ASTM E2142-08(2015)
Standard Test Methods for Rating and Classifying Inclusions in Steel Using the Scanning Electron Microscope

Standard No.

ASTM E2142-08(2015)

Release Date

2008

Published By

American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)

Status

Be replaced

Replace By

ASTM E2142-08(2023)

Latest

ASTM E2142-08(2023)

Scope

5.1 This test method is established to cover automated SEM/EDX-based procedures for:

5.1.1 Rating the inclusion content of steels based on procedures listed in Standards E45 and E1245, with the significant difference that the composition of the individual inclusions, as determined by X-ray analysis, is utilized to sort them into chemical classes.

5.1.2 Determining the number, size and morphological distribution of inclusions in steels sorted by chemical class.

5.2 Methods 1 and 2 of this test method are primarily intended for rating the inclusion content of steels deoxidized with silicon or aluminum, both silicon and aluminum, or vacuum-treated steels without either silicon or aluminum additions. Guidelines are provided to rate inclusions in steel treated with rare earth additions or calcium-bearing compounds (13.4). When such steels are evaluated, the test report should describe the nature of the inclusions rated according to each inclusion category (A, B, C, D).

5.3 Methods 1 and 2 will provide a quantitative rating of the inclusion content in half-severity number increments from 0 to 5 for each inclusion type and thickness (Method D of Test Method E45), and in tabulated in Table 2. Test Method E45 ratings by SEM may differ from those determined following E45 because of the use of chemistry in the classifications. In order to differentiate E45 ratings obtained using the SEM from traditional ratings using light microscopy, the ratings obtained using Method 1 or 2 of this Test Method shall be identified as E45-SEM1 and E45-SEM2, respectively.

5.4 Method 3 defines procedures to analyze and report inclusions by arbitrary size distribution and chemical classifications. It may be made applicable to any material by appropriate choice of these classifications.

5.4.1 Method 3 determines and reports basic (as used in Test Method E1245) stereological measurements (for example, volume fraction of sulfides and oxides, the number of sulfides or oxides per square millimeter, and so forth). This test method, however, does not address the measurement of such parameters. E45 ratings are not produced in Method 3 because the inclusion classifications do not follow those defined in Test Method E45.

5.5 The quantitative results are intended to provide a description of the types and amounts of inclusions in a heat of steel. This test method contains no guidelines for such use.

1.1 This test method covers procedures to obtain particle size distribution, chemical classification, and Test Methods E45

ASTM E2142-08(2015) Referenced Document

• ANSI/IEEE STD 759 
• ASTM E1245 Standard Practice for Determining the Inclusion or Second-Phase Constituent Content of Metals by Automatic Image Analysis
• ASTM E1508 Standard Guide for Quantitative Analysis by Energy-Dispersive Spectroscopy
• ASTM E3 Standard Practice for Preparation of Metallographic Specimens
• ASTM E45 Standard Test Methods for Determining the Inclusion Content of Steel
• ASTM E7 Standard Terminology Relating to Metallography
• ASTM E766 Standard Practice for Calibrating the Magnification of a Scanning Electron Microscope
• ASTM E768 Standard Guide for Preparing and Evaluating Specimens for Automatic Inclusion Assessment of Steel

ASTM E2142-08(2015) history

• 2023 ASTM E2142-08(2023) Standard Test Methods for Rating and Classifying Inclusions in Steel Using the Scanning Electron Microscope
• 2008 ASTM E2142-08(2015) Standard Test Methods for Rating and Classifying Inclusions in Steel Using the Scanning Electron Microscope
• 2008 ASTM E2142-08 Standard Test Methods for Rating and Classifying Inclusions in Steel Using the Scanning Electron Microscope
• 2001 ASTM E2142-01 Standard Test Methods for Rating and Classifying Inclusions in Steel Using the Scanning Electron Microscope