X-ray diffraction texture analysis of cylindrical samples

The effect of the curvature of the sample surface on X-ray diffraction has been studied. A theoretical model, based on a ray-tracing method, has been developed to take into account the geometric effects which modify the collected intensities. The model enables alignment corrections for the sample and the incident beam, in relation to the goniometer centre. This can be achieved by comparing experimental normalized intensities for a zero tilt angle (ψ = 0°) to the normalized intensities calculated by the model. The texture analysis of a zircaloy-4 tube (with a 9.5 mm diameter and an incident-beam spot size of 1.2 mm diameter) confirms the validity of the results.