Efficient finite strain elasticity solver for phase-field simulations

Abstract

Abstract We present an effective mechanical equilibrium solution algorithm suitable for finite strain consideration within the phase-field method. The proposed algorithm utilizes a Fourier space solution in its core. The performance of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated using the St. Venant–Kirchhoff hyperelastic model, but the algorithm is also applicable to other hyperelastic models. The use of the fast Fourier transformation routines and fast convergence within several iterations for most common simulation scenarios makes the proposed algorithm suitable for phase-field simulations of rapidly evolving microstructures. Additionally, the proposed algorithm allows using different strain measures depending on the requirements of the underlying problem. The algorithm is implemented in the OpenPhase phase-field simulation library. A set of example simulations ranging from simple geometries to complex microstructures is presented. The effect of different externally applied mechanical boundary conditions and internal forces is also demonstrated. The proposed algorithm can be considered a straightforward update to already existing small strain solvers based on Fourier space solutions.