Abstract
The present route to grain boundary engineering (GBE) is usually based on multiple annealing twinning which can only be applied to a certain subset of materials, namely those that twin prolifically. A more general approach has been highlighted recently, following experimental evidence that certain boundary planes in iron bicrystals are ‘special’, and that this classification is not based on misorientation. It was suggested that, under suitable conditions, individual interfaces could reorient the most energetically advantageous orientations. This approach concurs with a similar concept of ‘grain boundary plane engineering’, proposed previously. In the present article we explore this concept and report the effect of long duration, low temperature annealing on the distribution of boundary misorientation and planes in copper. The new findings give support to the possibility of grain boundary structure optimisation via controlled annealing. To have established that grain boundary plane reorientation is feasible opens up new avenues and challenges in the field of grain boundary research. This could have significant impact both scientifically in terms of understanding grain boundary structure and technologically in the field of GBE.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Randle V (2004) Acta Mater 52:4067
Kumar M, Schuh CA (eds) (2006) Viewpoint set no. 40, Scripta Mater. Grain boundary engineering, vol 54, p 961
Lin P, Palumbo G, Erb U, Aust KT (1995) Scripta Met Mater 33:1387
Janssens KGF, Olmsted D, Holm EA, Foiles SM, Plimpton SJ, Derlet PM (2006) Nat Mater 5:124
Wolf D (1990) Acta Metall Mater 38:791
Merkle KL, Wolf D (1992) Philos Mag 65A:513
Randle V, Davies P, Hulm B (1999) Philos Mag 79A:305
Lejcek P, Hofmann S, Paidar V (2003) Acta Mater 51:3951
Saylor DM, Adams BL, El-Dasher BS, Rohrer GS (2003) Metall Mater Trans 34A:1
Saylor DM, Morawiec A, Rohrer GS (2003) Acta Mater 51:3663
Saylor DM, El-Dasher BS, Rollett AD, Rohrer GS (2004) Acta Mater 52:3649
Randle V, Rohrer GS, Kim C, Hu Y (2006) Acta Mater 54:4480
Brandon DG (1966) Acta Metall 14:1479
Fullman RL (1951) J Appl Phys 22:456
Sargent CM (1968) Trans Metall Soc AIME 242
Randle V, Davies H (2002) Ultramicroscopy 90:153
Wolf U, Ernst F, Muschik T, Finnis MW, Fischmeister HF (1992) Philos Mag A 66:991
Gindraux G, Form W (1973) J Inst Metal 101:85
Reed BW, Kumar M (2006) Scripta Mater 54:1029
Garg A, Clark WAT, Hirth JP (1989) Philos Mag 59:479
Randle V (1999) Acta Mater 47:4187
Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge useful discussions and assistance with the five-parameter software from Professor G. Rohrer and Mr. H. Miller from Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Randle, V., Hu, Y. & Coleman, M. Grain boundary reorientation in copper. J Mater Sci 43, 3782–3791 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-007-2128-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-007-2128-2