The effect of a partially wetting second phase on conduction

The conduction behavior in a realistic three- dimensional two- phase microstructure is examined. Specifically, the case of a nonconducting, partially wetting second phase is examined. An electrical circuit analogue is used to quantitatively measure the effect. The dihedral angle that the second phase makes at grain boundaries is found to significantly influence the conductivity. As the second phase penetrates deeper into the grain boundary region, the conduction pathways are restricted to a greater degree. This is important for microstructures that result from a variety of standard processing techniques that in volve the presence of liquid phases during heat treatment.