Materials Science Forum Vol. 753

Abstract: Grain boundary engineered (GBE) materials have improved properties that are associated with the high fraction special Σ3n boundaries in the microstructure, where n = 1,2,3. Previous experimental studies with high purity nickel before and after thermomechanical processing have shown that the fraction of Σ3 boundaries increased by at least factor of two [1]. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) is used to characterize the evolution of these special boundaries throughout the recrystallization process of a 25% cold rolled sample annealed at 490°C. The fractions of the Σ3 boundaries and coherent twins have been measured over time revealing a steadily increasing behavior over the entire microstructure. However partitioning to only include recrystallized regions reveals a different behavior in the Σ3 boundaries as fractions, which increase rapidly at first and then stagnate over time. Additional triple junction characterization was performed to monitor the evolution of triple junctions containing special boundaries.

Abstract: The response of various structurally different planar grain boundaries in aluminum bicrystals to an applied stress was experimentally investigated. Stress induced boundary migration was observed to be coupled to a tangential translation of the grains for symmetrical and asymmetrical and tilt boundaries with both low and high misorientation angles. The activation enthalpy of high angle boundary migration was found to vary non-monotonously with misorientation angle, whereas for low angle boundaries the migration activation enthalpy was virtually the same. The Σ7 CSL boundaries in bicrystals of different geometry were observed to move under an applied stress, but their migration did not produce shear. These crystallographically equivalent boundaries, however, were found to behave different with respect to migration rate and its temperature dependence. The stress driven migration of the mixed tilt-twist boundary was observed to be accompanied by both the translation of adjacent grains parallel to the boundary plane and their rotation around the boundary plane normal. This behavior was interpreted in terms of the structure of the investigated tilt-twist boundary.

Abstract: The motion of grain boundaries in zinc bicrystals (99.995%) driven by the “magnetic” driving force was investigated. Planar symmetrical and asymmetrical tilt grain boundaries with rotation angles in the range between 60° and 90° were examined. At a given temperature the boundary migration rate was found to increase linearly with an applied driving force. The absolute grain boundary mobility was determined. The boundary mobility and its temperature dependence were found to depend on the misorientation angle and the inclination of the boundary plane. An application of a magnetic field during the annealing of cold rolled (90%) Zn-1.1%Al sheet specimens resulted in an asymmetry of the two major texture components. This is interpreted in terms of magnetically affected grain growth kinetics.

Abstract: Understanding of the mechanisms of annealing twin formation is fundamental for grain boundary engineering. In this work, the formation of annealing twins in a 304L austenitic stainless steel is examined in relation to the thermo-mechanical history. The behaviour of annealing twins of various morphologies is analysed using an in-situ annealing device and EBSD. The results confirm that there is a synergistic effect of prior strain level on annealing twin density generated during recrystallization. The higher the prior strain level, the higher the velocity of grain boundary migration and the higher the annealing twin density in the recrystallized grains. This effect decreases as the recrystallization fraction increases. The existing mathematical models (Pande's model and Gleiter's model), which were established to predict annealing twin density in the grain growth regime, can not predict this phenomenon.

Abstract: The migration of a recrystallization boundary in pure aluminum was followed during in situ annealing in a scanning electron microscope. The microstructure was characterized using the electron channeling contrast technique and a typical stop-go grain boundary motion was observed during annealing. The thermal grooving associated with boundary migration on the inspected free surface was characterized after the in-situ experiment using atomic force microscopy. The results show that new thermal grooves develop at places where the recrystallization boundary segments remain stationary for a relatively long time. The kinetics of thermal grooving are determined and effects hereof on the boundary migration are discussed.

Abstract: A grain whose orientation and size were specified was embedded in a matrix grain structure. The matrix contained texture components in certain special orientations and those in general orientations, and the embedded grain had a certain special three-orientations-relation with grains in the former components. The dependence of growing behavior of an embedded grain on its number of faces of a grain has been examined by a modified Potts MC type 3D simulation and found to depend on the triple line dragging, suggesting that three-orientations-relation dependent triple line dragging can change the crystallographic texture through grain coarsening.

Abstract: The structure of disconnections in symmetrical low- and high-angle [0001] tilt boundaries in an hcp metal are studied using atomic-scale simulation. Applied engineering strains cause such defects to move conservatively along the boundaries, producing coupled shear and migration. The Peierls stresses causing such motion are found to decrease precipitously through the transition from low- to high-angle boundaries. The reason underlying this behaviour is discussed.

Abstract: Solute drag theory is critically revisited and an alternative approach is presented to account for the effect of solute elements on grain boundary migration during annealing. A fundamental new concept is introduced in the model that, in the linear range of irreversible thermodynamics, solute atoms segregated in a grain boundary will not lag behind when the boundary migrates. While lagging behind is the very essential assumption for the solute drag theory. Instead of blaming the lagging behind, the mobility drop due to solute addition is attributed to the decrease in boundary energy as a result of boundary segregation. According to this model, grain boundary mobility is dependent on solute concentration rather than migration rate. The predictions of the model are compared with experimental results, with a good agreement.

Abstract: In their pioneer work Johnson-Mehl, Avrami and Kolmogorov (JMAK) developed well-known analytical expressions to describe the transformation kinetics of nucleation and growth transformations. Their work and its subsequent development has been extensively applied by Vandermeer and coworkers to recrystallisation studies. With the help of methods from Stochastic Geometry it has been possible to generalise JMAK's equations to situations well beyond their original assumptions. Although the motivation for this paper was recrystallisation the expressions derived here may be applied to nucleation and growth reactions in general.

Abstract: A dedicated diffusion controlled precipitation model for AlMnFeSi-alloys, based on classical nucleation and growth theory, has been implemented and coupled to a phenomenological softening model accounting for the combined effect of recovery and recrystallization during annealing after cold rolling. The result is a fully coupled precipitation and softening model which in principle is capable of accounting for variations in solute levels and size and volume fraction of dispersoids and their interaction with the softening behavior during annealing.