The thickness distribution of grain-boundary films during the superplastic deformation of fine-grained β–silicon nitride was investigated by high-resolution electron microscopy. In particular, grain-boundary thickness was considered with respect to the stress axis in two orientations; namely, parallel and perpendicular to the direction of applied stress. The results showed that the thickness distribution in boundaries perpendicular to the direction of applied stress was unimodal, whereas in parallel boundaries it was bimodal. Moreover, it was found that the majority of film-free boundaries were parallel to the direction of applied stress in the extremely deformed sample. The variation in spacing reflects distribution of stresses within the material due to irregular shape of the grains and the existence of percolating load-bearing paths through the microstructure.
