Phase Field Modelling Workshop

Phase Field Modelling Workshop – February 2 – 7, 2025

We are pleased to announce an upcoming workshop on Phase Field Modelling and Applications in the Earth Sciences, to be held at Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germany. This workshop will be led by Prof. Ingo Steinbach, a pioneer in Phase Field methods, alongside his team from the Interdisciplinary Centre for Advanced Materials Simulation (ICAMS). The course is part of the collaborative Research Unit (FOR 2881), organized jointly by the universities of Bochum and Hannover.

About the Workshop

 

Content: This course is tailored for Earth scientists interested in applying quantitative methods to better understand Earth materials and processes, particularly compositional and textural evolution. While the Phase Field method has a wide range of applications, research in Bochum and Hannover emphasizes using compositional zoning and textural data (e.g., crystal size distribution) to retrieve process timescales. For an example, refer to Kundin et al. (2023).

The course will run from Monday (03 February) till Friday (07 February), with a combination of lectures to introduce the topic and accompanying hands-on practical exercises. A more detailed course schedule and program will follow soon. 

 

Computational requirements

 

The workshop will be held in the CIP Pool at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Advanced Materials Simulation (ICAMS). Details about the venue are provided below. The computers in this facility operate on Linux, but instructions will be provided on how to run codes on Windows computers. Adaptation to MAC computers should be possible. We strongly urge participants to install the required packages following the instructions that will be provided soon before arriving at Bochum. The exercises will be a combination of coding and the use of existing software packages; no previous knowledge of any programming language is expected.

 

Venue

 

Ruhr-Universität Bochum
Universitätsstraße 150
44780 Bochum
Building: ICFW
Rooms: Seminar Room 02/718

Campus map with a marked location of the workshop:

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Campus plan

Travel to Bochum

 

Airports: Bochum is conveniently located in the heart of Europe, making it easily accessible by road, train, and air. The nearest airports are Düsseldorf (DUS) and Dortmund (DTM), with Düsseldorf Airport offering extensive international connections. Trains to Bochum from Düsseldorf include ICE, IC, RE, and S-Bahn options (35–60 minutes). Dortmund-Wickede Airport is also an option, though it primarily serves European no-frills airlines and is harder to reach by public transport.

Train: Ruhr-Universität Bochum is well connected by public transport. Fast ICE/IC/EC trains serve major German cities (https://int.bahn.de/en). Consider purchasing the “Deutschland ticket” for 58€, offering unlimited travel on RE, S-Bahn, buses, and the Bochum subway for a month (not valid on fast trains like ICE, EC, IC without additional tickets).

Car: Ruhr-Universität Bochum is accessible by car via Autobahn A 43 (Exit 19, Bochum-Querenburg/Ruhr-Universität). Use Universitätsstraße 150 for navigation. Note that parking is limited when classes are in session.

 

Local Transport

 

The U-35 Subway (U-Bahn) line connects Bochum’s main train station to Ruhr-Universität Bochum every 5 minutes during the day, with a travel time of about 10 minutes (https://www.vrr.de/en/). Tickets can be purchased at the train station, U-Bahn stops, or via the DB-Navigator app. Single rides cost 3 Euros, and multi-ride, day, and week passes are available. The Deutschland ticket is also valid on this route.

 

Accommodation

 

Accommodation is available through platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com. While options near the university are limited, we recommend staying in Bochum’s city centre or near the U-35 subway line for easy access to Ruhr-Universität Bochum.

Useful links:

Bochum tourism
Airbnb | Holiday rentals
IBIS Hotels in Bochum

 

Scientific Program

 

Program for Phase-Field-Modelling Short Course Bochum, 03-07 February 2025

 
Monday, 03. February
   
9:00 – 10:00 Lecture 1 Welcome, Introduction, Technical aspects
   
10:00 – 10:15 COFFEE BREAK
   
10:15 – 12:00 Practical 1 Introduction to OpenPhase
   
12:00 – 13:30 LUNCH
   
13:30 – 14:30 Lecture 2 Analytics
   
14:30 – 14:45 COFFEE BREAK
   
14:45 – 17:00 Practical 2 One simple code

 

Tuesday, 04. February
   
9:00 – 10:00 Lecture 3 Capillarity/ Anisotropy
   
10:00 – 10:15 COFFEE BREAK
   
10:15 – 12:00 Practical 3 Olivine and crystal shapes
   
12:00 – 13:30 LUNCH
   
13:30 – 14:30 Lecture 4 Multi Phase Field
   
14:30 – 14:45 COFFEE BREAK
   
14:45 – 17:00 Practical 4 Grain Growth

 

Wednesday, 05. February
   
9:00 – 10:00 Lecture 5 Coupling to temperature
   
10:00 – 10:15 COFFEE BREAK
   
10:15 – 12:00 Practical 5 Coarse-grain solidification with latent heat
   
12:00 – 13:30 LUNCH
   
13:30 – 14:30 Lecture 6 Coupling to solute diffusion
   
14:30 – 14:45 COFFEE BREAK
   
14:45 – 17:00 Practical 6 Equiaxed solidification (MgAl)

 

Thursday, 06. February
   
9:00 – 10:00 Lecture 7 Coupling to elasticity
   
10:00 – 10:15 COFFEE BREAK
   
10:15 – 12:00 Practical 7 Recrystallisation or precipitation in NiTi
   
12:00 – 13:30 LUNCH
   
13:30 – 14:30 Lecture 8 Geo applications
   
14:30 – 14:45 COFFEE BREAK
   
14:45 – 17:00 Practical 8 Modelling of grain growth in olivine aggregates
   
18:30 SHORT COURSE DINNER

 

Friday, 07. February
   
9:00 – 10:00 Lecture 9 Miscellaneous
   
10:00 – 10:15 COFFEE BREAK
   
10:15 – 12:00 FAQs
   
12:00 – 13:30 LUNCH
   
13:30 – 14:30 FAQs
   
14:30 – 14:45 COFFEE BREAK
   
14:45 – 17:00 Final discussion & farewell

 

 

 

Lecturers:
   
Interdisciplinary Centre for Advanced Materials Simulation (ICAMS), Ruhr-Universität Bochum
   
Ingo Steinbach ingo.steinbach@rub.de
   
Oleg Shchyglo oleg.shchyglo@rub.de
   
Julia Kundin  julia.kundin@rub.de

 

Social Events

 

Icebreaker: An informal icebreaker will be held at a local restaurant / bar on Sunday evening (02 February) before the start of the workshop. The exact time and location will be announced soon. Participants will be expected to cover the bills for food and drink themselves.

Short Course Dinner: There will be a conference dinner on Thursday evening, February 06 at 6:30 PM. The location is Yamas Mezé, Massenbergstraße 1, 44787 Bochum, which is also close to the main train station (5-minute walk). The costs for the dinner are covered; however, drinks are at your own expense.