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Bechet and Beaujard's etchant - Martensitic and bainitic steels - Chemical etching

Material Name: Martensitic and bainitic steels
Recipe No.: 10537
Primary Chemical Element in Material: Fe
Sample Type: Bulk
Uses: General microstructure
Etchant Name: Bechet and Beaujard's etchant
Type (Macro/Micro): Micro
Etching Method: Chemical
Etchant (Electrolyte) Composition: Sat. aq. picric acid plus small amount of a wetting agent.
Procedure (Condition): No data
Note: Prior-austenite grain size etchant. Bechet and Beaujard's etch. Most successful etchant, good for martensitic and bainitic steels. Many wetting agents have been used, sodium tridecylbenzenesulfonate is one of most successful. Use at 20-100 C. Swab or immerse sample for 2-60 min. Etch in ultrasonic cleaner. Additions of 0.5 g CuCl2 per 100 ml solution or about 1% HCl have been used for higher-alloy to produce etching. Room temperature etching most common. Lightly back-polish to remove surface smut.
Reference: Vander Voort, Metallography Principles and Practice, McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1984, p. 638.