Phase-field simulation of the effect of interactions between ordered domains on transformation kinetics in precipitation

Abstract

A two-dimensional phase-field simulation is performed to investigate the effect of interactions between ordered domains on transformation kinetics in Ni–Al binary alloys. By comparing the simulated results of the one-domain system with those of the four-domain system, it is concluded that the transformation of the one-domain system is faster than that of the four-domain one due to the coalescence of the ‘in-phase’ particles (same kinds of domains) and the mutual blocking effect of the ‘out-of-phase’ particles (different kinds of domains). Simulated results are also compared with the Johnson–Mehl–Avrami–Kolmogorov (JMAK) theory, and it is found that the JMAK model can describe the transformation kinetics at the initial stage well; however, in the subsequent evolution process, the JMAK model will overestimate the transformation due to the neglecting of the soft impingement.