A comparative study on misorientations to determine the extent of recrystallization in pure ETP copper

Abstract

In electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), kernel average misorientation (KAM), grain average misorientation (GAM), and grain orientation spread (GOS) are considered as the reflection of the extent of recrystallization. This work presents a comparative study of KAM, GAM, and GOS to bring out the best-suited parameter to determine the extent of recrystallization in pure copper. The pure ETP (electrolytic tough pitch) copper samples were characterized through EBSD at three different states: (i) deformed (ii) partially recrystallized and (iii) fully recrystallized. The result shows that the GOS found to be dominating over KAM and GAM in distinguishing the strain-free and deformed grains for pure ETP copper. The cut-off point for delineating the deformed and the strain-free grains has also been determined and applied to low percentage deformation study where higher mechanical strength and electrical conductivity is achieved than the as-received sample.