Phase-Field Modeling of Microstructural Evolution Resulting from Corrosion

Katsuyo Thornton
University of Michigan

Understanding and predicting the microstructural changes that occur during and following corrosion is critical for designing materials with improved durability and performance across a range of engineering applications. Phase-field modeling has emerged as a powerful computational approach for simulating the complex morphological and compositional evolution that materials undergo in corrosive environments. In this talk, I will describe phase-field modeling of microstructural evolution of magnesium and its alloys in aqueous environment, as well as a nickel-chromium alloy in molten salt environment. These models incorporate key phenomena, including bulk and interfacial thermodynamics, multi-phase/polycrystalline microstructures, and diffusion and reaction kinetics. Selected simulation results will demonstrate the ability of phase-field models to bridge length scales from nanoscale phenomena leading to corrosion to formation to microstructure evolution that are responsible for material degradation. The insights gained from phase-field simulations provide valuable guidance for interpreting experimental observations. The integration of phase-field methods with three-dimensional experimental data will be discussed as a promising path toward predictive, mechanistic understanding of corrosion processes.


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