Colorad System for Mapping Elemental Composition Determined by X-Ray Analysis

摘要

Colorad is a color-imaging system that maps concentrations and phase distributions of elements in a designated region of a material by analysis of x-ray signals generated in the material by a scanning electron beam. Color variations show the amounts of different elements present and the composition of the phases. The instrument measures the intensity of each element's characteristic x-ray signal, then assigns a lightness to represent the concentration of a selected element, and a color (characterized by hue, value, and chroma) for a given combination of elements. The color display is unambiguously associated with concentration levels, permitting elemental analysis of concentrations as low as 0.5%. Because the brightness of the image is independent of signal strength, the instrument is particularly valuable for determining the composition of phases present. A typical use of Colorad is in analyzing the material in the vicinity of a braze joint to determine the quality of the braze. (ERA citation 12:034441)