applications

X-Ray Diffraction Systems and Services Can Be Utilized for a Wide Range of Applications

Proto's application scientists are skilled in a variety of x-ray diffraction (XRD) applications. Whether you need to verify the effectiveness of shot peening on a spring or prevent stress corrosion cracking (SCC) on a pipeline, Proto® can provide you with an effective system or measurement service. Some of the most common applications of XRD are listed below, but feel free to contact us to learn how we can help with your specific requirements.

Additive Manufacturing

Residual Stress & Retained Austenite

3D printing is increasingly being used as an alternative method of manufacturing components. In particular, replacement parts that were manufactured via traditional methods such as casting are now being made using additive manufacturing processes. While a printer can produce a dimensionally identical part, the process may not produce the same residual stress distribution in the part.

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Aerospace

Residual Stress & Retained Austenite

Residual stresses play a key role in the life of aerospace structures. Proto provides both measurement services and x-ray diffraction residual stress measurement instruments, enabling our customers to obtain residual stress measurements in the lab or in the field on various aerospace components.

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Automotive

Residual Stress & Retained Austenite

X-ray diffraction has become the industry standard for residual stress characterization of automotive components. It is an essential tool for process optimization, design improvements, and failure analysis.

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Bridges

Residual Stress & Retained Austenite

The weight of the concrete and the steel superstructure in a bridge, and thus the resultant dead load in each of the critical members, are well known when the bridge is initially constructed, assuming all goes to plan. However, major maintenance, repair, or any significant damage to the structure can cause the loads to redistribute and thus change the dead loads and the load path.

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Cement

Powder Diffraction

The performance characteristics of cement are directly related to its phase composition. For example, ASTM type III cement develops high early strength and is characterized by having a larger mass fraction of alite. In comparison, ASTM type IV cement is known to have a low heat of hydration and is characterized by having a much lower mass fraction of alite.

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Corrosion

Powder Diffraction

Corrosion reduces structural integrity and can ultimately lead to part failure. Furthermore, both scale and corrosion products can result in blockages, necessitating costly downtime and repairs. Powder x-ray diffraction (XRD) is a powerful technique that allows rapid identification of scale and corrosion products. While chemical analysis methods can be used to determine elemental composition, they cannot identify what phases are present in scale and corrosion products.

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Geology

Powder Diffraction

Geologists study the earth in order to understand its processes and to extract valuable resources. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis provides a multitude of information about crystalline phases within rocks, which is essential to understanding their mineralogy, chemistry, and formation conditions. XRD data provides direct information about the identity of crystalline phases, their relative abundances, crystallite size, strain, and site chemistry.

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Pipelines

Residual Stress & Retained Austenite

Residual stress plays an important role in many of the issues found in pipelines, such as stress corrosion cracking (SCC), hydrogen induced cracking (HIC), fatigue cracking, welding stresses, heat treatment effectiveness, surface enhancements due to cold work, ending due to seismic activity, and installation stresses. The significant effect that residual stress has on the performance and life of a component makes it extremely important to characterize these stresses.

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Power Generation

Residual Stress & Retained Austenite

Residual stresses created during the manufacturing process can lead to stress corrosion cracking, distortion, fatigue cracking, premature part failure, and instances of over design. The nondestructive nature of the x-ray diffraction (XRD) technique has made the residual stress characterization of power generation components a useful tool for process optimization, design improvements, and failure analysis.

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Shot Peening

Residual Stress & Retained Austenite

Peening effectiveness is normally characterized via the Almen intensity and the % coverage. It should be noted that many potentially different residual stress gradients can result from what may appear to be the same deflection of the Almen strip and observed % coverage. The % coverage is an optical assessment of the as-peened surface and is generally thought of as a measure of the uniformity of peening on the component surface.

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Welds

Residual Stress & Retained Austenite

Residual stresses created during the welding process can lead to stress corrosion cracking, distortion, fatigue cracking, premature failures in components, and instances of over design. The nondestructive nature of the x-ray diffraction technique has made the residual stress characterization of welds a useful tool for process optimization and failure analysis, particularly since components can be measured before welding, after welding, and after post-welding processes have been applied.

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