| Abstract Scope |
A new protocol using a phase-field model processes 3D reconstructions of polycrystalline microstructures from synchrotron-based high-energy X-ray diffraction microscopy (HEDM) data. These reconstructions face challenges such as heterogeneous grain sizes, detector limitations, and overlapping Bragg peaks, among other errors. The noise often results in non-physical roughness at grain boundaries (GBs), complicating property measurements like tortuosity, curvature, and GB character. Such uncertainties hinder estimates of diffusivity, corrosion resistance, electrical resistance, and fracture strength. To address these issues, we employ phase-field equations to create a space-filling grain map that adheres to the physics of the microstructure. It penalizes high-energy grain shapes and configurations while promoting GB smoothing. High-confidence regions are preserved using a completeness-based mobility parameter in the phase-field model. This protocol offers an alternative to conventional image processing-based approaches. It can be applied to any diffraction-based, 2D or 3D reconstruction with grain and confidence data, including polyphase materials. |