Figure 1. This metallographic elemental analysis of a suspect “bite mark” in an electrical conductor reveals clear evidence the mark is the result of eutectic melting. Above the line of demarcation is 100 percent copper, but the copper has dissolved into the molten aluminum showing that the material is a mixture of aluminum and copper. The percent of copper decreases from top to bottom.

Figure 2. This is a metallurgical cross-section view of electrical contacts that have fused together.

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