Project Title:
High-Temperature, Containerless, Thermophysical Property Measurements in Microgravity
15.05-1772
911215
High-Temperature, Containerless, Thermophysical Property Measurements in Microgravity
Intersonics, Inc.
3453 Commercial Avenue
Northbrook
IL
60062
J.K. Richard
Weber
708-272-1772
LeRC
NAS3-26574
298
15.05-1772
911215
Abstract:
High-Temperature, Containerless, Thermophysical Property Measurements in Microgravity
Predictive modeling of industrial processes such as casting, crystal growth, and
welding requires basic high-temperature property data for liquid metals, alloys,
and semiconductors. This modeling capability has advanced so much in recent years
that its applications are limited by the accuracy with which the property data are
known. Important data include: heat capacity, thermal and chemical diffusivities,
optical properties, viscosity, and surface tension. The focus will be on the use
of containerless experiments to achieve accurate material property measurements on
metallic liquids; determine materials, environments, purities, and operating temperatures
for which data are needed by industry; determine the properties that can be measured
by Earth-based methods; and establish the measurements requiring the extreme quiescence
possible in the low gravity environment of space. Only some of the property measurements
of interest will require the quiescence available in space-based experiments and
Earth-based capabilities for containerless measurement will be available for the
other properties. This will help achieve the important space-based measurements essential
to complete the material property compendium and enhance applications of predictive
modeling.
An integrated high-temperature thermophysical property measurement program will serve
two markets: hardware design and construction for NASA, and industrially sponsored
measurements of material properties at high temperatures to provide data for predictive
modeling of materials processing operations.
property measurements containerless, modeling, temperature, casting, melting, microgravity