Separation of size and strain effects on diffraction line profiles has been studied in a round robin involving laboratory instruments and synchrotron radiation beamlines operating with different radiation, optics, detectors and experimental configurations. The studied sample, an extensively ball milled iron alloy powder, provides an ideal test case, as domain size broadening and strain broadening are of comparable size. The high energy available at some synchrotron radiation beamlines provides the best conditions for an accurate analysis of the line profiles, as the size-strain separation clearly benefits from a large number of Bragg peaks in the pattern; high counts, reliable intensity values in low-absorption conditions, smooth background and data collection at different temperatures also support the possibility to include diffuse scattering in the analysis, for the most reliable assessment of the line broadening effect. However, results of the round robin show that good quality information on domain size distribution and microstrain can also be obtained using standard laboratory equipment, even when patterns include relatively few Bragg peaks, provided that the data are of good quality in terms of high counts and low and smooth background.

Alfred University Alfred NY 14802 USA

Archaeometry Laboratory Havana's Historian Office University San Geronimo de La Habana Habana Vieja Cuba

Bruker AXS GmbH Oestliche Rheinbrueckenstrasse 49 76187 Karlsruhe Germany

Department of Civil Environmental and Mechanical Engineering University of Trento Trento Italy

Department of Condensed Matter Physics Charles University Prague Czech Republic

Department of Materials Science and Engineering National Chiao Tung University Hsinchu Taiwan

Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste Trieste Italy

ESRF 71 avenue des Martyrs CS 40220 38043 Grenoble Cedex France

Institute of Materials Science TU Bergakademie Freiberg D 09599 Freiberg Germany

Multidisciplinary Laboratory ICTP 1 34151 Trieste Italy

Röntgenlabor Dr Ermrich Am Kandelborn 7 D 64354 Reinheim Germany

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