Experiments in support of the Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation (PFMI) and the In-Space Soldering Investigation (ISSI) were conducted aboard the International Space Station (ISS) with the goal of promoting our fundamental understanding of melting dynamics, solidification phenomena, and defect generation during materials processing in a microgravity environment. Through the course of many experiments a number of observations, expected and unexpected, have been directly made. These include gradient-driven bubble migration, thermocapillary flow, and novel microstructural development. The experimental results are presented and found to be in good agreement with models pertinent to a microgravity environment. Based on the space station results, and noting the futility of duplicating them in Earth’s unit-gravity environment, attention is drawn to the role ISS experiments/hardware can play to provide insight to potential materials processing techniques and/or repair scenarios that might arise during long duration space transport and/or on the lunar/Mars surface.
Related URLs:
http://dx.doi.org/10.2514/6.IAC-06-A2.2.10