Transient solute drag in migrating grain boundaries

Abstract Understanding the solute drag in migrating grain boundaries or interfaces has been a topic in materials research since Cahn’s seminal paper in 1962. However, mostly steady-state solutions for solute segregation and drag in a migrating interface have been investigated. Here a new concept, based on the thermodynamic extremal principle, is introduced, which allows a detailed study of the transient processes in the migrating interface starting from a given initial configuration. The system is then described by two parameters, the first representing the amount of segregated solute in the grain boundary and the second the grain boundary position. Stability studies are performed using the perturbation concept. The model is demonstrated by simulations for a Fe–0.1 at.% Ni alloy taking different values for the grain boundary mobility and the driving force.