Phase differentiation via combined EBSD and XEDS

Abstract

SummaryElectron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and orientation imaging microscopy have become established techniques for analysing the crystallographic microstructure of single and multiphase materials. In certain instances, however, it can be difficult and/or time intensive to differentiate phases within a material by crystallography alone. Traditionally a list of candidate phases is specified prior to data collection. The crystallographic information extracted from the diffraction patterns is then compared with the crystallographic information from these candidate phases, and a best-fit match is determined. Problems may arise when two phases have similar crystal structures. The phase differentiation process can be improved by collecting chemical information through X-ray energydispersive spectroscopy (XEDS) simultaneously with the crystallographic information through EBSD and then using the chemical information to pre-filter the crystallographic phase candidates. This technique improves both the overall speed of the data collection and the accuracy of the final characterization. Examples of this process and the limitations involved will be presented and discussed.

An analysis of grain boundaries and grain growth in cemented tungsten carbide using orientation imaging microscopy

“…In the case of infinite dilation, this process is repeated until each point becomes a member of a grain. The cleaning operation was followed by grain confidence index [20] standardization. The grain CI-standardization cleaning method is used to match the CIs of all the points within a grain.…”

The combined use of EBSD and EDX analyses for the identification of complex intermetallic phases in multicomponent Al–Si piston alloys

“…Further work [5] has shown that the use of electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) can provide useful crystallographic information for these complex intermetallic phases. However, phase identification is not necessarily conclusive using either crystallographic information obtained using EBSD or chemical information using energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) in isolation because of the similarities in both chemistry and crystal structure between the different multicomponent phases [6].…”

Recrystallization fabrics of sheared quartz veins with a strong pre-existing crystallographic preferred orientation from a seismogenic shear zone

“…Quartz CPO and misorientation plots are based on quartz mineral orientation maps created using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) on polished sections of quartz veins (Nowell and Wright, 2004;Prior et al, 1999). Polished sections were mechanically polished to 0.3 μm grit and chemically polished with a colloidal silica suspension (Lloyd, 1987).…”