Experimental observations of stress-driven grain boundary migration

T J Rupert1, D S Gianola, Y Gan

  • 1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.

Science (New York, N.Y.)
|December 19, 2009
PubMed
Summary

This study reveals that grain boundaries in nanocrystalline aluminum are not static but actively migrate under stress, promoting grain growth. This challenges traditional views of grain boundaries as mere obstacles to plastic deformation.

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