1. Necessity of material preparation before characterization

Should test tubes be prepared or not? Of course, the answer depends on the goal to be achieved and the measurement method to be used:

• Yes, you need to prepare specimens if you want to get as close as possible to the material's original properties. In this case, particular care must be taken to ensure that the specimens are of the highest quality in terms of geometry, structure, physics, mechanics and so on;

• No, you don't need to prepare test specimens if you want to measure the properties of the part as it is. Morphology, crystallinity, physical defects, chemical state, etc. must be preserved. However, a minimum of preparation is acceptable, provided that it does not directly affect the examination zones, e.g. cutting without heating, abrasion, pollution, etc. of the observation zone.