Abnormal grain growth in bulk Cu—The dependence on initial grain size and annealing temperature

Abstract

The dependence of abnormal grain growth (AGG), also termed secondary recrystallization, on annealing temperature in the range between 600 °C and 1050 °C has been observed in pure bulk Cu specimens compressed to various levels between 5 and 75 pct. There is no grain texture after annealing. The average grain size after primary recrystallization, which represents the initial grain size for secondary recrystallization during further annealing, decreases with increasing deformation and is nearly independent of the annealing temperature, in agreement with previous observations. The incubation time for AGG decreases and the number density of abnormally large grains increases with increasing deformation (hence, a decreasing initial grain size) and increasing annealing temperature. At low temperatures, most of the grain boundaries are faceted, with some facet planes probably of singular structures corresponding to cusps in the polar plots of the grain-boundary energy vs the grain-boundary normal. With increasing temperature, the grain boundaries become defaceted and, hence, atomically rough. The observed grain-growth behavior appears to be qualitatively consistent with the movement of faceted grain boundaries by two-dimensional nucleation of boundary steps. The temperature dependence appears to be consistent with roughening of grain boundaries. Before the onset of AGG, stagnant growth of the grains occurs at low rates, probably limited by slow two-dimensional nucleation of boundary steps, and, at low deformations and low annealing temperatures, the stagnant growth persists for 100 hours. The specimens with relatively small initial grain sizes (because of high deformation) show double AGG when annealed at high temperatures.