Under externally applied stresses, polycrystalline materials could deform as a result of matter diffusing from grain boundaries in compression, to those in relative tension. The behavior of a general structure was modelled here for several boundary conditions, and it was shown how the stress function along each grain boundary could be obtained by solving a system of linear equations. It was further shown how a knowledge of the stresses permitted the prediction of the position of the grain boundary after a small time-step. The simulations indicated that the grain-size distribution was of importance with regard to the onset of buckling. It was also possible to track the movement of individual grains during deformation and the results showed that, in an irregular grain structure, diffusion creep could cause significant grain rotation.

Computer Simulation of Grain-Boundary Diffusion Creep. J.M.Ford, J.Wheeler, A.B.Movchan: Acta Materialia, 2002, 50[15], 3941-55