The Design of a Pulsed Source Instrument: Summary of Discussion Session

Abstract

The discussion group considered a number of design features which were considered important for a pulsed source diffraction instrument optimised for engineering applications. The discussion time available proved insufficient to develop a full specification, though a number of important points were raised and are detailed below. The relative merits of pulsed and steady state sources were also discussed though it is clear that the ability of a pulsed source to measure a large number of Bragg reflections simultaneously must be exploited in order to be competitive in terms of count-rate. Pulsed sources have advantages for the study of the mean stress over a large volume in multicomponent systems, such as composites. The choice between pulsed and steady state sources depends critically upon the particular problem under investigation and there is clearly a degree of complementarity between the two types of source.