Stress induced precipitate microstructure in anisotropic alloys

Precipitate microstructure in the anisotropic alloys under applied strain and periodic dislocations were investigated by using phase-field simulation. The results show that the ratio of shear modulus (RSM) between precipitates and matrix influences the formation of rafting structure under the applied strain. The dislocation network can induce the nanoscale precipitate pattern, and the orientation or shape of the precipitates is dominated by the dislocation stress and internal stress together. The novel nanoscale microstructure in anisotropic alloys may be controlled by the combination of internal stress, applied strain and dislocation network. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.