Formation and Growth of Antiphase Domains During Recrystallization of Cold-Rolled Cu3Au

An experimental study by TEM was made of the morphology of the antiphase domains formed when heavily rolled Q13AU is annealed at a temperature slightly below the critical temperature for ordering, Tc. Domains are formed at the advancing grain boundary with extremely small size and grow as recrystallization proceeds. From an early stage, domain walls show a preference for (100) orientation. The key question is raised whether domain formation during recrystallization entails the presence of a disordered zone at a moving grain boundary near Tc, and the conclusion is that such a zone is probably present. A provisional theory is constructed for the genesis of domains during recrystallization, taking into account the dragging force which newly formed domains exert on a moving grain boundary thereby diminishing the effective driving force for grain boundary motion, and a critical domain size is estimated which should completely inhibit grain-boundary motion. The intriguing fact that no domains at all are formed during the recrystallization of strongly ordered intermetallics such as Ni3Al is briefly discussed and a reason is proposed.