Analysis of recrystallized volume fractions in uranium using electron backscatter diffraction

Electron backscatter diffraction was used to examine the recrystallization behaviour of warm, clock-rolled uranium. A new uranium preparation method was developed, resulting in acceptable specimen surface finishes nearly every time, even for as-rolled specimens. Recrystallized fractions were differentiated from unrecrystallized fractions using differences in the grain average misorientation, a measure of the internal level of misorientation within a grain. This new approach better estimates the recrystallized fraction than hardness measurements, and has the advantage over standard metallographic techniques of providing texture information.