Accumulation of coincidence site lattice boundaries during grain growth

Abstract

Monte Carlo simulations were used to investigate the effect of grain growth on the coincidence site lattice (CSL) boundary content of randomly textured polycrystals. Each grain was assigned an orientation, and grain boundary properties were dependent on both the boundary misorientation and the CSL character. While low misorientation angle boundaries (LABs) increase during growth, the fraction of CSL boundaries does not change with time. Decreasing CSL boundary energy and mobility did not alter these results. In contrast with LABs, which are characterised by a scalar misorientation angle, a particular combination of three independent rotation variables is required to create a low energy CSL boundary; thus, these boundaries are unlikely to form or to persist in a random polycrystal. While texture influences boundary formation, a texture that can enhance CSL boundaries is not apparent. Boundary plane effects should not increase CSL fraction during grain growth.