An operator splitting scheme for numerical simulation of spinodal decomposition and microstructure evolution of binary alloys

Abstract

This article compares the operator splitting scheme to linearly stabilized splitting and semi-implicit Euler's schemes for the numerical solution of the Cahn-Hilliard equation. For the purpose of validation, the spinodal decomposition phenomena have been simulated. The efficacy of the three schemes has been demonstrated through numerical experiments. The computed results show that the schemes are conditionally stable. It has been observed that the operator splitting scheme is computationally more efficient.

Keywords

• Cahn-Hilliard equation
• Operator splitting scheme
• Linearly stabilized splitting scheme
• Semi-implicit Euler's scheme
• The spinodal decomposition