Disorientations as a function of distance: a new procedure to analyze local orientation data

A new procedure for analyzing local orientation data has been developed to investigate the relation between orientations and data point distances. The key idea is to determine the distribution of the disorientation angle as a function of the distance between the data points. The evolution of the disorientation angle distribution with increasing data point distance provides quantitative information about average local variation of the crystal orientation which can be used to classify structural elements, to determine the average structural size, and allows the quantification (crystallographically) of the boundaries between adjacent structural elements. The potential of this analyzing procedure is demonstrated by investigating the orientation data of Electron Backscattering Diffraction (EBSD)-measurements performed on severe deformed copper samples. The benefits in comparison to other commonly used methods to quantify local disorientations are discussed.