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ASTM E2885-13

Definition

ASTM International standard practice for restoration of obliterated vehicle identification numbers; the reference protocol for VIN casework in US and internationally aligned laboratories.

Related terms

Backscattered Electron (BSE) Imaging
An SEM imaging mode sensitive to atomic number and crystallographic texture; can reveal grain-boundary elongation patterns in the sub-surface cold-worked zone after...
Cold-Working Stress Field
Residual plastic deformation and elevated dislocation density in a metal lattice created by stamping; persists below the visible surface even after surface...
Davis Reagent
Variant etchant for steel using cupric ammonium chloride (Cu(NH4)2Cl4) in dilute HCl. Slower acting than Fry's, sometimes preferred when contrast on Fry's...
Electrolytic Etching
Electrochemical alternative to chemical etchants. The part is the anode in an electrolyte bath; controlled current selectively dissolves the strained metal at...
Fry's Reagent
Classical etchant for plain carbon and low-alloy steel: 40 g cupric chloride (CuCl2) + 90 mL concentrated HCl + 100 mL water....
INTERPOL iARMS
INTERPOL's Illicit Arms Records and tracing Management System. Multilateral database enabling law enforcement in INTERPOL member countries to trace recovered or seized...
Magnetic Particle Inspection (MPI)
A non-destructive testing method that reveals magnetic-domain contrast between cold-worked and unstressed zones in ferromagnetic metals using a ferrofluid under UV illumination;...
Neutron-Induced X-Ray Fluorescence (NIXRF)
A synchrotron-based method using neutrons to probe deep obliterations; can detect digit geometry buried several millimetres beneath a machined surface, entirely non-destructively.
Profilometry
White-light interferometry or confocal laser scanning to detect nanometre-scale height differences on a metal surface; can reveal topographic ghost images of obliterated...
Turner's Reagent
A ferric chloride solution used to etch copper, brass, and cuprous alloy substrates; the high-potential Fe3+ ion preferentially oxidises the cold-worked zone.
Ultrasonic Cavitation
High-frequency pressure waves that collapse cavitation bubbles preferentially at high-energy surface zones; an alternative physical restoration method for stainless-steel and titanium substrates.

Explained in

  • Restoration of Erased Serial NumbersASTM International standard practice for restoration of obliterated vehicle identification numbers; the reference protocol for VIN casework in US and internati...

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