Metallographic Techniques for Vacuum-Cast Rolled Ingot Beryllium Sheet

Two techniques developed for the metallographic preparation of vacuum-cast ingot beryllium sheet are described. Both methods yield metallographically prepared surfaces considered to be of the highest quality. The first method retains inclusions and requires polarized illumination for structural delineation. The second method is an electrolytic swab-etch technique which yields bright-field delineation of the microstructure however, inclusions are not retained. Emphasis in the report is mainly on illustrating the effects that improper preparation can have on the resulting microstructure.