Elastic effects on the kinetics of a phase transition

The kinetics of the nucleation and growth of a new phase in the course of a first-order phase transition in a solid is described. The growing center of a new phase is very oblate, because this shape lowers the elastic energy of the deformations which arise due to the difference in the densities of the two phases. An analogy with the crack problem is emphasized. The growth of the nucleus is governed by the combination of the elastic effects and the diffusion of the latent heat. The elastic cracklike: effects lead to the selection of the growth mode which is substantially different from the ordinary dendrite. [S0031-9007(99)08492-6].