QUANTAX ED-XS

Why Do I Need EBSD on my Tabletop or W-SEM?

• Semi-automatic grain size & shape distribution
• Quantitative analysis of microstructures using subsetting
• Area/volume fraction of deformed vs. recrystallised grains
• Grain boundary analysis
• Phase identification and distribution analysis
• Correlation of chemical and crystallographic results
• Orientation distribution – crystallographic texture analysis

Combined EDS & EBSD for Microstructural Analysis

Routine EBSD Analysis of Phase Distribution & Grain Size

Phase Determination & Grain Size Analysis of Duplex Steel

Duplex steels have very desirable mechanical properties and resistance to corrosion. This makes them strong candidates for applications in corrosive environments, such as marine and chemical engineering, oil and gas exploration, power plants, and in the paper and petrochemical industries.

High performance steels require a balanced ferrite (α) : austenite (γ) ratio and controlled refinement of their microstructure.

QUANTAX ED-XS is suitable for use on desktop SEMs - providing the analytical capabilities needed for routine analysis.

This solution enables the high speed and high-quality routine EBSD analysis of Duplex steels with precise determination of phase fractions and grain distribution, whilst providing a deep insight on intragranular deformation features.

QUANTAX ED-XS for Routine EBSD Analysis

With a very attractive price and low cost of ownership, QUANTAX ED-XS enables laboratories to make more efficient use of their resources and maximise throughput.

QUANTAX ED-XS is well suited for:

• Running routine analyses to relieve the backlog on expensive Field Emission Gun-SEMs (FE-SEM).
• Training new EBSD users with lower time and cost constraints than when using conventional EBSD systems.
• Used by entry-level users to practice system optimisation parameters before acquiring EBSD and EDS maps.
• Quality control of prepared samples before running EBSD analysis on an expensive, and often very busy FE-SEM, helping ensure that valuable time on the FE-SEM is used effectively.

High spatial resolution EBSD mapping using an eFlash XS detector on a FE-SEM

The spatial resolution of EBSD technique is influenced by multiple factors with the most important being: local average Z number of the sample, accelerating voltage and probe size of the electron beam. Lowering the last two leads to significant gains in spatial resolution but also results in a strong decrease in signal yield thus affecting the data quality and/or the acquisition speed. W-SEMs represent the best value-for-money solution, for routine EBSD measurements on materials with grain diameters larger than 1 μm. When characterising microstructures containing features smaller than 1 μm and especially for those smaller than 500 nm, FE-SEMs represent the best/only practical choice due to their ability of delivering great ratios of probe current vs. probe size.

Characterisation of Microstructural Features in Stainless Steels

Mechanical properties of raw metals and alloys are controlled through various sequences of thermo-mechanical forming processes, e.g. rolling, forging, extrusion, etc,, done at room or high temperatures. EBSD is commonly used to quantify the deformation state of grains in these materials which would define their properties and, when necessary, refine the forming parameters to achieve the desired properties. ESPRIT 2 provides an intuitive interface and all means necessary for this type of analysis to be successful, such as grain misorientation maps, subsetting options based on local misorientation and crystallographic texture representation options.

Correlation of Grain Statistics with various Properties on Industrial Alloys

One of the most important benefits of EBSD technique is the output of reliable grain statistics; for example average diameter size and distribution. This can be correlated with various properties of the analysed material, hardness, strength and plasticity/formability. ESPRIT 2 software detects grains using misorientation and size criteria and calculates automatically the mean equivalent diameter size using area weighted and arithmetic mean methods. Grain size and shape statistics are complemented by a multitude of subsetting options to create powerful microstructure quantification tools which support scientists and engineers in the process of understanding and/or predicting materials properties.