Materials Science Forum Vols. 467-470

Abstract: A novel X-ray diffraction method, allowing the position resolved imaging of a polycrystalline specimen using the diffracted radiation, was applied for in situ investigation of recrystallization of cold-rolled copper. A large area of the specimen could be observed simultaneously, yielding information about nucleation and growth of many individual crystallites. The recrystallization process showed a stochastic behavior which can be described by the model of self-organized criticality.

Abstract: The latest research on dynamics of grain boundaries in non-magnetic materials in high magnetic fields is reviewed. A control of grain boundary migration means control of microstructure evolution, which is a key for the design of materials with desire properties. Grain boundary motion can be affected by a magnetic field, if the anisotropy of the magnetic susceptibility generates a gradient of the magnetic free energy. In contrast to curvature driven boundary motion, a magnetic driving force also acts on planar boundaries so that the motion of crystallographically well-defined boundaries can be investigated, and the true grain boundary mobility can be determined. The results of migration measurements obtained on bismuth and zinc bicrystals are addressed. Selective growth of new grains in locally deformed zinc single crystals driven by a magnetic force is reported as well. Implications for materials processing, in particular the effect of magnetic fields on texture development in hcp metals are finally discussed.

Abstract: Much new knowledge has been gained on the properties of grain boundaries that are relevant to processes of microstructural evolution such as grain growth and recrystallization. For mobility, a combination of experiments and numerical simulation has reinforced many of the classical concepts of special crystallographic types with either exceptionally high or exceptionally low mobilities. At another level, the anisotropy of energy of (especially) mobility has long been assumed to play an important role in both grain growth and recrystallization. The process of “micro-growth selection” is assumed to favor, in fcc metals, the development of cube-oriented nuclei in the early stages of recrystallization. We describe simulations in which initial microstructures with varying degrees of verisimilitude to as-deformed microstructures are used, as well as various assumptions about the grain boundary energy and mobility. From these one it is apparent that the anisotropy does indeed effectively promote the cube component development.

Abstract: Anisotropy in grain boundary “thermo-kinetics” is central to our understanding of microstructural evolution during grain growth and recrystallization. This paper focusses on role of atomic-scale computer simulation techniques, in particular molecular dynamics (MD), in extracting fundamental grain boundary properties and elucidating the atomic-scale mechanisms that determine these properties. A brief overview of recent strides made in extraction of grain boundary mobility and energy is presented, with emphasis on plastic strain induced boundary motion (p-SIBM) during recrystallization and curvature driven boundary motion (CDBM) during grain growth. Simulations aimed at misorientation dependence of the grain boundary properties during p-SIBM and CDBM show that boundary mobility and energy exhibit extrema at high symmetry misorientations and boundary mobility is comparatively more anisotropic during CDBM. This suggests that boundary mobility is dependent on the driving force. Qualitative observations of the atomic-scale mechanisms in play during boundary motion corroborate the simulation data. p-SIBM is dominated by motion of dislocation-interaction induced stepped structure of the grain boundaries, while correlated shuffling of group of atoms preceded by rearrangement of grain boundary free volume due to single atomic-hops across the grain boundary is frequently observed during CDBM. Comparison of the simulation results with high-purity experimental data extracted in Al indicates that while there is excellent agreement in misorientation dependent anisotropic properties, there are significant differences in values of boundary mobility and migration activation enthalpy. This strongly suggests that minute concentration of impurities retard grain boundary kinetics via impurity drag. Finally, the paper briefly discusses current and future challenges facing the computer simulation community in studying grain boundary systems in real materials where extrinsic effects (vacancy, impurity, segregation and particle effects) significantly alter the microscopic structure-mechanism relations and play a decisive role in determining the boundary properties.

Abstract: The grain boundary character distribution in an Fe-1%Si steel has been measured as a function of lattice misorientation and boundary plane orientation. There is a weak texture in the space of grain boundary planes that favors the {110} orientation. At specific misorientations, the anisotropy is larger. For example, when the lattice misorientation is 60° around [111], symmetric tilt boundaries comprised of two {110} planes on either side of the interface dominate the population. The results are consistent with observations suggesting that in a range of crystalline materials, the low energy, low index surface planes are found to dominate the distribution of internal interfaces.

Abstract: Through simulations with the moving finite element program GRAIN3D, we have studied the effect of anisotropic grain boundary energy on the distribution of boundary types in a polycrystal during normal grain growth. An energy function similar to that hypothesized for magnesia was used, and the simulated grain boundary distributions were found to agree well with measured distributions. The simulated results suggest that initially random microstructures develop nearly steady state grain boundary distributions that have local maxima and minima corresponding to local minima and maxima, respectively, of the energy function.

Abstract: Island grains have been studied in iron samples that had been treated by critical-strainannealing and in commercial silicon iron alloy sheets after incomplete secondary recrystallisation. Such islands remain behind because their boundaries have such a low mobility that the grains cannot shrink away in the time available during annealing. Misorientations of these islands in relation to the grains surrounding them were measured using EBSD. Similar results were observed in both materials. A small number of low angle boundaries were found and also many twin boundaries. The most remarkable observation, however, was the presence of many general high angle boundaries that did not correspond to any evident coincidence relation.

Abstract: Although it has been generally believed that the advantage of the grain boundary mobility induces abnormal grain growth (AGG), it is suggested that the advantage of the low grain boundary energy, which favors the growth by solid-state wetting, induces AGG. Analyses based on Monte Carlo (MC) simulation show that the approach by solid-state wetting could explain AGG much better than that by grain boundary mobility. AGG by solid-state wetting is supported not only by MC simulations but also by the experimental observation of microstructure evolution near or at the growth front of abnormally growing grain. The microstructure shows island grains and solid-state wetting along grain boundary and triple junction.

Abstract: The motion of <111> tilt and mixed tilt-twist grain boundaries with misorientation angles in the range between 34° and 42° in pure Al bicrystals was measured over the temperature range between 310 and 610°C. The experiments revealed that the change of the set of boundary planes in the curved moving tilt boundary does not affect its motion. The shape of the curved moving part of the mixed tilt-twist boundary was measured and compared with analytically calculated boundary shape. The results have shown that an increase of the twist component along the curved mixed boundary in studied geometrical configuration does not affect its steady-state motion. Similar to the behaviour of <111> pure tilt boundaries, the mobility of <111> mixed tilt-twist grain boundaries in the vicinity of special misorientation å7 depends on the misorientation angle in a non-monotonic fashion.

Abstract: The motion of a curved grain boundary with a “surface triple junction” (“free surface – boundary - free surface”) in aluminum bicrystals is studied. The effect of the “surface triple junction” on grain boundary motion is discussed in the terms of the equilibrium of boundary and junction velocity. Boundary motion in samples with different boundary curvature revealed a strict proportionality of boundary velocity and driving force. This result corroborates the fact that in the entire investigated temperature range the “surface” triple junction does not affect the boundary motion.