布鲁克 ESPRIT 四合一分析软件

The evolution of texture and microstructure during plastic deformation controls the bulk mechanical properties of virtually all materials used to manufacture engineering components and equipment. SEM based in-situ tensile/ compression testing allows investigating the onset of plastic deformation as well as all intermediate deformation stages. Microstructure and texture evolution can be quantified when combining this technique with EBSD. The quantitative results can then be used for refining the plastic deformation theory as well as for confirming the existing simulation models.

Commercially available high speed steel was analyzed simultaneously using the EBSD and EDS techniques at a very high speed of more than 200 points/s. Thanks to its extremely fast reanalysis option the CrystAlign™ software permits the user to launch measurements without knowing all the phases present in the sample. This in turn significantly reduces the preparation time needed before launching the measurement. Thanks to these new hardware and software developments the SEM occupation time for acquiring a map of 480,000 points was drastically reduced to less than one hour i.e. 38 min for data acquisition, plus maximum 15 min for sample, electron beam, hardware and software setup.

Quantitative analysis of a bulk sample requires that the composition of the sample is homogeneous over the analyzed volume. For inhomogenous samples the calculation of the matrix effects is not correct and this can lead to wrong results in the element concentrations. For samples containing a layer structure a different quantitative evaluation has to be applied. This can be provided with the standard-based analysis in ESPRIT in combination with the STRATAGem software.

In the last decade, the EBSD technique has evolved - thanks to its combination with EDS - from being a tool for texture quantification to a complete microstructure characterization method. It is now more systematically used for quantifying grain size, phase distribution, grain boundary analysis and phase identification. EBSD analysis has become a standard analytical tool in Earth Sciences.

Non-destructive sample analysis with high spatial resolution can be very difficult to accomplish using conventional EDS detectors as sample surface charging, electron beam damage and shading effects by topography are common problems in scanning electron microscopy. The BRUKER XFlash® FlatQUAD silicon drift detector (SDD) overcomes these limitations. The special geometry with an annular arrangement of detector elements offers a very high solid angle [1]. The XFlash® FlatQUAD detector allows the use of ultra-low beam currents and the investigation of samples with complex topography as demonstrated on two meteorite fall samples.