Large-scale simulation of normal grain growth via diffusion-generated motion

Abstract

Diffusion-generated motion is used to perform a very large-scale simulation of normal grain growth in three dimensions with high accuracy. The method is based on the diffusion of signed distance functions and shares similarities with level-set methods. The Herring-angle condition at junctions and topological transitions are naturally captured with this formulation. This approach offers significant advantages over existing numerical methods and allows for accurate computations on scales not previously possible. A fully resolved simulation of normal grain growth, initially containing over 130 000 grains in three dimensions, is presented and analysed. It is shown that the average grain radius grows as the square root of time and the grain-size distribution is self-similar. Good agreement with other theoretical predictions, experimental results and simulation results via other techniques is also demonstrated.