Keywords

crystallographic texture, grain-boundary area, grain-boundary plane orientation, lattice misorientation, microstructure

Abstract

One of the authors (RJL) is grateful to the Office of Naval Research for fellowship support. BLA acknowledges the support of the NSF through the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, Carnegie Mellon University (Grant No. DMR-0079996). A new experimental method is given for recovering the probability-distribution function Sv(ns/g). The function Sv(na/g) is the grain-boundary area per unit volume as a function of grain-boundary plane orientation (na), given a lattice misorientation (g) between the adjoining grains. The grain-boundary normal (na) is expressed in the crystal frame in which the misorientation g originates. The proposed method recovers the three-dimensional Sv(na/g) function using data taken from two-dimensional section planes. The method requires the measurement of many grain-boundary trace (in-plane) angles and lengths associated with grain boundaries of lattice misorientation. All such boundary traces may be observed from a single section plane if the crystallographic texture is sufficiently random. In heavily textured microstructures, the method requires the researcher to observe traces from multiple oblique section planes cut through the material. A method of quantitatively estimating whether the texture is sufficiently random is given. Simluations on both textured and nontextured microstructures demonstrate the validity of the method. Experimentally, the new method is used to analyze boundaries of misorientation (E3) observed in 304 stainless steel. Calculated grain-boundary plane-probability functions are shown to be consistent with what is already known.

Original Publication Citation

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions Jul 24 35A, 7 Research Library pg. 1991