tafila technical university

Faculty engineering

Experiment #5
Mounting
Name: Salam Fayez Albaradie , Sari baker alsabatin and Hamzahani alhalabi .

Lecturer name: Eng. MohannadTamimi .

Date of submission: 22/4/2014.

1. Objective
1.
2.

Identify the main reason of mounting.

Recognize the difference between the types of mounting.

2. Introduction
2.1. Mounting
The primary purpose of mounting specimens is for convenience in handling specimens of
difficult shapes or sizes during the subsequent steps of preparation and examination. A
secondary purpose is to protect and preserve extreme edges or surfaces defects during
preparation. Specimens also may require mounting to accommodate various types of
automatic devices used in laboratories or to facilitate placement on the microscope stage.
Small specimens generally require mounting so that the specimen is supported in a stable
medium for grinding and polishing. The medium chosen can be either a cold curing resin
or a hot mounting compound.
A mounted specimen usually has a thickness of about half its diameter, to prevent
rocking during grinding and polishing. The edges of the mounted specimen should also
be rounded to minimize the damage to grinding and polishing discs.

Figure 1: A mounted specimen (shows typical dimensions)

2.2. Hot mounting

Compression or Hot mounting, the most common mounting method, involves molding
around the specimen by heat and pressure such molding materials as Bakelite daily
phthalate resins, and acrylic resins. Bakelite and dialysis resins are thermosetting, and
acrylic resins are thermoplastic. Both thermosetting and thermoplastic materials require
heat and pressure during the molding cycle, but after curing, mounts made of
thermosetting materials may be ejected from the mold at maximum temperature.
Thermoplastic materials remain molten at the maximum molding temperature and must
cool under pressure before ejection.
Mounting presses equipped with molding tools and a heater is necessary for compression
mounting. Readily available molding tools for mounts having diameters of 1, 1 1/4 and 1
1/2 in. consist of a hollow cylinder of hardened steel, a base plug, and a plunger. A
specimen to be mounted is placed on the base plug, which is inserted in one end of the
cylinder. The cylinder is nearly filled with molding material in powder form, and the
plunger is inserted into open end of the cylinder. A cylindrical heater is placed around the
mold assembly, which has been positioned between the platens of the mounting press.
After the prescribed pressure has been exerted and maintained on the plunger to compress
the molding material until it and the mold assembly has been heated to the proper
temperature, the finished mount may be ejected from the mound by forcing the plunger
entirely through the mold cylinder.
Not all materials or specimens can be mounted in thermosetting or thermoplastic
mounting mediums. The heating cycle may cause changes in the microstructure, or the
pressure may cause delicate specimens to collapse or deform. The size of selected
specimen may be too large to be accepted by the available mold sizes. These difficulties
are usually overcome by cold mounting.
For metals, compression mounting is widely used. Phenolic are popular because they are
low cost, whereas the daily phthalates and epoxy resins find applications where edge
retention and harder mounts are required. The acrylic compression mounting compounds
are used because they have excellent clarity.

Figure 2: hot mounting specimen

Figure 3:The sample is placed in the mounting press

Figure 4: Hot Mounting Consumables

2.3. Cold Mounting

Cold mounting or embedding is when a resin is mixed with a hardener (or accelerator) to
provide the mounting compound, and then the polymerization process take place to form
the block. In some cases, this process gives-off heat. However this heat generation can be
controlled by the use of ice or cool air blow setting. Cold mounting compounds are
preferred for specimens that are sensitive to the heat or pressure, which applies during the
hot mounting process. There are three types of cold mounting:
1. Epoxy Systems - Epoxies have the lowest shrinkage of all cold mounting resins. The
curing time is relatively long, but the adhesion to most materials is excellent. They are
also used for vacuum impregnation. The hardened epoxy is duopolistic and not affected
by moderate heat or chemicals.
2. Acrylic System - Acrylics are easy to use resins with short curing times and negligible
shrinkage. They consist of self-polymerizing components that harden with the addition of
catalyst. Hardened acrylic is thermoplastic and resistant to most chemicals.
3. Polyester Systems - Polyester belongs to the catalyzed system, like acrylics. Curing
times are relatively short and the hardened specimen is duopolistic.

Figure 5: cold mounting press

3. Material, equipments and Experiment Produces

3.1. Material
Mild steel

3.2. Equipments
1- Hot Mounting Press
2- Phenolic

Figure 6: Phenolic

3.3. Specimen procedure

1- We prepare the specimen (mild steel)
2- Put a polymer on the mild steel specimen
3- Keep the specimen on the hot mounting press and we set the temperature and pressure
4- Get out of the sample from the hot mounting press.

4. Result And Discussion

Table 1: compeer between hot and cold mounting

Compeer

Hot mounting

Cold mounting

Heat and pressure

Need for high heat and

pressure
Have effect on material
Have low melting point
the most common

Made at room
temperature
No effect on crystal
Structure
Only for martial
Have low melting point

Effect on crystal
structure
Common

When preparation requirements include less expensive, uniform size and shape,
and short processing times, hot mounting (hot compression mounting) is ideal.

Cold mounting or embedding is when a resin is mixed with a hardener (or

accelerator) to provide the mounting compound, and then the polymerization
process take place to form the block.

5. References
1.
2.
3.
4.

www.scribd.com
www.struers.com/default.asp?top_id=3&main_id=9&sub_id=9&doc_id=191
legacy.mos.org/sln/sem/wetmount.html
www.emsdiasum.com/microscopy/products/materials/embedding.aspx