Papers by Keyword: Orientation Imaging Microscopy

Abstract: Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) conventionally necessitates the preparation of flat, damage-free surfaces, typically achieved through mechanical or chemical polishing. However, for porous materials susceptible to fracture, such procedures are not only technically challenging but also risk altering or obscuring critical microstructural features, particularly at fine length scales. Despite the widespread reliance on surface polishing, its necessity in EBSD analysis—especially for highly porous materials—has seldom been critically examined, and studies omitting such preparation remain scarce. In the present study, EBSD analysis was conducted on porous polycrystalline YBa₂Cu₃O_y without any surface treatment. The absence of polishing preserved the pristine microstructure, free from artifacts commonly introduced by conventional preparation techniques. Although the surface topography limited the number of pixels yielding high-quality diffraction patterns, orientation imaging revealed that the surface granules predominantly exhibit single-crystalline domain structures. These findings demonstrate that EBSD can be successfully applied to porous materials without surface polishing, thereby providing a rapid, non-destructive approach for microstructural characterization while preserving the material’s intrinsic structural integrity.

Abstract: Radiation porosity through-thickness of the fuel pin cladding, made of 16Cr-19Ni-2Mo-2Mn-Nb-Ti-V-P-B steel, has been studied with scanning electron microscopy using backscattered electron (BSE) detector. The examined sample was irradiated at a temperature around 480 °С up to an integral damage dose of 87 dpa. It was shown that, due to the temperature gradient through the cladding thickness, the average size of radiation voids reduces, and their concentration increases from internal to external surface. Local nonuniformity of radiation porosity is observed in regions close to internal and external surfaces. It was shown that, non-uniformity of radiation porosity is determined by the material structure, microtwin density and high concentration of low-angle inter-granular boundaries, in particular.

Abstract: The creep behavior of high purity aluminum and copper, Al-0.2wt.%Sc and Cu-0.2wt.%Zr alloys was examined after processing by equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) with an emphasis on the link between microstructure and creep. The microstructure was revealed by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and analyzed by stereological methods. Representative microstructural parameters were obtained using orientation imaging microscopy and EBSD on the relationship between creep behavior and microstructure.

Abstract: The objective of this study was to determine the effect of deformation mode on recrystallization behavior of severely deformed material. Commercial purity AA3104 aluminum alloy was deformed via high pressure torsion and equal channel angular pressing to different strains and then annealed to obtain the state of partial recrystallization. The microstructure and the crystallographic texture were analysed using scanning and transmission electron microscopes equipped with orientation measurement facilities. The nucleation of new grains was observed in bulk recrystallized samples and during in-situ recrystallization in the transmission microscope. Irrespective of the applied deformation mode, a large non-deformable second phase particles strongly influenced strengthening of the matrix through deformation zones around them. It is known that relatively high stored energy stimulates the nucleation of new grains during the recrystalization. In most of the observed cases, the growth of recrystallized grains occurred by the coalescence of neighboring subcells. This process usually led to nearly homogeneous equiaxed grains of similar size. The diameter of grains in the vicinity of large second phase particles was only occasionally significantly larger than the average grain size. Large grains were most often observed in places far from the particles. TEM orientation mapping from highly deformed zones around particles showed that orientations of new grains were not random and only strictly defined groups of orientations were observed.

Abstract: Using SEM/EBSD the substructure and texture evolution in dual phase steels in the first steps of the process chain, i.e. hot rolling, cold rolling, and following annealing were characterized. In order to obtain dual phase steels with high ductility and high tensile strength an industrial process was reproduced by cold rolling of industrially hot rolled steel sheets of a thickness of 3.75 mm with ferrite and pearlite morphology down to a thickness of 1.75 mm and finally annealing at different temperatures. Such technique allows a compilation of ferrite and martensite morphology typical for dual phase steels. Due to the competition between recovery, recrystallization and phase trans-formation during annealing a variety of ferrite martensite morphologies was produced by promoting one of the mechanisms through the variation of technological parameters such as heating rate, intercritical annealing temperature, annealing time, cooling rate and the final annealing temperature. Annealing induced changes of the mechanical properties were determined by hardness measurements and are discussed on the basis of the results of the substructure investigations.

Abstract: A comprehensive investigation of microstructure evolution upon annealing in the temperature range between 100°C and 450°C in SPD-processed nanocrystalline iron had been conducted using transmission and orientation imaging microscopy, and XRD analysis. The asprocessed microstructure was typical of severely deformed metals consisting of grains with a mean size of 110 nm, each subdivided by a network of subgrain boundaries. Additionally, measurements of microstrains using XRD found a very high microstrain level of 0.003 in this material. After annealing at 200°C a drastic decrease of microstrains was observed; whereas no notable changes in the size of grains and subgrains as well in misorientation spectra have been revealed. Thus we relate this decrease of microstrains with recovery of non-equilibrium grain boundaries. Annealing at higher temperatures hadn’t led to further decrease of microstrains, but resulted in slight subgrain growth from 65 to 78 nm accompanied by increase of mean misorientation angle from 5° to 6.3°at 450°C. This indicates the occurrence of coalescence of subgrains as additional recovery mechanism.

Abstract: The distribution of grain boundary plane orientations in polycrystalline Ni has been measured before and after grain boundary engineering. The grain boundary engineered microstructure has a relatively higher concentration of Σ3 grain boundaries and, when compared to the initial structure, more of these boundaries have orientations that are inclined by more than 10° from the (111) orientation of the ideal coherent twin. Although the conventionally measured grain size is not affected by the grain boundary engineering process, the average size of the regions containing only Σ3n grain boundaries increases by nearly a factor of two. The observations indicate that the increase in the relative population of Σ3 grain boundaries results both from the preferential elimination of random grain boundaries and the generation of new Σ3 grain boundaries which do not have (111) grain boundary plane orientations.

Abstract: Considerable structural inhomogeneity and anisotropy were found even after eight ECAP passes in high purity aluminium and the creep loading of ECAP material at 473K, 15MPa resulted in scattered fracture times ~ 20-60 hours. The structure revealed by orientation imaging microscopy with different disclination bounds was analysed by stereological methods. The effect of inhomogeneity and grain orientation on the creep fracture time was assessed.

Abstract: Automated Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) or Orientation Imaging Microscopy (OIM) has proven to be a viable technique for investigating microtexture in polycrystalline materials. It is particularly useful for investigating orientation relationships between phases in multiphase materials. However, when phases do not significantly vary in crystallographic structure, OIM is limited in its capability to reliably differentiate between phases. Through simultaneous collection of EBSD data and chemical data via X-Ray Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) it is possible to dramatically improve upon the phase differentiation capabilities of either technique individually. This presentation will introduce a methodology for combining the two techniques as well as show a few example applications.

Abstract: The influence of strain path during equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) has been evaluated in pure aluminum by orientation imaging microscopy (OIM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The material was examined after four pressing operations by route BC in a 90° die, or eight pressing operations by route BC in a 135° die. The von Mises equivalent strains were essentially the same for these two ECAP procedures. The microtexture data indicate that the distortion during ECAP corresponds to a simple shear in a direction approximately parallel to diechannel exit and on a plane perpendicular to the flow plane. For both procedures the OIM data reveal prominent meso-scale band-like features. Lattice orientations in each band correspond to a texture orientation but the particular combinations of orientations depend upon ECAP die angle. High-angle boundaries in the structure correspond to interfaces between the bands.