Ceramics Division Characterization of Fracture Origins

Fractographic Record Keeping and Photographs

Ideally, three photos should be taken of a specimen:

A photograph of the entire fracture surface
A photograph of the fracture mirror and some surrounding detail
A photograph of the origin

In practice, a few representative fracture surfaces and mirrors should be photographed, and if possible, every origin that is examined should be photographed.

Of course, other photos or sketches may be valuable. For example, a photo of a reconstructed specimen may show fracture branching patterns. A photo of the specimen outer surface may complement a photo of machining damage on the fracture surface.

NIST is an agency of the
U.S. Commerce Department

Date created: 08 February 2001
Last updated: 05 September 2002

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