A furnace for high-temperature X-ray diffraction topography

A furnace available up to about 600°C was constructed for the purpose of taking both section and traverse topographs. The specimen orientation can be adjusted at high temperatures so that topographs can be taken for a series of net planes belonging to a zone axis without changing the temperature conditions. The spatial gradient of temperature in the specimen was less than 0.2°C/mm and the variation of temperature during an exposure of about 10 h was ±1°C. No trouble occurred in a continuous operation above 400°C for one month. A few topographs obtained above and below the α–β transition temperature (573°C) of quartz are shown.