ABSTRACT
We will see in Chapters 6 to 12 that the internal structure of materials (i.e., the microstructure) plays a very important role in determining the properties of materials. For example, the strength and hardness of materials are determined by the number of phases and their (grain or particle) sizes. The electrical and magnetic properties and also the chemical behavior (corrosion) are determined by the grain size and defects (vacancies, dislocations, grain boundaries, etc.) present in the material. These structural features, which are often on a microscopic level, constitute part of the microstructure of a material. A complete description of the microstructure involves describing the size, shape, and distribution of grains and second-phase particles and their composition along with the defect structure of the specimen.
