An objective study of substructural boundary alignment in aluminium

The alignment of substructure formed during deformation by rolling in Al-0.13%Mg has been investigated using electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD). The substructure in this material was defined by walls of high dislocation content, which could be imaged as low-angle boundaries. Trace distributions of those boundaries were calculated using a local Radon transform image processing method, and the boundary normal distribution estimated using data from different sections. There was no evidence for alignment of the substructural boundaries with slip planes or any other simple crystallographic element, and it seems that the substructure is orientated primarily with respect to the macroscopic or mesoscopic straining state. (C) 2003 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.