Relaxation type Kinetic equation for electrons in polycrystalline metal

The kinetic equation for electrons in a polycrystalline metal is considered. A kinetic equation is written that describes in a unified manner the scattering of conduction electrons both by impurities or phonons and by grain boundaries. This kinetic equation takes into account the scattering of electrons at the boundaries of crystallites of a polycrystalline metal An expression is obtained for the bulk conductivity in the general case. Let us analyze the effect of electron scattering at grain boundaries on its electrical properties.

Elastic Slow Dynamics in Polycrystalline Metal Alloys

Elastic slow dynamics, consisting in a reversible softening of materials when an external strain is applied, was experimentally observed in polycrystalline metals and presents analogies with the same phenomenon more widely observed in consolidated granular media. Since the effect is extremely small in metals, precise experimental techniques are needed. Reliable measurement of relative velocity variations of the order of 10−7 is crucial to perform the analysis. In addition, the grain structure and the nature of grain boundaries in metals is very different from that in rocks or concrete. Therefore, linking relaxation elastic effects to the microstructure is needed to understand the physical origin of slow dynamics in metals. Here, interpreting the relaxation phenomenon as a multirelaxation process, we show that it is sensitive to the spatial scale at the microstructural level, up to the point of allowing the identification of the existence of features at different spatial scales, particularly distinguishing damage from microstructural inhomogeneities.