δ′ precipitation in Al–9.7at%Li alloy using small-angle X-ray scattering

This study presents a novel method for small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) to reconstruct the particle size distribution using the indirect transform method plus hard-sphere model. Effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated by a simulation case study, in which our results correlate well with simulation results. The method proposed herein, which is an improvement over the conventional one, is then applied to analyze a series of experimental SAXS intensities from δ′ precipitation in Al–9.7at%Li alloy. More accurate parameters involving structural and thermodynamic information are obtained. Moreover, SAXS analysis is performed to investigate the kinetic model of δ′ particle coarsening. Comparing the experimentally obtained asymptotic size distributions of δ′ particles with those predicted by the theoretical models and other experimental results demonstrates that MLSW theory is more appropriate than the others. The experimental results indicate the MLSW model interprets more accurately than the other SAXS studies. Dynamic scaling is used to examine the time-dependent SAXS profiles during this phase separation.