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An overview of HR-EBSD techniques for mapping local stress and dislocations in crystalline materials at sub-micron resolution

High resolution electron backscatter diffraction (HR-EBSD) is a technique used to map elastic strain, crystallographic orientation and dislocation density in a scanning electron microscope. Here, this review covers the background and mathematics of this technique, contextualizing it within the broader landscape of EBSD techniques and other materials characterization methods. Several case studies are presented showing the application of HR-EBSD to the study of plasticity in metals, failure analysis in microelectronics and defect quantification in thin films. This is intended to be a comprehensive resource for researchers developing this technique as well as an introduction to those wishing to apply it.

Ruggles, Timothy J. [Sandia National Laboratories ↗

Quantification of grain boundary effects on the geometrically necessary dislocation density evolution and strain hardening of polycrystalline Mg 4Al using in situ tensile testing in scanning electron microscope and HR-EBSD

In situ tensile testing in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) in conjunction with high-resolution electron backscatter diffraction (HR-EBSD) under load was used to characterize the evolution of geometrically necessary dislocation (GND) densities at individual grain boundaries as a function of applied strain in a polycrystalline Mg—4Al alloy. The increase in GND density was investigated at plastic strains of 0 %, 0.6 %, 2.2 %, 3.3 % from the area including 76 grains and correlated with (i) geometric compatibility between slip systems across grain boundaries, and (ii) plastic incompatibility. We develop expressions for the grain boundary GND density evolution as a function of plastic strain and plastic incompatibility, from which uniaxial tensile stress-strain response of polycrystalline Mg—4Al are computed and compared with experimental measurement. The findings in this study contribute to understanding the mechanisms governing the strain hardening response of single-phase polycrystalline alloys and more reliable prediction of mechanical behaviors in diverse microstructures.

Geometrically necessary dislocations↗

In-situ Testing to Acquire HR-EBSD and DIC Strain Data Within a Coincident Domain

For this project, an inked rubber stamp was applied to a small Inconel 625 specimen. The stamp transferred a thin pattern with microscale features for digital image correlation (DIC). The pattern is easily visible at lower voltages and thin enough to not obstruct backscattered electrons. The unique characteristics of the pattern enabled the concurrent acquisition of DIC and high-resolution electron backscatter diffraction (HR-EBSD) data while the specimen was loaded in-situ. The challenges of in-situ testing and combining EBSD with DIC measurements are discussed. By combining the elastic strains (from HR-EBSD) and total strains (from DIC) the result of this approach is an estimate of stress- strain behavior at points across the specimen surface. This combined dataset can then be used as higher-fidelity data in the calibration of crystal plasticity models.

Will Gilliland↗

Imaging and Segmenting Grains and Subgrains Using Backscattered Electron Techniques

We present two new methods of processing data from backscattered electron signals in a scanning electron microscope to image grains and subgrains. The first combines data from multiple backscattered electron images acquired at different specimen geometries to (1) better reveal grain boundaries in recrystallized microstructures and (2) distinguish between recrystallized and unrecrystallized regions in partially recrystallized microstructures. The second utilizes spherical harmonic transform indexing of electron backscatter diffraction patterns to produce high angular resolution orientation data that enable the characterization of subgrains. Subgrains are produced during high-temperature plastic deformation and have boundary misorientation angles ranging from a few degrees down to a few hundredths of a degree. Here, we also present an algorithm to automatically segment grains from combined backscattered electron image data or grains and subgrains from high angular resolution electron backscatter diffraction data. Together, these new techniques enable rapid measurements of individual grains and subgrains from large populations.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Effects of Strain and Strain Rate on Dynamic Grain Growth and Subgrain Evolution During Plastic Deformation of an Interstitial-Free Steel at 850 ° C

Here, the effects of strain and strain rate on dynamic grain growth (DGG) and subgrain evolution are reported for an interstitial-free steel deformed at 850 ° C. Microstructures produced during tension tests at true-strain rates of 10 -4 and to 10 -3 s -1 true strains ranging from 0.02 to 0.2 were preserved following deformation. These were characterized using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), including the application of spherical harmonic transform indexing to produce high-angular-resolution EBSD (HR-EBSD) data. HR-EBSD data resolved the small misorientation angles of subgrain boundaries while imaging much larger data fields than possible with previously available techniques. The resulting data confirmed that steady-state flow stress is inversely proportional to the average subgrain size and that subgrain boundary misorientation angle increases with strain. The following new observations are reported. The rate of DGG increased with respect to time but decreased with respect to strain as strain rate increased. This behavior is rationalized through a simple model using separate rate parameters for the effects of time and strain. Subgrain size was not constant during steady-state deformation, but decreased slowly with increasing strain. Subgrain size distributions and subgrain boundary misorientation angle distributions were measured, and both remained approximately log-normal during steady-state deformation. Subgrain evolution demonstrated no dependence on parent grain size, crystallographic orientation, or Taylor factor. These new data suggest that steady-state flow stress is more likely controlled by the dislocation density internal to subgrains than by the spacing between subgrain boundaries.

dynamic grain growth↗