Question

You obtain two X-ray diffraction patterns from a metal sample. The first pattern is recorded prior to the metal being work hardened, and the second is taken after the treatment. If you were to compare the before and after patterns, what is likely to be the main difference between them and why do we see this difference?

Answer 1

After work hardening, there may be strain in the lattice. So there will be a shift in the peaks compared with the unstrained metal.

Another difference may be in the intensity of the preferred oriented plane. Every material will have a preferred oriented plane according to its lowest energy configuration. In work hardened metal, there may not be enough time to grow the preferred oriented planes. So the intensity of the preferred oriented plane will be less in a work hardened metal compared with an untreated metal.