Phase-field study for the splitting mechanism of coherent misfitting precipitates in anisotropic elastic media

Coherent misfitting precipitates in elastically stressed media such as $\gamma \prime$ particles in nickel-based super-alloys show various splitting patterns such as doublets, quartets, or octets due to their misfit strain energy. While it is an interesting instability phenomenon defying conventional surface thermodynamics, its mechanism is not completely clear. Through a phase-field study upon the splitting behavior and morphological evolution of coherent precipitates, we show that an interface instability driven by elastic anisotropy and a diffusion field can generate elastically induced splitting during diffusional phase transition. Particle splitting is triggered by interface grooving which advances by penetrating grooves into the interior of the particle. The sequential evolution of shapes during the splitting process is in good agreement with previous experiments.