The topography of grain boundary thermal grooves in Ni-rich material was studied by means of atomic force microscopy. It was demonstrated that, in many cases, the shape of the grooves was markedly different from the classical shape predicted by Mullins. The presence of singular facets, which exhibited no measurable curvature in the region of a grain boundary groove, strongly changed the overall morphology of the groove. A quantitative theory for grain boundary grooving was developed which took account of surface anisotropy. Energetic selection criteria were suggested for the various groove morphologies. The calculated and experimentally observed groove morphologies were in good qualitative agreement.

Effects of Surface Anisotropy on Grain Boundary Grooving. L.Klinger, E.Rabkin: Interface Science, 2001, 9[1-2], 55-63