Employing Constrained Non-Negative Matrix Factorization for Microstructure Segmentation

Materials characterization using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) requires indexing the orientation of the measured region from Kikuchi patterns. The quality of Kikuchi patterns can degrade due to pattern overlaps arising from two or more orientations, in the presence of defects or grain boundaries. In this work, we employ constrained nonnegative matrix factorization to segment a microstructure with small grain misorientations, (<1∘), and predict the amount of pattern overlap. First, we implement the method on mixed simulated patterns—that replicates a pattern overlap scenario, and demonstrate the resolution limit of pattern mixing or factorization resolution using a weight metric. Subsequently, we segment a single-crystal dendritic microstructure and compare the results with high-resolution EBSD. By utilizing weight metrics across a low-angle grain boundary, we demonstrate how very small misorientations/low-angle grain boundaries can be resolved at a pixel level. Our approach constitutes a versatile and robust tool, complementing other fast indexing methods for microstructure characterization.