An apparatus and method for performing rapid grain size analysis on a
textured polycrystalline material, by generating average grain size and
grain size distribution data from x-ray diffraction data of such material.
Raw diffraction data is obtained by capturing a plurality of diffraction
arcs within a single data capture frame. The raw diffraction data is
digitally registered; (3) and the registered diffraction data is filtered
to remove background noise, exclude diffraction overlaps or truncations,
and compensate for biased data obtained from regions of highly preferred
orientations. Average grain size and grain size distribution data are then
correlated with the filtered diffraction data. The apparatus for acquiring
raw diffraction data includes a collimated x-ray source having means for
adjusting beam size and divergence of the x-ray generated, a 2-dimensional
area detector for registering diffracted x-ray, and a sample motion
assembly for moving the sample in the sample plane. The resulting system
is fast, accurate, amenable to automation, and does not require highly
skilled personnel to operate.
