Abstract
It is shown that the average particle section size observed in a metallographic plane can be larger or smaller than the true average particle size in the three-dimensional (3-D) microstructure. The ratio of the average particle section size in a representative metallographic plane to the true average particle size in the 3-D microstructure is linearly related to the square of the coefficient of variation (CV) of the size distribution function in the 3-D microstructure. For most of the size distributions encountered in material microstructures, the average particle section size in a metallographic plane is expected to be larger than the true average particle size in the 3-D microstructure. Experimental data on hollow spherical carbon particles in a polymer matrix composite are presented to illustrate the theoretical results.
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References
Quantitative Microscopy, R.T. DeHoff and F.N. Rhines, eds., McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 1968.
E.E. Underwood:Quantitative Stereology, Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., Reading, MA, 1970.
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Louis, P., Gokhale, A.M. Can the average particle section size in a metallographic plane be larger than the true average particle size in a three-dimensional microstructure?. Metall Mater Trans A 26, 1741–1744 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02670761
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02670761