Numerical simulation of the polymer crystallization during cooling stage by using level set method

Aiming to reduce computation complexity in studying crystal interaction by a level set method, we present a new method: the level set method by solving a single signed distance function with the aid of colors''. In this method, the crystal is identified by its assigned color (respectively a number). The growth of a crystal can be captured by semi-Lagrangian method with the aid of coloring. The problem of evolving multiple crystal interfaces is reduced to track one level set variable (signed distance function) and determine the color of a newly solidification node point. The method is used to study the evolution of polymer crystallization under isothermal condition and during cooling stage with a multi-scale model which is proposed in this paper. Good agreement of the numerical results with the theoretical values and those predicted in literature is obtained. The method is easy to be implemented. Compared with the multiple level sets method, it has low computational complexity and low memory requirement. The method is also applicable for any system that displays nucleation and growth. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.