Vibratory polishing of multiphase CuZn30//CuZn80 diffusion pairs for electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) characterization

Abstract

The influence of vibratory polishing time on the quality of EBSD mappings of a multiphase microstructure is investigated and optimized for CuZn30//CuZn80 diffusion couples. The diffusion couples consist of four different phases whose hardness varies between 70 HV0.1 and 454 HV0.1. These are first mechanically ground, polished and finally prepared by vibratory polishing. A vibratory polishing of 2 h provides for all phases the highest quality of the recorded Kikuchi patterns (Image Quality values) and the highest correct assignment of the individual pixels of the mapping. Preparation artifacts, such as relief formation, only appear at higher vibratory polishing times (> 2 h). A vibratory polishing of the diffusion couples of 0.5 h already provides sufficient surface quality for EBSD analyses.