ABSTRACT
The transient heat-transfer problems involving melting or solidification are generally referred to as “phase-change” or “moving boundary” problems. Sometimes, they are referred to as “Stefan” problems, with reference to the pioneering work of Stefan around 1890, in connection with the melting of the polar ice cap. Phase change problems have numerous applications in such areas as the making of ice, the freezing of food, the solidification of metals in castings, the cooling of large masses of igneous rock and many others.
