Materials Research in Reduced Gravity: General / Solidification (Analogues)
Sponsored by: TMS Materials Processing and Manufacturing Division, TMS: Solidification Committee, TMS: Process Technology and Modeling Committee
Program Organizers: Wilhelmus Sillekens, European Space Agency; Michael Sansoucie, Nasa Marshall Space Flight Center; Robert Hyers, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Douglas Matson, Tufts University; Gwendolyn Bracker, DLR Institute of Materials Physics in Space
Wednesday 8:30 AM
March 22, 2023
Room: 30B
Location: SDCC
Session Chair: Jonathan Raush, University of Louisiana at Lafayette; Gwendolyn Bracker, DLR Institute of Materials Physics in Space
8:30 AM Introductory Comments
8:40 AM
Overview of NASA’s Reduced Gravity Materials Science Research: Michael Sansoucie1; 1NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
The Biological and Physical Sciences (BPS) Division of the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) uses spaceflight environments to study biological and physical systems. Examining phenomena under extreme conditions can help us better understand how they function. This can contribute to significant scientific and technological advancements that make fundamental advances in science, enable space exploration, and benefit life on Earth. BPS enhances scientific knowledge by utilizing the reduced gravity environment to inhibit masking phenomena such as buoyancy driven convection and sedimentation, and perform experiments targeted to address gaps in fundamental understanding of the underlying physics of materials science. Research topics include, but are not limited to, solidification and microstructure, semiconductors, sintering, thermophysical properties, metal oxides, brazing, and bulk metallic glasses. This presentation will provide an overview of the materials science researched funded by BPS.
9:05 AM
What's New in PSI?: Karen Stephens1; 1NASA
The NASA Physical Sciences Informatics (PSI) database is NASA’s archival for physical sciences research in microgravity – on ISS and also other reduced gravity platforms. The database was an early investment in Open Science for NASA’s Biophysics and Physical Sciences (BPS) Division of the Science Mission Directorate (SMD), which conducts primarily fundamental, but some applied physical science yielding research data in 6 disciplines: biophysics, combustion science, complex fluids, fluid physics, fundamental physics, and materials science. The database has been making data publicly available since 2014, starting initially with data from 14 microgravity investigations. Receipt of data through the years and an annual NRA to fund ground investigations extending flight datasets has increased the total investigations to 80 with at least 8 new datasets available to propose in the 2022 ROSES NRA for PSI, planned for release 9/15/2022. These new datasets are open for public access at the PSI (https://www.nasa.gov/PSI).
9:25 AM
ESA’s Materials Science in Space Program: Current State of Affairs and Outlook: Wilhelmus Sillekens1; 1European Space Agency
For decades the European Space Agency (ESA) has (co)-developed and employed a suite of platforms and experimental facilities enabling scientists to conduct space-relevant investigations for the physical as well as for the life sciences. These platforms include drop towers, parabolic flights, sounding rockets, and the International Space Station (ISS), each with their particular features and hence application areas. The current communication gives an overview of ESA’s materials science in space program, primarily relying on the attribute that the mentioned platforms provide strongly reduced gravity (up and into the microgravity domain), which provides notable assets for the study of solidification physics and the determination of thermophysical properties of metallic and other materials in the liquid and the undercooled state. Starting from the scientific drivers behind the investigations at hand, the program and its implementation status are outlined. Achievements to date and the next anticipated activities are addressed as well.
9:50 AM
Experiment Preparation and Operation of the Electromagnetic Levitator EML on the ISS: Stephan Schneider1; Angelika Diefenbach2; Mitja Beckers1; 1DLR Institut für Materialphysik im Weltraum; 2DLR MUSC
EML is an electromagnetic levitation facility of the European Space Agency (ESA) for the ISS aiming at processing liquid metals or semiconductors under microgravity conditions. It allows to measure thermophysical properties in the liquid state and to investigate solidification phenomena. Before the on orbit processing the experiments are extensively prepared on ground in a ground support program at DLR Cologne consisting of sample characterization, experiment planning, parameter development and finally experiment validation with the EML ground model. Then the experiment parameters are uploaded to the facility and the experiments are performed on orbit. After processing the scientific data are provided to the involved scientists for analysis and are archived in a long term data archive.The presentation will focus on the on-orbit operations of the first three batches and the necessary preparation steps on ground to run experiments in the EML as well as potential future diagnostic upgrades of EML.
