A material deposition process including in situ sensor analysis of a component in a formation state is provided. The material deposition process is implemented in part by a sensor device of an additive manufacturing machine producing the component. The material deposition process includes sensing, by the sensing device, in situ physical properties of an area of interest of the component during a three-dimensional object production. Compliance to specifications or defects are then detected in the in situ physical properties with respect to pre-specified material requirements. The defects are analyzed to determine corrective actions, and an updated three-dimensional object production, which includes the corrective actions, is implemented to complete the component.

A high resolution grazing incidence X-ray diffraction technique for measuring residual stresses and their gradients as a function of depth in thin film materials on substrates or in bulk materials is disclosed. The technique includes positioning a material relative to an X-ray source and an X-ray detector, performing an Omega scan to determine an Omega offset, setting the incidence angle at a first target incidence angle based on the Omega offset and greater than the critical angle of the material, performing a grazing incidence X-ray diffraction scan, analyzing the results to identify diffraction peaks, selecting a diffraction peak, setting the incidence angle at a second target incidence angle based on the Omega offset and a desired penetration depth, performing two theta scanning on a range of two theta values around the selected diffraction peak, performing refraction correction, and determining residual stress values for the material.

A high resolution grazing incidence X-ray diffraction technique for measuring residual stresses and their gradients as a function of depth in thin film materials on substrates or in bulk materials is disclosed. The technique includes positioning a material relative to an X-ray source and an X-ray detector, performing an Omega scan to determine an Omega offset, setting the incidence angle at a first target incidence angle based on the Omega offset and greater than the critical angle of the material, performing a grazing incidence X-ray diffraction scan, analyzing the results to identify diffraction peaks, selecting a diffraction peak, setting the incidence angle at a second target incidence angle based on the Omega offset and a desired penetration depth, performing two theta scanning on a range of two theta values around the selected diffraction peak, performing refraction correction, and determining residual stress values for the material.

A grip portion configured to support a test piece is disposed at a central part of a base, and a plurality of pillars are erected on the base. The disposition and number of the pillars are adjusted so that an X-ray emitted from an X-ray source and transmitting through the test piece transmits through zero or one pillar in an optional image capturing direction. It is possible to avoid a situation in which the attenuation rate of the X-ray largely differs due to difference in an image capturing direction to the test piece. Thus, it is possible to prevent a strong artifact from overlapping a CT image of the test piece in an X-ray CT image. Moreover, a material testing machine is supported by the plurality of pillars to have an accessible state around the test piece. This configuration facilitates handling of the material testing machine.

A method that measures stress of a test subject including a metal includes: detecting, using a two-dimensional detector, a diffraction ring of diffracted X-rays which is formed by causing X-rays from an irradiation unit to be incident on the test subject and to be diffracted by the test subject; and calculating the stress of the test subject based on detection results during the detection step. Therein, the detection step involves causing X-rays from the irradiation unit to be incident on each of a plurality of sites on the test subject with the irradiation unit angled relative to the test subject in a manner such that the angle of incidence on the test subject is within the range of 5-20, inclusive, and detecting, using a two-dimensional detector, the diffraction ring formed by the diffraction of the X-rays by the test subject.

Using an X-ray diffractometer, a processing device, and memory, a database models estimates of a number of cycles to failure for each of a plurality of materials. The model estimates are performed on the material at a plurality of applied fatigues up to a failure point and are based on parameters including residual stress, the micro-strain, and the ratio between X-Ray peak intensity and background intensity of the component material. To inspect a component, the material of the component is selected in the database, and measurements are obtained at two or more different depths of at least a portion of the component. Information about current residual stress, micro-strain, and ratio between X-Ray peak intensity and background intensity are determined from the obtained measurements. Then, a fatigue life of the portion of the component is estimated by matching the information to at least one of the modelled estimates of the number of cycles to failure in the database for the selected material.

A method for improving the quality/integrity of an EBSD/TKD map, wherein each data point is assigned to a corresponding grid point of a sample grid and represents crystal information based on a Kikuchi pattern detected for the grid point; comprising determining a defective data point of the EBSD/TKD map and a plurality of non-defective neighboring data points, comparing the position of Kikuchi bands of a Kikuchi pattern detected for a grid point corresponding to the defective data point with the positions of bands in at least one simulated Kikuchi pattern corresponding to crystal information of the neighboring data points and assigning the defective data point the crystal information of one of the plurality of neighboring data point based on the comparison.

A method and apparatus for X-ray diffraction analysis of amorphous and/or semi-crystalline materials is able to provide the internal strain map of at least the exposed region of the material, even in the amorphous regions of the material. This is achieved in part by providing several unique and novel analysis methods that are able to extract material properties of semi-crystalline and amorphous materials based on the amorphous diffraction signal. The ability to analyse the amorphous diffraction signal is further facilitated by the use of one or more state-of-the-art energy dispersive detectors, which the inventors have found especially suitable for this purpose. This further allows the use of a polychromatic X-ray source as opposed to the monochromatic X-ray sources typically encountered in X-ray diffraction experiments.

Provided is a method of manufacturing a spring for inspecting the stress distribution of the spring under load. The method for manufacturing a spring (1) includes the steps of applying a load to the spring (1), measuring the stress of the spring (1) under the load, and releasing the load applied to the spring (1), the measuring the stress of the spring (1) being made by measuring the stress on the surface of the active part of the spring (1) using X-ray diffraction with the cos ? method, and the method further including the step of determining whether the magnitude of the stress of the spring (1) meets a criterion.

A method is provided for performing an X-ray diffraction stress analysis of a sample such as a thin film, a coating, or a polymer. The sample has a surface with two perpendicular axes S.sub.1, S.sub.2 within a plane of the surface, and a third axis S.sub.3 perpendicular to the sample surface plane. An X-ray beam is directed at the sample surface at a relatively low angle with regard to the surface plane. X-ray energy is diffracted from the sample and detected with a two-dimensional X-ray detector at a plurality of rotational orientations of the sample about S.sub.3. The third axis S.sub.3 is maintained at a constant tilt angle during the entire X-ray diffraction stress analysis, thereby avoiding the significant error associated to the movement of a cradle track of a goniometer used for the X-ray diffraction stress analysis and on which measurements at a low 2 angle are highly sensitive.