Microscopic beams of penetrating synchrotron radiation provide a unique tool for the analysis of material structure and deformation. This thesis describes my contributions to the development of new synchrotron X-ray micro-beam diffraction experimental techniques and data interpretation, and the use of experimental results for the validation of material deformation models. To study deeply buried material volumes in thick samples, the micro-beam Laue technique was extended to higher photon energies. Through-thickness resolution was achieved either by a wire scanning approach similar to Differential Aperture X-ray Microscopy (DAXM), or by applying tomographic reconstruction principles to grain-specific Laue pattern intensity. Both techniques gave promising first results. For reliable micro-beam Laue diffraction measurements of elastic strains in individual grains of a polycrystal, understanding of the error sources is vital. A novel simulation-based error analysis framework allowed the assessment of individual contributions to the total measurement error. This provides a rational basis for the further improvement of experimental setups. For direct comparison of experimental measurements and dislocation dynamics simulations, diffraction post-processing of dislocation models in two and three dimensions was developed. Simulated diffraction patterns of two-dimensional dislocation cell/wall type structures captured correctly some of the features observed experimentally in reciprocal space maps of a large-grained, lightly deformed aluminium alloy sample. Crystal lattice rotations computed from three-dimensional dislocation dynamics simulations of a Frank-Read source showed anisotropic orientation spread similar to that observed in micro-beam Laue experiments. For the experimental study of crystal lattice distortion, a novel technique was proposed that combines micro-beam Laue diffraction with scanning white-beam topography. Diffraction topography allows the study of lattice rotation at scales smaller than the scanning beam size. The new technique makes it possible to apply classical topography methods to deformed samples.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:543749 |
| Date | January 2011 |
| Creators | Hofmann, Felix |
| Contributors | Korsunsky, Alexander M. |
| Publisher | University of Oxford |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:4a5db5b9-1673-40bf-a25f-2e09a572a108 |
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