Limitations on the strain tensor determination by neutron diffraction using a position-sensitive detector

Abstract

Diffraction techniques such as neutron diffraction allow strain components to be measured in arbitrarily chosen directions in structural components, and hence complete strain tensors can in principle be calculated from any six measured normal strain components. However, in a newly developed technique, whereby a position-sensitive detector is used for simultaneous measurements of chosen strain components at several points along a line through the specimen, there appear to be some limitations on the choice of strain components for strain tensor determination. This note verifies the nature of these limitations.