Topological transformations of grains during 3-dimensional normal grain growth were analyzed by using Brakke’s surface evolver method, which simulated boundary motion by curvature. The statistics of elemental processes which changed the number of faces of a grain were determined. It was found that the distribution function of the number of faces in a steady-state structure could be predicted from the difference between the currents of grains which arrived at, and left, a given face state. For the disappearance of a single grain, face-creation switching occurred 3.7 times and face-elimination switching occurred 13.2 times, on average.

Topological Transformation of Grains in Three-Dimensional Normal Grain Growth. F.Wakai, Y.Shinoda, S.Ishihara, A.Domínguez-Rodríguez: Journal of Materials Research, 2001, 16[7], 2136-42