Efficient and accurate simulation of the Smith-Zener pinning mechanism during grain growth using a front-tracking numerical framework

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new front-tracking simulation method for accurately modeling Smith-Zener pinning effects during grain growth in polycrystals, improving upon existing approaches in speed and applicability.

Contribution

A novel Lagrangian 2D front-tracking framework for simulating grain boundary pinning by second phase particles with enhanced accuracy and computational efficiency.

Findings

Effective modeling of particle-induced grain growth deviations.

Improved simulation speed over traditional front-capturing methods.

Applicable to a wide range of particle sizes.

Abstract

This study proposes a new full-field approach for modeling grain boundary pinning by second phase particles in two-dimensional polycrystals. These particles are of great importance during thermomechanical treatments, as they produce deviations from the microstructural evolution that the alloy produces in the absence of particles. This phenomenon, well-known as Smith-Zener pinning, is widely used by metallurgists to control the grain size during the metal forming process of many alloys. Predictive tools are then needed to accurately model this phenomenon. This article introduces a new methodology for the simulation of microstructural evolutions subjected to the presence of second phase particles. The methodology employs a Lagrangian 2D front-tracking methodology, while the particles are modeled using discretized circular shapes or pinning nodes. The evolution of the particles can be considered and modeled using a constant velocity of particle shrinking. This approach has the advantages of improving the limited description made of the phenomenon in vertex approaches, to be usable for a wide range of second-phase particle sizes and to improve calculation times compared to front-capturing type approaches.