Finite element simulation of dendritic crystal growth using a continuum approach

Abstract

A numerical method is presented to simulate dendritic crystal growth on a fixed mesh. The hyperbolic convective equation for the continuous phase field which identifies the solid and liquid phases is solved by the least-squares finite element method, and the heat conduction equation for the temperature field is solved by the Galerkin finite element method. Without special treatments this method can handle complicated interfacial shapes and physical features.