Since the automation of the electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) technique, EBSD systems have become commonplace in microscopy facilities within materials science and geology research laboratories around the world. The acceptance of the technique is primarily due to the capability of EBSD to aid the research scientist in understanding the crystallographic aspects of microstructure. There has been considerable interest in using EBSD to quantify strain at the submicron scale. To apply EBSD to the characterization of strain, it is important to understand what is practically possible and the underlying assumptions and limitations. This work reviews the current state of technology in terms of strain analysis using EBSD. First, the effects of both elastic and plastic strain on individual EBSD patterns will be considered. Second, the use of EBSD maps for characterizing plastic strain will be explored. Both the potential of the technique and its limitations will be discussed along with the sensitivity of various calculation and mapping parameters.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

Over the past decade, friction stir welding (FSW) has rapidly become an important industrial joining process, particularly in the aluminum industry. Included among the advantages of FSW are such important attributes as improved weld strength and the elimination of cracking and porosity. During the friction stir process, the metal undergoes a tortuous deformation path that is not yet fully understood. The crystallographic texture that evolves during FSW contains sharp spatial gradients that undoubtedly influence the integrity of the weld and surrounding region in subsequent performance. The locally measured textures are discussed in the context of the material flow required to produce such textures, ultimately resulting in an estimate of the flow field present during FSW.