Mapping grains and their dynamics in three dimensions

The three-dimensional X-ray diffraction (3DXRD) microscope has become a mature tool to investigate the microstructure in the bulk of polycrystalline materials. The present paper describes the 3DXRD method together with two applications. The first application presented is a study of grain rotations during plastic tensile deformation of polycrystalline aluminium. The second is the acquisition of a video revealing the 3D growth of an embedded nuclei during recrystallization of a deformed aluminium sample.