Inter and Intra Granular Strain Analysis by Microdiffraction Kossel

Abstract

We have developed a new convenient tool for local stress and strain analysis in the scanning electron microscope. It is based on the Kossel diffraction, physical phenomenon that is known for a long time because of its high accuracy for lattice constant determination in micron regions. The pattern is recorded on a CCD camera allowing a fast and reliable analysis. This technique has been applied to several materials. In-situ tensile tests were performed on a shape memory alloy. During loading, we observe clearly a shift of Kossel lines on the diagram, whose magnitude depends on the (hkl) crystallographic planes. The stress can be deduced from the diffracting plane strain measurement using a single crystal stress analysis.