Measurement of Interfacial Evolution in Three Dimensions

Abstract

The experimental measurement of the evolution of interfaces in three dimensions is reviewed, concentrating on the evolution of polycrystalline and solid-liquid systems, including growth and coarsening in dendritic systems and evolution during liquid-phase sintering. Both ex situ destructive techniques and in situ nondestructive techniques are considered. The importance of making three-dimensional measurements that can be quantified and unambiguously compared with theory is discussed, showing that these measurements provide a direct validation of theory and critical initial conditions for simulations.