| Abstract Scope |
The FiPy partial differential equation solver was devised with particular emphasis on solving the microstructural evolution problems that arise in materials science and engineering. In our experience, computational materials scientists often resort to simple finite difference codes with explicit forward Euler time stepping, limiting accessible geometries and time scales. FiPy provides an easy-to-learn Python interface to more sophisticated algorithms, including cell-centered finite volume on arbitrary meshes, fully and semi-implicit solutions, and parallel computatioms using either of the highly respected PETSc or Trilinos sparse solver libraries. While designed for materials scientists, by materials scientists, FiPy has been employed in fields as diverse as astrophysics, geoscience, and optometry. This talk will demonstrate application of FiPy to microstructural modeling, including a recent series of phase field benchmarks, showing both conventional Python programs and interactive scripting in jupyter notebooks. |