Misorientation contrast of crystal subgrain boundaries in Berg-Barrett X-ray micrographs

A stereographic projection method of analysis has been developed for analyzing the misorientation contrast of crystal subgrain boundaries which are observed in Berg-Barrett X-ray micrographs. The boundary appearance is described in terms of the geometry of the boundary with respect to the crystal surface, the angular misorientation of the adjacent subgrains, and the X-ray diffraction conditions. The rotation axis for the misorientation of adjacent subgrains, including the sense of the rotation, and the amount of misorientation is determined from the width and relative contrast of the boundary in various images. Experimental results are described for subgrain boundaries in zinc crystals solidified along different crystallographic growth directions. The Burgers vectors of the dislocations composing the subgrain boundary are indirectly determined by this method.