10:10 AM Break
10:30 AM
Morphological Stability of Eutectic Growth Patterns: In-situ Experiments in Microgravity with the Transparent Alloys Apparatus: Silvere Akamatsu1; Sabine Bottin-Rousseau2; Mathis Plapp3; Ulrike Hecht4; Victor Witusiewicz4; 1Cnrs; 2Sorbonne University; 3Ecole Polytechnique; 4Access e.V.
Eutectic solidification patterns basically exhibit composite, rod-like or lamellar morphologies. Complexity arises from the dependence of their stability in size and shape both on the control parameters and the solidification path. Moreover, how a morphological transition from lamellae to rods, and the reverse, can occur in a given system still remains largely unknown. We shall review the observations made during the SEBA and SETA campaigns using the Transparent Alloys apparatus onboard the ISS. In situ experiments in model transparent alloys with real-time monitoring in a microgravity environment, along with numerical simulations, represent a unique means for studying diffusion controlled growth phenomena without convection. The main results concern 1- the propagative nature of the lamellar-to-rod transition, with clear information on the precursory instability mode and the coexistence of lamellar and rod domains; 2- the effect of a velocity ramp on the arrangement and size of rod-like patterns during directional solidification.
10:50 AM
Peritectic Coupled Growth Under Reduced Gravity: Andreas Ludwig1; Johann Mogeritsch1; 1Montanuniversitaet Leoben
Peritectic coupled growth under purely diffusive conditions were investigated using the ESA's Transparent Alloy facility onboard of the International Space Station in 2021. For the series of the directions solidification experiments, the transparent metal-like solidifying organic system TRIS-NPG (TRIS: tris-(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane, NPG: neopentylglycol) was used. Competitive growth was observed only for pulling velocity's close to the constitutional undercooling limits of both solid phases. Furthermore, steady-state growth conditions were never reached and the peritectic beta-phase revealed a decreased phase fraction that is associated with a transition from patch-like, lamellar, to rod-like growth. The experimental facts prove an accumulation of solute ahead of the front as known from a growing single phase during initial transient. However, the results also indicate that the properitectic alpha-phase is the preferred growth phase even in the metastable region and that peritectic coupled growth continues far below the peritectic temperature.
11:10 AM
Evolution of Dendritic Extended 3D Patterns during Directional Solidification: Microgravity Experiments in DECLIC-DSI Onboard ISS and Phase-field Modeling: Kaihua Ji1; Fatima Mota2; Trevor Lyons1; Louise Littles3; Rohit Trivedi4; Nathalie Bergeon2; Alain Karma1; 1Northeastern University; 2IM2NP, Aix-Marseille Université and CNRS; 3Marshall Space Flight Center; 4Iowa State University
To characterize the dynamical formation of three-dimensional (3D) arrays of dendrites under diffusive growth conditions, in situ monitoring of a series of experiments on a transparent succinonitrile – 0.46 wt% camphor model alloy was carried out under low gravity in the DECLIC Directional Solidification Insert onboard the International Space Station. These experiments offer continuous interface observation and enable the construction of space-time evolution maps of dendrite location and primary spacing during directional solidification. We present the evolution of dendritic extended 3D patterns for a large range of parameters displaying different levels of sidebranching in both experiments and phase-field simulations. The combined and separate effects of macroscopic interface curvature and crystal misorientation are evidenced and detailed. In addition, the aligned dendritic array caused by the invasion of dendrites formed at the edge of the crucible border is investigated.
11:30 AM
Visualization of Particle-Interface Interactions: Philipp Ott1; Thomas Jauß1; Christian Reimann2; Holger Koch2; Jochen Friedrich2; Tina Sorgenfrei1; 1University of Freiburg; 2Fraunhofer IISB Erlangen
In a wide field of solid state material production, the unintended or inhomogeneous incorporation of foreign phases is a limiting issue. The basic understanding of mechanics and phenomena, which lead to engulfment and incorporation of foreign phases, mostly in form of small particles or bubbles, is essential to overcome the problem and to increase production yield. The work presented here is investigating the fundamental, physical basics of the interaction of those foreign phases with the solid-liquid interface during material solidification out of melt and the surrounding fluid. This is a complex system with a high number of influencing forces. For the experiments, microgravity is substantial to exclude the influence of gravity and all gravitational driven forces. With these simplifications, the experimental results can be easily compared to theoretical calculations based on existing and/or adapted models. The direct observation is realized by using an optically transparent melt system with opaque particles.