The present study considers the structural effects of explosive-shock treatments on MgO and a-AI2O3 powders. An X-ray line broadening analysis based on the Warren-Averbach method shows a reduction in the X-ray particle size and an increase in the microstrain as a result of the explosive treatments. The magnitude of the effect is similar to that observed in cold-worked metals with regard to dislocation density and elastic strain energy. The total stored energy resulting from the explosive-shock treatments is estimated to be about the same as the total surface energy of the powders.Averbach permits the evaluation, from the profiles of X-ray diffraction peaks, of both the size of coherently diffracting domains (X-ray particle size) and the root-meansquare microstrain (as a function of diffracting column length).Because X-ray diffraction responds to internal defects as well as to free surfaces, the size of coherently diffracting domains may be smaller than the actual mean particle size of the powder. The rms microstrain is most readily identified with the long-range strain field of dislocations. This allows calculation of dislocation density and strain energy from such m e a~u r e r n e n t s .~'~ In addition, the relation between domain
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