Phase field simulations of elastic deformation-driven grain growth in 2D copper polycrystals

In this work, a phase field grain growth model coupled with a spectral stress calculation method is used to investigate the effect of applied elastic deformation on grain growth in 2D copper polycrystals with isotropic grain boundary properties. The applied deformation accelerates the grain growth compared to a relaxed polycrystal, though the effect of the deformation decreases rapidly with time. The softest grain orientations with respect to the applied deformation grow at the expense of other orientations, though they have higher elastic energy density. Due to a rapid decrease in the elastic energy stored in the system, the GB energy eventually dominates the growth leading to a linear change in the average grain area with time. Increasing the magnitude of the applied deformation accelerates the growth, while increasing the temperature accelerates the growth but decreases the effect of the applied deformation.

Research highlights
► Models the effect of elastic deformation on grain growth in copper polycrystal.
► Deformation accelerates grain growth, though the acceleration decreases rapidly.
► Increasing deformation magnitude accelerates grain growth.
► Increasing temperature accelerates growth but decreases effect of deformation.