photomicroscopy giving the reader both an introduction to the subject and a manual for the daily work.

Part IV is an introduction to quantitative microstructural analysis and automatic image analysis, both theoretically and practically with emphasis on the examinations based on ASTM standards and other types of commonly used analyses.

Part V is a description of the most used hardness methods based on ASTM standards. Also other methods like instrumented indentation testing are described.

Part VI gives directions on how to establish and maintain a modern metallographic/materialographic laboratory. The important rules and regulations covering occupational safety are described and commented on.