X-ray Powder Diffraction Simulation with a Microcomputer
Bernard L. Masson
Ecole d'ingènierie, Dèpartement de gènie mècanique, Universitè du Quèbec á Trois-Riviéres,
CP 500, Trois-Riviéres, PQ, G9A 5H7, Canada
X-ray powder diffraction is a very important technique in chemistry and metallurgy. Metallurgists use it to identify the phases found in an alloy. It is indeed the only method allowing this identification, because it is the phase structure and not its chemical composition that diffracts. However, an experimental method demands expensive equipment not always available owing to lack of laboratory funds. Besides, it is necessary for the student to acquire notions of crystallography in order to understand the theory of the method. An alternative is the microcomputer X-ray powder diffraction simulation described here.
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