During recent years, people involved in developing new metals and materials for use in some of the rather extreme conditions of stress, temperature, and environment have relied heavily on the microstructural condition of their materials. In fact, many of the newer materials, such as dispersion-strengthened alloys, have been designed almost entirely by first determining the microstruc ture desired and then finding the right combination of composition, heat treatment, and mechanical working that will result in the de sired microstructure. Furthermore, the extremely high reliability required of materials used today, for example, in aerospace and nuclear energy systems, requires close control on the microstruc tural conditions of materials. This is clearly evident from even a cursory examination of recently written specifications for mate rials where rather precise microstructural parameters are stipu lated. Whereas specifications written several years ago may have included microstructural requirements for details such as ASTM grain size or graphite type, today's specifications are beginning to include such things as volume fraction of phases, mean free path of particles, and grain intercept distances. Rather arbitrary terms such as "medium pearlite" have been replaced by requirements such as "interlamella spacing not to exceed 0. 1 micron. " Finally, materials users have become increasingly aware that when a material does fail, the reason for its failure may be found by examining and "reading" its microstructure. The responsibility for a particular microstructure and a resulting failure is a matter of growing importance in current product liability consider ations."

/.letallography is much more than taking striking pictures at high magnifications or polishing and etching specimens in such a way that no scratches can be seen. Basically, metallography is the physical metallurgist's most useful and most used tool for studying metals. Although it is perhaps his oldest tool, it certainly is not likely to become obsolete. Rather, the continued demands that have been placed upon materials have required more detailed charac terizations of their microstructures and this, in turn, has re quired the metallographer to develop new techniques to make these characterizations. Not too many years ago, the metallographer had only optical microscopes with which to examine his specimens. Now he has elec tron microscopes, scanning electron microscopes, and a whole host of instruments which were unknown to him only a relatively few years ago. This has forced him to learn not only how to use these new instruments and how to interpret the information that they provide but it also has made him develop new techniques for preparing the samples for examination."

In recent years microstructural analysis has been a rapidly changing field of scien tific endeavor. No longer are the efforts of the microstructural analysts (sometimes referred to as metallographers, materialographers, ceramographers, and similar desig nations) limited to the tasks of polishing, etching, and photographing specimens of materials. The performance demanded of materials used for many current applica tions requires much more complete characterizations than were possible only a scant few years ago. Although the individuals who have been expected to develop new and improved techniques to permit these required characterizations have been severely challenged, in large part they have met the challenge. In view of the many new developments in the field of microstructural analysis and recognizing the requirements to communicate these developments to the wide audience that might make use of them, the American Society for Metals and the In ternational Metallographic Society joined forces to co-sponsor a symposium that was intended to bring participants and attendees up to date on the subject "Inter pretive Techniques for Microstructural Analysis." This symposium was held in Min neapolis, Minnesota, USA, June 29 and 30, 1975. It followed two earlier symposia co-sponsored by the same two societies on other subjects of current interest to the metallographic community, Microstructural Analysis - Tools and Techniques, 1972, and Metallographic Specimen Preparation - Optical and Electron Micros copy, 1973."

Detailed analyses of failures of material components have proved to be valuable in many ways; by preventing further failures, by assessing the validity of designs and the selection of materials, by uncovering shortcomings in the processing of the materials in volved through characterizations of defects, and by revealing problems introduced during the manufacture or fabrication of the component. Increased recognition of the value of performing failure analyses has caused the field to develop into a very active area of tech nical endeavor. Failure analysis has been employed in numerous different technical dis ciplines and has proven beneficial. The increased activity has caused many new and im proved methods for performing these analyses to be developed. Among these are many methods which can be characterized as generally belonging to the field of metallography. In recognition of the important role that metallography plays in the performance of failure analyses, the absence of a text that specifically discusses this subject, and the be lief that communication of information on the subject would be of technical interest, The American Society for Metals and The International Metallographic Society co sponsored a symposium. The intent was to bring together world-recognized authorities working in various aspects of the failure analysis and metallographic fields to share meth ods they use, results they have obtained, and the purposes to which they utilized these results. The symposium, entitled "Metallography in Failure Analysis," was held in Hous ton, Texas, USA, July 17-18, 1977."

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