Modeling the formation and dynamics of polycrystals in 3D

Phase field models of solidification have been extended to include grain boundaries, using a variety of techniques. A model developed by Kobayashi et al. [Physica D 140 (2000) 141] has been used to model a host of physical phenomena, but has so far been confined to two dimensions. In this letter we describe how to extend this model of polycrystalline solidification to three dimensions (3D).