This reference is concerned with mechanical methods of surface preparation. Chapters cover sectioning and mounting, principles and practices of machining with abrasives, nonabrasive preparation processes, polishing with abrasives, brittle materials, and more.

The quality and usefulness of micrographs depends greatly on the preparation and polishing of metallographic specimens, and the work of Leonard Samuels has been instrumental in achieving a more scientific understanding of the effects and mechanisms by which materials is removed during preparation of metallographic specimens. This book provides comprehensive and authoritative coverage of mechanical polishing methods. The 4th Edition covers the advances that have been made since the 3rd Edition was published in 1982. These advances have enabled manual preparation procedures to be reassessed, with the result that considerable simplifications have become possible. Major advances have also been made in the development of semi-automatic machines, and preparation procedures over the last few years, with the objective of increasing productivity and improving reliability. These processes use abrasive machining devices that are significantly different from those used in manual procedures, which are also discussed, but necessarily in a more limited way than for manual procedures because less basic information is available. Other updates and clarifications have been provided throughout the book to create a complete, easy-to-use, and up-to-date information resource on this topic. Contents: Introduction; Sectioning and mounting; Principles of machining with abrasives; Practice of machining with abrasives; Surface damage from machining with abrasives; Non-abrasive machining; Polishing with abrasives: principles; Polishing with abrasives: surface damage; Brittle materials: principles; Principles of the design of manual preparation systems; Modifications required to manual preparation systems.; Semi-automatic polishing; Glossary; Index.