Effect of Particle Size on the Zener Limit: A Monte Carlo Simulation Approach

2D Potts model Monte Carlo simulation was carried out on a square lattice to investigate the effects of varying the size of second phase particles on the Zener limit of grain growth, in two-phase polycrystals. Simulations were carried out on a 1000^2 size matrix with Q-state of 64, dispersed with second phase particles of various sizes and surface fractions, and run to stagnation. Different grain growth parameters such as mean grain size, largest grain size, fraction of second phase particles lying on grain boundaries, etc., were computed for the pinned microstructures. The pinned average grain size or the Zener limit increased with increase in particle size, as per the classic Smith-Zener equation. The Zener limit scaled inversely with the square root of the particle fraction for all particle sizes, while it scaled exponentially with the fraction of second phase particles lying on the grain boundaries (ϕ), for all particle sizes tested.