3D electron backscatter diffraction characterization of fine α titanium microstructures: collection, reconstruction, and analysis methods.

3D electron backscatter diffraction (3D-EBSD) is a method of obtaining 3-dimensional crystallographic data through serial sectioning. The recent advancement of using a Xe plasma focused ion beam for sectioning along with a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor based EBSD detector allows for an improvement in the trade-off between volume analyzed and spatial resolution over most other 3D characterization techniques. Recent publications from our team have focused on applying 3D-EBSD to understand microstructural phenomena in Ti-6Al-4V microstructures as a function of electron beam scanning strategies in electron beam powder bed fusion additive manufacturing.

3D electron backscatter diffraction study of α lath morphology in additively manufactured Ti-6Al-4V.

Titanium alloys exhibit complex, multi-phase microstructures which form during liquid-solid and solid-solid phase transformations. These phase transformations govern the microstructural evolution and are potentially more complex during additive manufacturing due to large thermal gradients and inhomogeneities. The prototypical fundamental unit of titanium microstructures are the α laths, and investigations into their three-dimensional morphology may provide new insights.