A MACROSCOPIC MODEL OF PHASE COARSENING

This paper develops a macroscopic theory that includes Ostwald ripening, a process occurring in solid-liquid phase mixtures whereby the size scale of the solid phase tends to grow so as to decrease interfacial energy. The dynamic mixture theory presented is also capable of dealing with transport phenomena and phase redistribution effects that arise from relative flow between the phases. The presence of the interfacial energy means that the pressures of the liquid and solid in the phase mixture are not equal and the ripening process is directly related to the relaxation of the system to a state of local thermodynamic equilibrium with a common pressure for the phases. © 1990.