Grain growth controlled by mobile particles on grain boundaries

Grain growth in a three-dimensional microstructure is simulated under the assumptions that dispersed particles of identical size are localized on grain boundaries, move together with the boundaries, and that their size and number are independent of time. These particles are shown to already retard the growth process at volume fractions as low as ∼0.0001. The kinetics of grain growth controlled by mobile particles can be approximated by a cubic law.