Sin2ψ-based residual stress gradient analysis by energy-dispersive synchrotron diffraction constrained by small gauge volumes. I. Theoretical concept
The influence of the gauge volume size and shape on the analysis of steep near-surface residual stress gradients by means of energy-dispersive synchrotron diffraction is studied theoretically. Cases are considered where the irradiated sample volume is confined by narrow-slit systems, in both the primary and the diffracted beam, to dimensions comparable to the `natural' 1/einformation depth τ1/eof the X-rays. It is shown that the ratio between τ1/e, defined by the material's absorption, and the immersion depthhGVof the gauge volume into the sample is the crucial parameter that shapes thedψhklor ∊ψhklversussin2ψ distributions obtained in the Ψ mode of X-ray stress analysis. Since the actual information depth 〈z〉GVto which the measured X-ray signal has to be assigned is a superposition of geometrical and exponential weighting functions, ambiguities in the conventional plot of the Laplace stressesversus〈z〉GVmay occur for measurements performed using narrow-slit configurations. To avoid conflicts in data analysis in these cases, a modified formalism is proposed for the evaluation of the real space residual stress profiles σ||(z), which is based on a two-dimensional least-squares fit procedure.