Our Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) is capable of 100,000X magnification, allowing a close-up look at material surfaces for defects, inclusions, and fracture characteristics. By using a SEM/EDS to study the surface of the fracture, the question of how the part broke - or the mode of fracture - can be answered. Was the part pulled apart, sheared, twisted or bent? Once this is established, a review of the history of the breakage or failure may assist in answering the questions: Why did it break? or What was the cause?
