Microscopic Study of Alloys

Abstract

THE study of metals with the microscope proceeds apace, and is now becoming as generally pursued among metallurgists as the determination of melting points has been during the last five years. Since the appearance of Prof. Roberts-Austen's article on “Micrographic Analysis” (NATURE, vol. Hi. p. 367, 1895) of iron and steel, a large amount of work has been done; but most observers still devote themselves more or less exclusively to the study of this metal, attacking unsolved problems which seem to have great industrial importance. This tendency is unfortunate from some points of view, for the complex constitution met with in that protean element makes it less easy to explain the observed appearances until, by work on simpler alloys, a better acquaintance with the whole subject has been obtained. M. Charpy is one of those who has resisted the temptation offered by the alloys of industry, and in a recent paper¹ has given some interesting results of his investigations on binary alloys which are well worth re-statement.