Abstract: Nickel Aluminium Bronze (NAB) and Manganese Aluminium Bronze (MAB) are highly alloyed metallic systems that are widely used in naval applications due to their excellent corrosion resistance and mechanical and tribological properties, such as cavitation and erosion resistance. Duplex brass is also an excellent option due to its ability to increase mechanical properties and corrosion resistance by selected thermal treatments. Chemical reagents currently used for metallography in research laboratories and in industry, are based mainly upon acidic iron chloride solutions. This work shows the results of microstructural features of these alloys after grinding and polishing of selected specimens in as cast state, with alumina or diamond paste of different sizes, using tap water and distilled water. The main conclusion is that the microstructure of these materials is perfectly revealed without the usual etching step involving a chemical reagent, thus reducing both the environmental and the economic impact.
