Feb_March_AMP_Digital

A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | F E B R U A R Y / M A R C H 2 0 2 0 3 0 Fig. 3 — (a) Snapshots of nodular graphite with five classifications shown in different colors and (b) particle size distribution histogram of this data using the Feret maximum. (b) (a) Fig. 4 — A processed example image. Particles are classified into five groups, represented by different colors. a better understanding of results. The number of particles in each class is in- cluded with the results. As an example, Fig. 3 shows that there are 54 particles in class 1 (pink, 0-16 µm), 71 in class 2 (cyan, 16-32 µm), 76 in class 3 (yel- low, 32-48 µm), seven in class 4 (green, 48-64 µm), and only two particles in class 5 (blue, 64-80 µm). COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS SOLUTIONS Phase analysis, porosity, and par- ticle distribution are just three ways to analyze your materials. Many image analysis programs offer other methods as well. For example, with the Olympus Stream software, the “count and mea- sure” module provides comprehen- sive object detection and classification (Fig. 4). It utilizes threshold detection to identify many features in a sample and the module’s more than 50 classifi- cation and distribution options include phase, shape, size, position, and pixel properties. Users can also apply vari- ous filters in conjunction with each classification to further refine the data. Measurement output options include area, aspect ratio, Feret, shape factor, center of gravity, and more for all detect- ed objects. This feature offers users significant flexibility because it provides more de- tailed information than the previously For example, Fig. 2 shows a ma- chined metal part. The yellow outline defines the ROI to be the whole part, while the red dots represent the par- ticles detected. Users can define the upper and lower size limit (threshold) of the pores, and the software will au- tomatically detect them. The soft- ware provides a set of results for each ROI, including the analyzed area (1525.11 mm 2 ), porosity (7.82%), max- imum pore size (4.91 mm), number of pores (70), pore density per area (0.05 per mm 2 ), and distance between adjacent pores (0.20 mm). PARTICLE DISTRIBUTION Particle size distribution is an im- portant parameter for controlling man- ufacturing processes in applications such as pharmaceuticals, materials syn- thesis, and manufacturing quality con- trol. However, traditional methods rely on manual counts, which is time con- suming and less accurate than other techniques. Programs such as Olympus Stream software can automatically de- tect individual particles, quantify them, and then distribute them into differ- ent groups based on classification pa- rameters entered by the user. Up to 60 morphology filters, such as size, diam- eter, area, color, and elongation, can be applied to select the particles of inter- est. Class bins can be defined based on size range and color-coded to provide mentioned three methods. All data can be output to workbooks and reports for a clear presentation of the results as well as for archiving purposes. For ma- terials analysis involving multiple appli- cations, a comprehensive solution such as count and measure may be a useful option. ~AM&P For more information: Mina Hong, ap- plication scientist—Industrial Microsco- py, Olympus Corporation of America, 110 Magellan Circle, Webster, TX 77598, 281.922.9300, mina.hong@olympus- ossa.com , olympusamerica.com .