Influence of coherent nanoinclusions on stress-driven migration of low-angle grain boundaries in nanocomposites

A theoretical model that effectively describes stress-driven migration of low-angle tilt grain boundaries in nanocomposites with nanocrystalline or ultrafine-grained metallic matrices containing ensembles of coherent nanoinclusions has been developed. Within this model, low-angle tilt boundaries have been considered as walls of edge dislocations that, under the influence of stress, slip in the metallic matrix and can penetrate into nanoinclusions. The dislocation dynamics simulation has revealed three main regimes of the stress-driven migration of low-angle grain boundaries. In the first regime, migrating grain boundaries are completely retarded by nanoinclusions and their migration is quickly terminated, while dislocations forming grain boundaries reach equilibrium positions. In the second regime, some segments of the migrating grain boundaries are pinned by nanoinclusions, whereas the other segments continue to migrate over long distances. In the third regime, all segments of grain boundaries (except for the segments located at the boundaries of inclusions) migrate over long distances. The characteristics of these regimes have been investigated, and the critical shear stresses for transitions between the regimes have been calculated.