Statistical behaviour of interfaces subjected to curvature flow and torque effects applied to microstructural evolutions

Abstract

The movement of grain boundaries in pure metals and alloys with a low concentration of dislocations has been historically proved to follow curvature flow behavior. This mechanism is typically known as grain growth (GG). However, recent 3D in-situ experimental results tend to question this global picture concerning the influence of the curvature on the kinetics of interface migration. This article explains, thanks to 2D anisotropic full-field simulations, how the torque effects can complexify these discussions. It is then illustrated that neglecting torque effects in full-field formulations remains potentially a strong hypothesis. The apparent mobility can be much more complex than expected without necessarily questioning the influence of the curvature on the local kinetic equation.