Evolving Digital Microstructures through Monte Carlo Simulation - A tool to Study Grain Growth in Polycrystalline Materials

Microstructures of polycrystalline materials carry valuable information which helps predict their mechanical behavior through study of their grain shapes and sizes.The average grain size, especially, has a profound effect on the strength of materials, as given by the Hall-Petch equation. The average grain size of polycrystals are known to vary according to degree of growth driven by curvature on the one hand, and on the other hand stunted by the presence of second phase particles. The study of growth and stagnation of grain size in polycrystals has been widely aided by the simulation approach of generating digital microstructures, which have been able to mimic the real microstructures closely. This study shows how the Monte Carlo simulation approach has been applied to generate realistic but generic microstructures, both in color and black&white, and, which follow the basic guide lines of formation of real microstructures.