Curvature and solidification (Q760787)

A method is presented for finding the osculating circle, and thus the curvature and the normal, of a curve defined by an array of partial volumes. This method is applied, within the framework of an enthalpy formulation, to the solutions of model equations that describe the motion of a front separating ice and supercooled water. For short to moderate times the numerical results agree well with available theory; at longer times a morphological oscillation is observed. Such an oscillation was seen in earlier calculations but is not predicted by linearized stability theory. Some speculations regarding its origin are offered.