A Coating for the Preservation of Fracture Surfaces

In order to perform a meaningful examination of a fracture surface in the scanning electron microscope it is necessary for the examined surface to be in a condition as close to the fractured condition as possible. Laboratory preservation techniques are not available to the engineer in the field so the fracture surfaces are best preserved by coating them with a material that can be easily removed later without damage to the fractures. In this paper, a preservative is described that is suitable for the protection of fracture surfaces both in the field and in the laboratory. The restrictions and limitations of the preservative are discussed and examples of fracture surfaces before coating and after coating and exposure to a humidity cabinet are shown.