Automatic determination of recrystallization parameters in metals by electron backscatter pattern line scans

In this paper, a new automatic procedure for determining critical recrystallization parameters, which are important when studying recrystallization kinetics, is presented. The method is based on electron backscatter patterns (EBSP) line scans using a scanning electron microscope, where three parallel lines are scanned. The concepts of equivalence and connectivity are used to group the data points into those originating in recrystallized grains and those originating in the deformed matrix. The computer program implementing the automatic procedure is tested in three different ways: three short scans are performed, where the calculations are also done by hand; the results of two long scans are compared to the direct observation of the microstructure seen in orientation image maps (OIMs) [Mater. Sci. Eng. A. 166 (1993) 59], and the results of scans from a series of samples are compared to statistical results obtained manually. A good correlation was achieved in all three cases.