Vertex Simulation of Grain Growth in the Presence of Zener Pinning Effect

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the pinning effect exerted by second-phase particles on grain growth. To overcome the difficulties, mainly linked to the complex topological events while using the standard vertex technique in the presence of particles, a modified version of grain growth simulation is presented. The simulation is based on input data from electron backscatter diffraction measurements. Two hexagonal lattices discretize the physical space. One grid stores the grain orientation data, i.e., Euler's angles (φ₁, φ, φ₂). Nodes (vertices) are located in the second grid, where particles are randomly distributed. Vertex simulations, by mean triple junctions dynamics only, were performed to highlight the influence of the surface fraction of the particles on the grain size distribution, the limiting mean grain size, and the edges per grain distribution. During the simulation procedure, vertices move in the direction of the effective force, which results from the driving and the pinning forces.