Study of residual elastic- and plastic-deformation in uniaxial tensile strained nickel-based Alloy 600 samples by polychromatic X-ray microdiffraction (PXM) and neutron diffraction methods

In order to assess the reliability of the relatively new polychromatic X-ray microdiffraction (PXM) method for measuring the magnitude and distribution of mechanical strains, PXM and the traditional technique—neutron diffraction measurements were made on the gauge section of an uniaxially 1% strained Alloy 600 tensile specimen and an unstressed sample of the same alloy. The average strain magnitudes for the grains analyzed by PXM were found to be similar with those measured from neutron diffraction within the large experimental uncertainty. Of particular interest was the behavior of dislocations in opposing grains across grain boundaries of differing orientations, which was studied by comparing the elongation and splitting of PXM spots. Similar dislocation densities, operating on the similar slip systems, were found on both sides of 60° boundaries, while considerable differences in the degree of elongation and splitting of diffraction spots occurred between grains with other misorientation angles.