Two improved methods for the characterization of twin orientations in deformed crystals were compared. These methods were the back-scattered Kikuchi electron diffraction method, which involved the use of a standard scanning electron microscope, and a new high-resolution X-ray pole-figure technique. Comparative tests which were performed on Ti and Mg crystals that had been deformed in plane-strain compression up to high strains, demonstrated the complementary features of the methods. The back-scattered Kikuchi diffraction technique, which combined imaging and micro-diffraction, was well-suited to be used for localized twin-orientation studies in both single crystals and polycrystals after careful surface preparation. The high-resolution X-ray pole figures could be used for more quantitative studies of twinned volumes, including very fine twins, in crystallographically oriented samples such as deformed single crystals or large-grained polycrystals.

N.Cheneau-Späth, R.Y.Fillit, J.H.Driver: Journal of Applied Crystallography, 1994, 27[6], 980-7