Estimation of true dihedral angles and relative grain boundary energies in polycrystals using the disector

Relative grain boundary energies can be simply related to true dihedral angles, which are the angles between grain boundary planes meeting at triple edges in polycrystals. Some limited efforts in the measurement of true dihedral angles have used the technique of serial sectioning, which is usually cumbersome and time consuming. In this study the three-dimensional probe called the 'disector' has been employed to evaluate true dihedral angles. This probe, combined with automated image processing, introduces precision as well as efficiency, overcomes the disadvantages of the two-dimensional probe and is far less tedious and less complicated than serial sectioning. It is shown that the technique is relatively simple and therefore can be applied to obtain a significantly large and accurate statistical sample of true dihedral angles. The application of this method is demonstrated by evaluating the triple junction geometry and the associated relative grain boundary energies in polycrystalline 316L austenitic stainless steel.