Improved twin detection via tracking of individual Kikuchi band intensity of EBSD patterns

Abstract

Twin detection via EBSD can be particularly challenging due to the fine scale of certain twin types – for example, compression and double twins in Mg. Even when a grid of sufficient resolution is chosen to ensure scan points within the twins, the interaction volume of the electron beam often encapsulates a region that contains both the parent grain and the twin, confusing the twin identification process. The degradation of the EBSD pattern results in a lower image quality metric, which has long been used to imply potential twins. However, not all bands within the pattern are degraded equally. This paper exploits the fact that parent and twin lattices share common planes that lead to the quality of the associated bands not degrading; i.e. common planes that exist in both grains lead to bands of consistent intensity for scan points adjacent to twin boundaries. Hence, twin boundaries in a microstructure can be recognized, even when they are associated with thin twins. Proof of concept was performed on known twins in Inconel 600, Tantalum, and Magnesium AZ31. This method was then used to search for undetected twins in a Mg AZ31 structure, revealing nearly double the number of twins compared with those initially detected by standard procedures.