Linking Experimental Characterization and Computational Modeling of Grain Growth in Al-Foil

Experimental results on grain boundary properties and grain growth obtained using the Electron Backscattered Diffraction (EBSD) technique are compared with the Finite Element simulation results of an Al- foil with a columnar grain structure. The starting microstructure and grain boundary properties are implemented as an input for the three-dimensional grain growth simulation. In the computational model, minimization of the interface energy is the driving force for the grain boundary motion. The computed evolved microstructure is com- pared with the final experimental microstructure, after annealing at 550 ◦ C. Good agreement is observed between the experimentally obtained microstructure and the simulated microstructure. The constitutive description of the grain boundary properties was based on a 1-parameter characterization of the variation in mobility with misorientation angle.