X-ray scattering and imaging from plastically deformed metals

New ultra-small-angle X-ray scattering (USAXS) facilities at third generati on synchrotron sources enjoy an additional one to three decades of X-ray br illiance over second generation instruments, and can now quantify microstru ctural features from 3 nm to 1.3 mum in size. These developments offer exci ting possibilities for further exploration of dislocation and other deforma tion microstructures. To the portfolio of existing techniques we now add a promising experimental window, USAXS imaging, in which high angular resolut ion images are acquired at scattering vectors related to the observed micro structures. Early results from this ultra-sensitive technique indicate that the arrangements of creep cavities in mildly deformed polycrystalline copp er can be observed on many length scales, and the results can be compared w ith the size distributions derived from a USAXS analysis. Many of the featu res observed in USAXS imaging are not seen using other existing experimenta l techniques. Published by Elsevier Science B.V.