ABSTRACT
The development of neutron diffraction as a technique for stress analysis has run roughly concurrently with the development of many new metal-and ceramic-based composite materials for engineering applications. Inorganic composites have, as a result, been studied extensively using the technique, both for the acquisition of understanding of the fundamental properties of these materials, and also for the study of specific problems relating to their use in engineering components. As composites begin to be used in targetted engineering applications, greater emphasis is beginning to be placed on the study of residual stress in real components. The development of synchrotron X-ray techniques, as both a strain measurement method and for tomographic scanning, offers exciting possibilities for future studies of composite materials [1, 2].
