Extraction of Region Contour in SEM Fractographs

In the domain of material science, quantitative fractography is an analytical tool to study the characteristics of a fracture surface. The inception of Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) has motivated the researchers toward the quantitative analysis of such surface. Due to fracture, new surfaces are evolved and voids are also formed. Extraction of such regions (surface/void) from SEM fractographs is of immense importance as it enables the subsequent characterization of the surfaces and the study of void distribution. To carry out the analysis, image processing tools are being applied by the researchers mostly on a case to case basis. Thus, well founded image processing technique to cater the specific need is still lacking. In this work, we have proposed a scheme to determine the closed contour of the regions denoting the surface or void. The proposed methodology relies on the systematic combination of basic techniques of image processing to accomplish the task in an automated manner.