Papers by Keyword: Orientation Mapping

Abstract: The microstructure and texture evolution in commercially pure aluminium (AA1050 alloy) and copper have been characterized after change in strain path to elucidate the mechanisms of shear bands (SBs) formation and propagation across grain boundaries. Samples were pre-deformed in equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) and further compressed in a channel-die to form two sets of macro-SBs. The deformation-induced sub-structures and local changes in crystallographic orientations were characterized by scanning electron microscopy equipped with a high-resolution electron backscattered diffraction facility. It was found that the mechanism of micro-/macro-SBs formation is strictly crystallographic. In all the grains of the sheared zone a strong tendency to strain-induced re-orientation could be observed. Their crystal lattice rotated in such a way that one of the {111} slip planes became nearly parallel to the shear plane and the <011> (or <112>) direction became parallel to the direction of maximum shear. This crystal lattice rotation led to the formation of specific SBs components which facilitates slip propagation across grain boundaries without any visible variation in the slip direction.

Abstract: Early stages of recrystallization were observed for the Al-Mn-Mg-Zr(Sc) aluminium alloy containing a fine second phase particles. The samples were plane strain compressed to 40%, 60% and 83% and then annealed. The processes of the recovery and the nucleation of new grains were analysed with the use of scanning electron microscopy equipped with a high resolution electron backscattered diffraction facility. The deformed alloy contained a structure of flat grains situated parallel to the compression plane. After annealing, the structure coarsened. However, the growth of the new grains was strongly hindered by the presence of particles, and the elongated shape of the deformed grains was conserved up to the later stages of recrystallization. In the case ofthe samples deformed up to 40%, the structure was transformed by the mechanism of continuous recrystallization, whereas, in the case of the samples deformed up to 60% or 83%, both mechanisms- of continuous and discontinuous recrystallization - were valid. A particular role in the rise of thenuclei and the structure spheroidization is attributed to the thermally activated migration of the low-angle grain boundaries and the movement of the dislocations stored inside the cells. This leads to an increase of the misorientation angles across the pre-existing low-angle boundaries.

Abstract: Early stages of recrystallization were observed for the technical purity aluminium alloy (AA1050). The samples were severely deformed by equal channel angular pressing and then annealed to obtain the state of partial recrystallization. The nucleation of new grains and the changes in ‘density’ of low- and high- angle boundaries were analysed using scanning electron microscopy equipped with high resolution EBSD system. After deformation in six passes along route A the alloy contained a structure of flat grains. On annealing, the structure coarsened and got transformed into nearly equiaxed grains by both discontinuous and continuous recrystallization. A particular role in the rise of nuclei and the structure spheroidization is attributed to migration of low-angle boundaries.

Abstract: This paper describes nucleation and grain coarsening at very early stages of recrystallization in AA3104 aluminum alloy containing complex structure of second phase particles. Measurements of individual sub-cell orientations in ECAP-processed and slightly annealed structures were possible by using TEM-based orientation mapping in combination with recrystallization carried out in the microscope. The results were compared with those obtained by SEM/EBSD system. The investigation shows that the 40^o<111>-type relation occurs rarely, and the rotation axes of misorientations between deformed and recrystallized areas were strongly scattered. Grouping of the misorientation axes near the <012>, <221>, <112> and <110> crystallographic directions was noticeable.

Abstract: Periodic crystal lattice rotations within compact clusters of shear bands, developed in copper, have been characterized over a range of scales by optical microscopy, high resolution FEG-SEM-EBSD and TEM orientation mapping, to examine the role of local lattice re-orientation on slip propagation across pre-existing barriers to dislocation motion. Two different cases were analysed in detail. The single crystal analysis addresses the relation between the crystallographic microtexture and microstructure development due to the crystal anisotropy after a strain path change. All the changes in strain path directly lead to crystallite subdivisions and strain localization in the form of macroscopically visible bands of different morphology at the micro scale. The elongated cell substructure formed during primary straining was the source of anisotropy after changing deformation path. It is thought that the presence of this structure (here subcells) as barriers to dislocation motion is crucial for the occurrence of shear banding. The analysis of pure polycrystalline copper has been focused on the influence of local lattice re-orientations within particular grains on slip propagation across grain boundaries. The crystal lattice rotated in such a way that one of the {111} slip planes became nearly parallel to the direction of maximum shear (due to the actual state of anisotropy). A natural consequence of this rotation was the formation of a specific microtexture which facilitated slip propagation across grain boundaries.

