The transportation industry relies on materials that must withstand demanding conditions—high temperatures, friction, corrosion, and cyclic loading. Scanning electron microscopy provides the detailed analysis needed to develop materials, investigate failures, and ensure component reliability across automotive, rail, marine, and heavy equipment applications.

The SNE-Alpha desktop SEM enables transportation engineers and quality teams to perform materials characterization in-house. Combined with EDS for elemental analysis, it supports everything from routine quality control to complex failure investigations.

Key Transportation Applications

• Brake System Analysis: Examine friction material morphology, wear mechanisms, and transfer film formation on brake pads and rotors
• Engine Components: Characterize cylinder bore surfaces, piston ring wear, and valve seat deposits
• Bearing Analysis: Investigate wear patterns, surface damage, and lubricant contamination in rolling element and journal bearings
• Coating Evaluation: Assess thermal barrier coatings, hard chrome, and other protective surface treatments
• Fuel System Components: Analyze injector nozzle wear, filter media, and fuel system deposits
• Tire and Rubber: Examine rubber compound structure, reinforcement dispersion, and wear patterns

Failure Analysis Applications

SEM provides critical evidence for transportation failure investigations:

• Fracture Analysis: Examine fracture surfaces to determine failure mode—fatigue, overload, brittle fracture, or stress corrosion
• Wear Mechanism Identification: Distinguish between adhesive, abrasive, erosive, and corrosive wear
• Contamination Analysis: Identify foreign materials and contamination sources using EDS
• Manufacturing Defects: Detect porosity, inclusions, and processing defects in cast and machined components