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Grain Boundary Detection and Phase Segmentation of SEM Ferrite–Pearlite Microstructure Using SLIC and Skeletonization

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Abstract

In this paper, we report an efficient segmentation and grain boundary detection process using modern image processing operators like simple linear iterative clustering and skeletonization. Accurate phase segmentation is the major requirement for any phase identification and quantification operations. The proposed image processing methods have been experimented on the in-house generated 48 scanning electron microscopy (SEM) microstructures obtained from plain carbon steel samples containing 0.1, 0.22, 0.35 and 0.48 wt%C and have been subjected to both annealing and normalizing treatments. The microstructures for dataset have been captured in SEM using secondary electron mode over a wide range of magnification × 500–× 5000. The experimental results significantly validate the segmentation of ferrite and pearlite regions. Also, the grain boundary detection results appear to be plausibly effective in case of ferrite–ferrite and ferrite–pearlite boundaries. However, the grain boundary detection efficiency is found to be relatively poor in case of pearlite–pearlite boundary. The overall performance of the proposed image processing technique in context of ferrite–pearlite steel SEM images shows promising results in all circumstances of compositional range, heat treatment and magnification.

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The raw/processed data required to reproduce these findings cannot be shared at this time as the data also form part of an ongoing study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur, Howrah, West Bengal, 711103, India

    Subir Gupta & N. R. Bandyopadhyay

  2. Deparment of Master of Computer Application, B C Roy Engineering College, Durgapur, West Bengal, 713206, India

    Subir Gupta

  3. Boldink Technologies Private Limited, Howrah, West Bengal, 711110, India

    Jit Sarkar

  4. Deparment of Electronics and Communication Engineering, B C Roy Engineering College, Durgapur, West Bengal, 713206, India

    Abhijit Banerjee

  5. Department of Metallurgical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Raipur, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, 492010, India

    Subhas Ganguly

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  1. Subir Gupta
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  2. Jit Sarkar
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  4. N. R. Bandyopadhyay
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Correspondence to Subhas Ganguly.

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Gupta, S., Sarkar, J., Banerjee, A. et al. Grain Boundary Detection and Phase Segmentation of SEM Ferrite–Pearlite Microstructure Using SLIC and Skeletonization. J. Inst. Eng. India Ser. D 100, 203–210 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40033-019-00194-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40033-019-00194-1

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