Neutron and synchrotron radiation non-destructive methods for the characterisation of materials for different applications

Neutron and synchrotron radiation techniques are very powerful non-destructive methods for the characterisation of a wide variety of materials. In particular, neutron and synchrotron radiation diffraction is nowadays widely used for the evaluation of residual stresses induced by thermal and mechanical treatments in materials and components for industrial applications. By small angle neutron scattering (SANS), microstructural features induced by thermornechanical treatments, such as precipitation and cavitation, can be investigated from a quantitative point of view (determination of size distributions, volume fraction). A review is presented of the techniques mentioned above, and some applications to materials for technological applications will be presented. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.