Diffraction stress analysis of macroscopically elastically anisotropic specimens: On the concepts of diffraction elastic constants and stress factors

A unifying, rigorous treatment has been given for the diffraction stress analysis of both macroscopically elastically isotropic specimens and macroscopically elastically anisotropic specimens. The applicability ranges of so-called diffraction elastic constants and diffraction stress factors have been discussed. It has been shown that the diffraction stress factors, originally introduced for the diffraction stress analysis of textured specimens, can be generally used in the diffraction stress analysis of macroscopically elastically anisotropic specimens exhibiting direction-dependent grain interaction, independently of the presence of texture. The grain-interaction tensor has been introduced and investigated for various grain interaction models. The notion surface anisotropy of bulk specimens has been revisited as a special case of direction-dependent grain interaction.