Identifier

etd-01242006-113255

Degree

Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (MSME)

Department

Mechanical Engineering

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

We present a new methodology for measuring the grain boundary mobility for curved boundaries using molecular-dynamics simulation of grain growth in a small, specifically tailored Pd nanocrystalline structure. In the model system, the boundaries move under the forces provided by their curvature and in the presence of the triple junctions. As a consequence of grain boundary migration the boundary area per unit volume is reduced and the mean grain size of grains increases with time. Our investigation shows that at elevated temperatures the activation energy for grain growth in this specifically tailored microstructure is very close to that of grain boundary diffusion. These findings suggest that the migration mechanism of curved grain boundaries might be mediated by short distance diffusion of atoms in the grain boundaries.

Date

2006

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.

Committee Chair

Dorel Moldovan

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_theses.3687

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