Approximation of a planar cubic Bézier spiral by circular arcs

A planar cubic Bézier curve that is a spiral, i.e., its curvature varies monotonically, does not have internal cusps, loops, and inflection points. It is suitable as a design tool for applications in which fair curves are important. Since it is polynomial, it can be conveniently incorporated in CAD systems that are based on B-splines, Bézier curves, or NURBS. When machining objects, it is desirable that as much as possible of a curved toolpath be approximated by a sequence of circular arcs rather than straight-line segments. Such an arc-spline approximation of a planar cubic Bézier spiral is presented.