New methods for diffraction stress measurement: a critical evaluation of new and existing methods

New methods of diffraction stress analysis of polycrystalline materials, consisting of cubic elastically anisotropic crystallites, are proposed and compared with existing methods. Whereas for the existing methods knowledge of the diffraction elastic constants is presupposed, three new methods are presented that require only knowledge of the (macroscopic) mechanical elastic constants. The stress values obtained with these new methods on the basis of the mechanical elastic constants are more reliable than those obtained with the methods on the basis of the diffraction elastic constants. New and existing methods are illustrated by means of measurements of X-ray diffraction from a magnetron-sputtered TiN layer.