Descriptive tools for the analysis of texture projects with large datasets using<tt>MTEX</tt>: strength, symmetry and components

Abstract This paper presents the background for the calculation of various numbers that can be used to characterize crystal-preferred orientation (CPO), also known as texture in materials science, for large datasets using the combined scripting possibilities of MTEX and MatLab®. The paper is focused on three aspects in particular: the strength of CPO represented by orientation and misorientation distribution functions (ODFs, MDFs) or pole figures (PFs); symmetry of PFs and components of ODFs; and elastic tensors. The traditional measurements of texture strength of ODFs, MDFs and PFs are integral measurements of the distribution squared. The M-index is a partial measure of the MDF as the difference between uniform and measured misorientation angles. In addition there other parameters based on eigen analysis, but there are restrictions on their use. Eigen analysis does provide some shape factors for the distributions. The maxima of an ODF provides information on the modes. MTEX provides an estimate of the lower bound uniform fraction of an ODF. Finally, we illustrate the decomposition of arbitrary elastic tensor into symmetry components as an example of components in anisotropic physical properties. Ten examples scripts and their output are provided in the appendix.