1234 Polymer Spherulite Growth Simulation by Phase-Field Method
Details
The establishment of a coupled numerical model that enables us to simulate spherulite formations and to evaluate their mechanical behavior continuously for crystalline polymers is our ultimate goal. In this paper, we focus our attention on the formation process of spherulite and the establishment of a spherulite growth model. As a numerical model, the phase-field method is employed here. In the crystallization process of polymers, viscosity and supercooling play an important role in the formation of microstructures. Here, we introduce the viscosity effect as the degree of molecular alignment at the solid-liquid interface. In this model, we employ three order parameters: phase field, which distinguishes between solids or liquids; crystallographic orientation, which characterizes the growth direction of lamellae; and temperature. The effects of viscosity and supercooling on the formed microstructural morphology are investigated by performing a series of numerical simulations.
