Two Investigations into Grain Boundary Structure

Author(s):  
P. Humble

There has been sustained interest over the last few years into both the intrinsic (primary and secondary) structure of grain boundaries and the extrinsic structure e.g. the interaction of matrix dislocations with the boundary. Most of the investigations carried out by electron microscopy have involved only the use of information contained in the transmitted image (bright field, dark field, weak beam etc.). Whilst these imaging modes are appropriate to the cases of relatively coarse intrinsic or extrinsic grain boundary dislocation structures, it is apparent that in principle (and indeed in practice, e.g. (1)-(3)) the diffraction patterns from the boundary can give extra independent information about the fine scale periodic intrinsic structure of the boundary.In this paper I shall describe one investigation into each type of structure using the appropriate method of obtaining the necessary information which has been carried out recently at Tribophysics.

Author(s):  
S.E. Babcock

In 1970, an extensive search by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for evidence of ordered structure in high-angle [001] twist boundaries helped to establish the credibility of the DSC/CSL description of grain boundary structure. In this work, square grids of line contrast were found in boundaries for which the twist misorientation (Θ) was very near the special Σ5+ Σ13 and Σ17 Θ. The lines ran parallel to the primitive translation vectors (b(1) and b(2)) of the appropriate low-Σ DSC lattice, and their spacing correlated well with the spacing predicted by Frank's formula for dislocations with Burgers vectors b(1) and b(2). The images were interpreted as secondary grain boundary dislocation (SGBD) networks. Only for the near-Σ5 case was g•b analysis carried out to show that the line contrast was characteristic of b= 1/10 <310> type screw SGBD's.


2002 ◽  
Vol 740 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hajime Iwasaki ◽  
Kenji Higashi ◽  
T. G. Nieh

ABSTRACTElectrodeposition method was employed to produce freestanding Ni-W alloy foils. The foils consist of nanograins. The structure of the foil, e.g. texture, grain morphology, size distribution, and the nature of grain boundaries, were characterized using X-ray diffraction and high-resolution electron microscopy. The deposited foils exhibit an equiaxed nanocrystalline structure having a grain size value of about 6 nm. Two types of grain boundary structure were observed. One type of grain boundary is essentially one atomic layer thin and another type consists of a structureless layer of about 0.5–1 nm in thickness. Angular dark field (Z-contrast) image of the deposited foils showed an inhomogeneous distribution of W solutes. In some local regions, the W content actually exceeds the equilibrium solid solution limit. Many grain boundaries with a structureless layer of about 0.5–1 nm are probably a result of local supersaturation of W.


Author(s):  
L.M. Clarebrough ◽  
C.T. Forwood

An outstanding experimental contribution to the knowledge of grain boundary structure in the 1970's is the work of Balluffi and his colleagues at Cornell University on artificially fabricated boundary interfaces in thin films of gold (e.g., Balluffi, Komem and Schober, 1972; Balluffi, Goodhew, Tan and Wagner, 1975). In particular, for high-angle boundaries they have shown that secondary grain boundary dislocations (g.b.d's.) do exist and accommodate a deviation from a low-energy misorientation corresponding to an exact C.S.L. relationship. Further, following the results of Spyridelis, Delavignette and Amelinckx (1967) they have shown that a network of g.b.d's. can act as a diffraction grating, causing extra reflections whose spacing is reciprocally related to the separation of the g.b.d's. (Balluffi, Sass and Schober, 1972). The description of high-angle grain boundaries in terms of secondary g.b.d's. accommodating a departure from an exact C.S.L. orientation is based solely on geometrical considerations, but it has been pointed out that other low-energy configurations may be preferred when account is taken of the nature of interatomic forces (Gleiter and Pumphrey, 1976; Hermann, Gleiter and Baro, 1976; Smith, Vitek and Pond, 1977).


Plastic deformation of a polycrystalline body requires the propagation of slip bands from one grain to another. This process may occur by dislocations being forced through boundaries, new dislocations being nucleated in or adjacent to the grain boundary, or pinned dislocations being released. Whichever of these processes dominates, it is necessary for the grain boundary structure to be reshaped, and in previous work (Pond & Smith, 1977; Pond et al . 1977) we have described experimental observations of grain boundary dislocation processes involved in such activity.


Author(s):  
J. M. Oblak ◽  
B. H. Kear

The “weak-beam” and systematic many-beam techniques are the currently available methods for resolution of closely spaced dislocations or other inhomogeneities imaged through strain contrast. The former is a dark field technique and image intensities are usually very weak. The latter is a bright field technique, but generally use of a high voltage instrument is required. In what follows a bright field method for obtaining enhanced resolution of partial dislocations at 100 KV accelerating potential will be described.A brief discussion of an application will first be given. A study of intermediate temperature creep processes in commercial nickel-base alloys strengthened by the Ll2 Ni3 Al γ precipitate has suggested that partial dislocations such as those labelled 1 and 2 in Fig. 1(a) are in reality composed of two closely spaced a/6 <112> Shockley partials. Stacking fault contrast, when present, tends to obscure resolution of the partials; thus, conditions for resolution must be chosen such that the phase shift at the fault is 0 or a multiple of 2π.


Author(s):  
J.M. Cowley

The HB5 STEM instrument at ASU has been modified previously to include an efficient two-dimensional detector incorporating an optical analyser device and also a digital system for the recording of multiple images. The detector system was built to explore a wide range of possibilities including in-line electron holography, the observation and recording of diffraction patterns from very small specimen regions (having diameters as small as 3Å) and the formation of both bright field and dark field images by detection of various portions of the diffraction pattern. Experience in the use of this system has shown that sane of its capabilities are unique and valuable. For other purposes it appears that, while the principles of the operational modes may be verified, the practical applications are limited by the details of the initial design.


Author(s):  
Brian Ralph ◽  
Barlow Claire ◽  
Nicola Ecob

This brief review seeks to summarize some of the main property changes which may be induced by altering the grain structure of materials. Where appropriate an interpretation is given of these changes in terms of current theories of grain boundary structure, and some examples from current studies are presented at the end of this paper.


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