TEXTURE CHANGES DURING PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS STUDIED IN SITU WITH NEUTRON DIFFRACTION

Advantages of using neutron diffraction for texture analysis are that large volumes can be investigated and statistically representative data are obtained, particularly for coarse-grained samples. With multidetector time-of-flight diffractometers quantitative orientation information can be obtained within minutes. Furthermore, with furnaces texture changes in bulk materials during recrystallization, and phase transformations can be studied in situ. Diffraction spectra are analyzed efficiently with the Rietveld method. The TOF diffractometer HIPPO at Los Alamos National Laboratory is used to investigate phase transformations in iron, zirconium, titanium, uranium and quartz to assess orientation changes during heating, with emphasis on exploring texture memory and variant selection during phase transformations.