Metallurgical studies with the HIPPO diffractometer at LANSCE

AbstractAdvantages of neutron diffraction for metallurgical studies are highlighted with research examples performed on the High Pressure - Preferred Orientation diffractometer at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center. The previously inconclusive crystallographic structure of the Fe–Al ϵ-phase, stable between 1095 and 1231°C, was determined by in situ neutron diffraction to have the formula Fe5Al8 with a body centred cubic structure of the Hume–Rothery Cu5Zn8 type at 1120°C. As a second example, the effect of variations in accumulative roll bonding processing parameters on interfacial structure, hardness, and thermal stability are explored for lamellar Cu–Nb multilayers with individual layer thicknesses of 20 nm. Furthermore, we derive an explanation for observed texture memory effects during the α→γ→α transformation cycle in a 0·1%C–1%Mn hot rolled steel sheet from the double Kurdjumov–Sachs relationship. Finally, we present in situ results of a Zr–2·5Nb sample heated into the β-field and subsequently co...