Studies of light alloys by positron annihilation techniques

The potential of positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) in the study of light alloys is illustrated with special regards to age-hardening, severe plastic deformation, fatigue and fracture in aluminium- and magnesium-based alloys. First, the physical grounds of PAS sensitivity to open-volume defects are explained. Then the main conventional variants of PAS, lifetime spectroscopy and Doppler-broadening spectroscopy, are introduced. State-of-the-art equipment, based on intense positron sources and energy-controlled beams, is also described, in view of applications where microscopic spatial resolution and sub-nanosecond time resolution are combined. Various examples of PAS studies in the field of light alloys, mainly based on the latest experience of the authors, are presented. It is shown how PAS detects structural changes in age-hardenable alloys, helps to describe the solute aggregation kinetics and gives information on vacancy-solute interactions. PAS characterisation of internal surfaces (misfit interfaces and grain boundaries) in terms of local structure (degree of disorder, chemistry) is also discussed. Lastly, recent advances in the study of fatigue by positron microscopy are reported. (C) 2004 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.