Atomic structure of random grain boundaries in tungsten

Abstract

The atomic structure of incoherent high-angle grain boundaries in tungsten are studied by the methods of field ion microscopy. We have demonstrated that random GBs are well structured at the atomic scale, i.e., both crystal lattices possess periodicity and long range translational order which extend throughout the crystal and retain their basic structure right up to the GB plane. Random grain boundaries in tungsten are sharp interfaces, with the change in crystal lattice orientation occurring within a monatomic plane. The vast majority of atoms in such a boundary takes “either/or” sites in the adjoining crystal lattices.