Abstract
The traditional classification of annealing processes into the categories of recovery, recrystallisation, and grain growth is no longer adequate, and a new analytical approach to the stability and growth of cellular microstructures such as subgrain and grain structures has recently been developed. The theory is based on consideration of the stability and growth of cellular microstructures in which the energy and mobility of the cell boundaries are variables. Such a model has the advantages of considering all annealing phenomena in a unified manner, enabling the analysis of processes which do not readily fall into any of the three traditional categories. In addition, the effects of important materials variables such as texture and second phase particles may be readily incorporated into the theory. The application of the basic theory to the recovery, recrystallisation, and grain growth of both single phase and particle containing metals is considered and further refinements of the theory which are required to model the behaviour of industrial alloys are discussed.
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