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Published in:
2011 | OriginalPaper | Chapter
21. Phase Field Approach
Author : Toshiyuki Koyama
Published in: Springer Handbook of Metrology and Testing
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
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Abstract
The term phase field has recently become known across many fields of materials science. The meaning of phase field is the spatial and temporal order parameter field defined in a continuum-diffused interface model. By using the phase field order parameters, many types of complex microstructure changes observed in materials science are described effectively. This methodology has been referred to as the phase field method, phase field simulation, phase field modeling, phase field approach, etc. In this chapter, the basic concept and theoretical background for the phase field approach is explained in Sects. 21.1 and 21.2. The overview of recent applications of the phase field method is demonstrated in Sects. 21.3 to 21.6.
Phase field models have been successfully applied to various materials processes including solidification, solid-state phase transformations and microstructure changes. Using phase field methodology, one can deal with the evolution of arbitrary morphologies and complex microstructures without explicitly tracking the positions of interfaces. This approach can describe different processes such as diffusion-controlled phase separation and diffusionless phase transition within the same formulation. It is rather straightforward to incorporate the effect of coherency and applied stresses, as well as electrical and magnetic fields.
Since phase field methodology can model complex microstructure changes quantitatively, it will be possible to search for the most desirable microstructure using this method as a design simulation, i.e., through computer trial-and-error testing. Therefore, the most effective strategy for developing advanced materials is as follows. First, we elucidate the mechanism of microstructure changes experimentally, then we model the microstructure evolutions using the phase-field method based on the experimental results, and finally we search for the most desirable microstructure while simultaneously considering both the simulation and experimental data.