Abstract
An SEM heating stage which enables microstructural and crystallographic information to be determined as a deformed specimen is annealed, is described and the application of the technique to recovery, recrystallization and grain growth in aluminium alloys is discussed. It is shown that the development of the recrystallized microstructure and the growth of grains during recrystallization are similar to those occurring in the interior of a specimen. However, the presence of a free surface influences several aspects of annealing, including recovery and grain growth. It is found that annealing twins are formed more frequently at a free surface than in the specimen interior, and the significance of this result is discussed.