Morphological Evolution of Directional Solidification Interfaces in Microgravity: An Analysis of Model Experiments Performed on the International Space Station
Louise, Strutzenberg, et al. (2005). "Morphological Evolution of Directional Solidification Interfaces in Microgravity: An Analysis of Model Experiments Performed on the International Space Station." 43rd AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit
A series of experiment performed using the Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation (PMFI) apparatus within the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) facility on board the International Space Station (ISS( has provided video images of the morphological evolution of a three-dimensional interface in a diffusion controlled regime. The experiment samples, 1 cm inner diameter and approximately 30 cm in length, are filled with alloys of succinonitrile (SCN) and water. The compositions of the samples processed and analyzed are 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0 wt% water. Experimental processing parameters of temperature gradient and translation speed, as well as camera settings, were remotely monitored and controlled from the ground Telescience Center (TSC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center. Images obtained from the on-orbit experiments have been received and are being analyzed. A ground-based thin-sample directional solidification system for correlation to flight experiments is described. Using this ground-based system, a series of experiments has been performed for direct comparison with the flight data. The initial results of these comparisons as well as implications to future microgravity experiments are presented and discussed.
Related URLs:
http://dx.doi.org/10.2514/6.2005-917
DOI: doi:10.2514/6.2005-917 10.2514/6.2005-917