Characterising extreme deformation in a failed Al alloy

Locally high dislocation densities associated with extreme deformation during failure can make microstructural characterisation using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) very challenging. The poor EBSD pattern quality in regions close to the failure zone preclude effective orientation measurements, hindering interpretations regarding possible failure mechanisms. However, newly developed EBSD pattern matching methods implemented in AZtecCrystal MapSweeper provide more robust orientation and phase data, enabling the effective analysis of even the most severely deformed materials. This is demonstrated in this application note, studying the deformation associated with failure in an Al alloy.

By downloading this application note, you will learn how:

• Extreme deformation can prevent effective microstructure characterisation using EBSD
• Pattern matching indexing in MapSweeper provides high quality data from severely deformed material
• Improved phase separation and orientation precision from pattern matching can lead to a better understanding of failure