Introduction to the Characterization of Residual Stress by Neutron Diffraction

Since the 1980s, the field of neutron diffraction has grown significantly. Introduction to Characterization of Residual Stress by Neutron Diffraction offers a comprehensive overview that serves as a starting point for people gaining interest in the subject, whether for scientific or engineering applications. Written by experts in the field, this exceptional book includes descriptions of the basic scattering properties of neutrons and of quantities of direct relevance for a thorough understanding of matters that affect the recorded data. The book also covers the analysis and interpretation of measured data, the conversion of strains to stresses, and theoretical treatments of polycrystal deformation.

Over the past 25 years the field of neutron diffraction for residual stress characterization has grown tremendously, and has matured from the stage of trial demonstrations to provide a practical tool with widespread applications in materials science and engineering. While the literature on the subject has grown commensurately, it has also remained fragmented and scattered across various journals and conference proceedings.

For the first time, this volume presents a comprehensive introduction to stress measurement using neutron diffraction. It discusses all aspects of the technique, from the basic physics, the different neutron sources and instrumentation, to the various strategies for lattice strain measurement and data interpretation. These are illustrated by practical examples. This book represents a coherent unified treatment of the subject, written by well-known experts. It will prepare students, engineers, and other newcomers for their first neutron diffraction experiments and provide experts with a definitive reference work.