A comprehensive analysis of size and strain broadened profile shapes in X-ray diffraction line broadening analysis is presented. Both size and strain broadened profiles were assumed to be Voigtian and the derived microstructural parameters (size and strain) were found to be in close agreement with those calculated from model independent Warren–Averbach method. The method is applied to three different alumina samples viz. micron size 𝛼-alumina (𝛼-Al₂O₃) prepared by the combustion of aluminium nitrate and urea mixture, annealed samples and commercial 𝛼-Al₂O₃ sample. It is likely from the present analysis that a significant Gaussian size contribution is related to narrow size distribution observed from the analysis. It has been concluded that present Voigtian analysis is more reliable and may largely replace the earlier simplified integral breadth methods of analysis often used in line broadening analysis.

Present study considers microstructural characterization of vanadium-based palladium (V–Pd) alloys, which are widely used in marine environment due to their high corrosion resistance. The X-ray diffraction line profile analysis (XRDLPA) have been used to assess the microstructure in body centred cubic (bcc) V–Pd alloys having four different nominal compositions in wt.%. X-ray diffraction line broadening analysis on V–Pd alloys has been performed by using different methods like the Warren–Averbach, double-Voigt and Rietveld methods. Finally microstructural defect parameters such as domain size (𝐷), r.m.s. microstrain 〈 𝜀² 〉^1/2, twin fault (𝛽'), spacing fault (𝛼𝜀) and deformation stacking fault (𝛼) were evaluated in these alloys by Fourier line shape analysis using Rietveld method in which the X-ray diffraction profiles of these alloys were described by the pseudo-Voigt function to fit the experimental data. From analysis it has been observed that twin fault, 𝛽', and the spacing fault, 𝛼𝜀, are totally absent in these bcc alloy systems because the twin fault, 𝛽', has been observed to be either negative or very small (within experimental error limit) for these alloy systems and the spacing fault, 𝛼𝜀, appears to be negative. This analysis also revealed that the deformation stacking fault, 𝛼, is significantly present in this alloy system and increases with Pd content.