The intercept method .2. Determination of spatial grain size

A general relationship between the mean linear intercept length in polycrystalline materials and the true mean spatial grain size is derived. The mean linear intercept length depends strongly on the spread in spatial grain size. Hence, there is no general proportionality between the mean linear intercept length and the spatial grain size. Two samples of recrystallized aluminium with equal mean linear intercept length may differ in mean spatial grain radius by a factor of 2.5. In grain growth experiments, if the mean spatial grain size is estimated by the mean linear intercept length, marginal reductions in the spread in grain size may be interpreted as an increased growth exponent in the grain growth equation. Copyright (C) 1997 Acta Metallurgica Inc.