Multi-scale characterization of inhomogeneous morphologically textured microstructures

A computationally efficient microstructure characterization technique is presented that separately identifies morphological texture and any orientation dependence of second-phase clustering via a concise visual representation. This technique, the Vector Multi-Scale Analysis of Area Fractions (VMSAAF), is then applied to computer-generated microstructures to understand the effects of second-phase area fraction, aspect ratio, alignment propensity, variant orientation, and degree of microstructure banding on the homogenous length scale-a metric used to quantify clustering-as well as the extent of representative volume elements for a microstructure.