[Electron microscopic characterization of hair damage caused by objects of varying severity]

The article presents a method for hair examination using an electronic scanning microscope Hitachi FlexSem¹⁰⁰⁰ II (Japan) and describes sample preparation method. As part of the experimental study, damage was caused by blades with varying degrees of bluntness: sharp (up to 2-25 microns), medium sharp (up to 26-40 microns), blunt (up to 41-50 microns) and severely blunt (over 51-60 microns). According to the results of the research, specific signs characteristic of each sharpness level of the traumatic object have been established, which is illustrated by microphotographs. A subgroup of ideally sharp objects with a sharpness of 1-3 microns has been identified, which form a rather specific morphological picture of the cut. It differs from other sharp objects, and an algorithm for determining the level of sharpness of the trace-forming object has been developed.