Abstract: In this paper the authors describe a technique based on synchrotron x-ray diffraction which has been used to produce full 3D grain maps (both grain shapes and orientations) in annealed aluminium alloy and stainless steel samples containing around 500 grains. The procedure is termed diffraction contrast tomography (DCT), reflecting its similarities with conventional absorption contrast tomography. It is an extension of the 3D X-ray diffraction microscopy (3DXRD) concept, and has been developed in collaboration with its inventors. The specimen is illuminated using a monochromatic synchrotron x-ray beam, and grains imaged using the extinction contrast that appears in the transmitted beam when grains are aligned in the diffraction condition during rotation of the sample. The beams of radiation diffracted by the grains are captured simultaneously on the same detector as the direct beam image. The combination of diffraction and extinction information aids the grain indexing operation, in which pairs of diffraction and extinction images are assigned to grain sets. 3D grain shapes are determined by algebraic reconstruction from the limited number of extinction projections, while crystallographic orientation is found from the diffraction geometry. The non-destructive nature of the technique allows for in-situ studies of mapped samples. Research is in progress to extend the technique to allow the determination of the elastic strain and stress tensors on a grain-by-grain basis.

Abstract: The relations between the active slip systems within the deformed state and the orientations of the first formed nuclei of recrystallized grains have been studied in strongly deformed samples of high purity aluminium single crystal and polycrystalline aggregates. The new grain orientations and misorientations were followed by systematic local orientation measurements using SEM-FEG/EBSD and semi-automatic measurements in TEM. Investigations of the direction of growth indicate the privileged role of {111} planes in the initial stages of recrystallization. The grain boundary migration and ‘consumption’ of the as-deformed areas was always favoured along directions parallel to the traces of the most active {111} slip planes as shown clearly in the stable and structurally homogeneous Goss{110}<001> oriented crystallite. In the case of polycrystalline material the influence of grain boundaries and their triple junctions on the crystallographic aspects of nucleation is discussed.

Abstract: This paper describes progress in improving the spatial resolution of the well-established Orientation Imaging Microscopy technique, OIM, by developing an analogous procedure for the transmission electron microscope. The transmission orientation micrographs are obtained by recording a large series of dark field micrographs taken from the chosen area in the specimen. This area is selected so that it contains all of the grains of interest and is imaged at sufficiently high magnification to yield the spatial resolution required. The changing intensity of each pixel in different dark field micrographs permits the equivalent of a diffraction pattern for that pixel to be constructed. This enables determination of the lattice orientation of small volumes in the sample corresponding to that imaged in each individual pixel. Experimentation has shown that problems arise however, that decrease the fraction of correctly measured points due to ambiguities in determining the index of higher order reflections, especially when the total number of reflections observed is small. The solution has been to both modify the indexing procedure and to sum the diffraction vectors observed within a single grain. The paper concentrates on a detailed analysis of a heavily deformed aluminium sample, chosen because of the fragmentation of the structure.

Abstract: Orientation mapping based on EBSD technique was applied to reveal the orientations of new grains and their relationships to the surrounding matrices, to analyze Kikuchi band contrast and the influence of strain rates on local orientation evolution. This information is used to understand the dynamic recrystallization mechanism and the relative contribution of plastic slip versus grain boundary glide or grain rotation related with super-plasticity. For this purpose samples with different initial textures were deformed by (quasi-)plain strain compression at two strain rates. It is suggested that the dynamic recrystallization in this alloy proceeds in continuous way by progressive subgrain rotation. No evident non-basal slip of was observed by referring texture evolution in the sample with initial basal texture. A high strain rate promotes more contribution of plastic slip accompanied by fast orientation changes. The fact that groups of grains with very similar orientations in basal oriented samples is discussed in terms of viscous flow.

Abstract: The paper is an account of TEM based automatic orientation mapping summarizing more than two years of using the system. Following a brief introduction of the system elements, some representative applications are described. We focus on the characterization of fine-grain materials, mapping of low symmetry materials (metastable chromium carbide) and semi-automatic analysis of misorientations in a fully lamellar polycrystalline (g+a2) TiAl alloy. Moreover, the current state of the TEM based system is discussed and compared to EBSD systems. In particular, the issues of spatial resolution, accuracy, map acquisition time, reliability are considered.