A cross-section precipitate extraction replica technique for surface-modified alloys

A precipitate extraction technique has been developed that, with simple modifications, should be applicable to a wide range of surface-modified alloys. In the example presented, a 2.25% Cr-1% Mo steel was irradiated with 14-meV nickel ions to produce a 3-μm-thick surface damage zone. The irradiated specimen was subsequently electroplated with iron, sectioned, and metallographically polished, and carbide extraction replicas were prepared by a multistage procedure. Using these techniques, the number density, size, morphology, crystallography, and chemistry of precipitates can be readily studied as a function of depth in the iradiated zone, i.e., versus displacement damage, injected ion effects, preimplanted gases, etc.