Anti-production: on the issue of detecting non-metallic inclusions in steel

The article discusses the issues of non‑metallic inclusions analysis in steels. The article examines optical effects arising in polarized light on non‑metallic inclusions, artifacts of metallographic sample preparation, and some details and defects of the microstructure. It is shown that at maximum magnifications of up to 1500 times it is not always possible to visualize crystalline non‑metallic inclusions. The article illustrates the similarity of optical effects on crystalline inclusions, water droplets, pores, and etch pits. It is shown that in this regard, the role of additional options of optical microscopes increases, expanding the possibilities of optical contrasting, which makes it possible to recognize various metallographic artifacts. At the same time, equipping laboratories with modern metallographic equipment, primarily high‑magnification objectives, as well as various means of optical contrasting is of paramount importance.