Micro-CT in Metallurgy and Materials Science

In materials science, understanding the key factors affecting material micro- and macrostructure during production or service conditions is vital. The microstructure of a material accounts strongly for its properties like thermal conductivity, elasticity, or filtration efficiency. In order to evaluate the structure of the material and flaws generated during production or service life, the nondestructive testing (NDT) methods such as ultrasound, radiographic, or eddy current play an important role. Using these conventional NDT, techniques give valuable information about the material. However, using those methods on a regular basis calls for a qualitative characterization of the efficiency and an assessment of the suitability of those systems with regard to the respective application. X-ray tomography method has been used as an alternative. Laboratory-based micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) machines using X-rays are readily available and provide resolutions in the order of a micrometer or less.

Applications of Micro-CT in Materials Science

• To create a 3D model and analyze it from any point
• To study the influence of pores on damage mechanisms
• To assess the size distribution of AM powder particles
• To measure the surface topography of additively manufactured objects
• Bulk material microstructure characterization
• To evaluate the microstructure of the material and flaws generated during production
• To scrutinize internal defects such as voids, cracks, delaminations, and laminar defects
• Characterizations of damage evolutions in the bulk of the object
• Determination of fiber distribution and cracking mechanism of fiber-reinforced composites
• Visualizing fiber failure in fiber-reinforced composites subjected to incremental loading