Speaker
Description
The mechanical and functional properties of polycrystalline materials have significant contributions from the 3D interaction of grains that form their micro-structure. Such grain maps can be extracted from existing characterisation techniques that utilise X-rays or electrons. However, complimentary techniques using neutrons have not yet developed to maturity. Furthermore, neutrons provide distinct advantages where, due to their lower attenuation, larger materials can be analysed, such as real-world engineering materials.
Here, a novel 3D grain mapping methodology, known as Trindex, has been demonstrated to reveal the micro-structure of a prototypical cylindrical iron material. While there already exist several methods on grain mapping with neutron imaging, Trindex provides a robust and relatively straightforward approach. Trindex is a pixel-by-pixel neutron time-of-flight reconstruction method which extracts the morphology of grains throughout the sample, in addition to their pseudo-orientations.
Experiments were performed at the SENJU beamline of the Japan Proton Acceleration Research Complex
(J-PARC). For the setup, an imaging detector was placed behind the sample with diffraction detectors simultaneously collecting the backscattering from the sample. Such diffraction will be used to confirm grain orientations. Details of the methodology and the resulting 3D grain maps of materials will be presented.
