Comparing grain growth experiments and simulations in 3D

Experimental investigations in STO ceramics revealed a grain growth anomaly, that presumably originates in the interface anisotropy of these materials. However, the influence of anisotropic grain boundary (GB) properties on grain growth behaviour is to a large extent unknown. The present paper presents 3D grain growth simulations as a possible approach to understand the influence of anisotropic GB properties on the collective behaviour of the GBs in a polycrystal during grain growth. Possibilities to compare 3D growth simulations with experimental 2D sections are discussed and a first reconstructed x-ray diffraction contrast tomography image of a SrTiO3 specimen is presented.