Industrial Potential of Microgravity

Walter, H. U.; Belouet, C.; Malmejac, Y.

doi:10.1007/978-3-642-46613-7_19

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…However, liquid-liquid phase separation in monotectic system melts has limited the utilization of monotectic alloys as industrial materials [3][4][5]. It was thought that some other factors, such as nucleation, growth, sedimentation, and so on, influence the process of liquid-liquid phase separation [6,7]. A homogeneous structure with a dispersed second phase should be obtained if hypermonotectic melts pass through the immiscibility gap at an extremely rapid solidification rate.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Homogeneous Solidification Criterion for Undercooled Ni-20at%Pb Hypermonotectic Melts

Xie

Yang

Jia

et al. 2011

MSF

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The kinetic process of liquid-liquid phase separation in the undercooled Ni-20at%Pb hypermonotectic alloy melts was analyzed theoretically. The results showed that liquid-liquid separation could not be inhibited due to smaller nucleation barrier and bigger nucleation rate of Pb-rich droplets. In the course of liquid-liquid phase separation, the volume fraction of Pb-rich droplets was thought as a function of time or temperature. At a certain cooling rate, the volume fraction was mainly controlled by the undercooling of Ni-Pb hypermonotectic melts. Based on the above results, a homogeneous solidification criterion for the undercooled Ni-20at%Pb hypermonotectic alloy melts was developed. Such a criterion predicted that the homogeneous microstructure could be obtained at the undercooling 263K, and the experimental results accorded with the predicting ones on the whole.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Homogeneous Solidification Criterion for Undercooled Ni-20at%Pb Hypermonotectic Melts

Xie

Yang

Jia

et al. 2011

MSF

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“…In the last decades, with the expansion in researches in material sciences in microgravity, the drop tube appeared as a simple low operation cost option, when compared with other means of access to microgravity. Although they provide a microgravity environment that lasts only a few seconds, they supply enough time for the study of solidification of several types of materials [1][2][3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Solidification of Eutectic Bi32.5In51Sn16.5 Alloy under Microgravity Using a Drop Tube

Toledo

Mattos

Chen

et al. 2010

MSF

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Containerless solidification of Bi32.5In51Sn16.5 eutectic alloy under microgravity conditions was investigated by using a 3 m length drop tube. The Bi-In-Sn system is an important material for lead-free solder and fuse element for electrical protection. It has a low eutectic melting temperature of 60°C, which is suitable for experiments in restricted environments like the International Space Station (ISS), where the security requirements are very strict. Droplets, with diameters in the range of 200 to 400 m, solidified under microgravity, were obtained consistently with irregular ternary eutectic structure, whereas, previous results under normal gravity presented both regular lamellar and irregular structures.

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“…Growing a multicomponent semiconductor crystal which has a uniform composition is especially difficult from both fluid dynamical and thermodynamical points of view [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Therefore, microgravity experiments of crystal growth have been intensively carried out in recent years using microgravity experimental facilities such as drop towers, aircraft, rockets, space shuttles and satellites, in order to reduce buoyancy convection and grow high-quality crystals [7,8]. In 1995, we carried out a microgravity experiment on InP crystal growth using an experimental satellite called the Space Flyer Unit (SFU) [9,10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Numerical analysis of crystal growth of an InAs-GaAs binary semiconductor under microgravity conditions

Hiraoka¹,

Ikegami²,

Maekawa³

et al. 2000

J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys.

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We investigate the possibilities of growing a uniform binary compound crystal in space numerically, proposing a new crystal growth method. We develop a numerical calculation method of the growth of binary crystals, in which convection induced by temperature and concentration differences in the solution is taken into account. How to determine the shape and movement of the solution-crystal interface during the crystal growth is clearly explained for binary crystals, which is more complicated than that for single-component crystals. The boundary fit method is employed to solve this moving boundary phase transition problem. The calculation method is applied to the crystal growth analysis of an InAs-GaAs binary semiconductor and the effect of buoyancy convection induced under microgravity conditions on the crystal growth process is investigated. We found that the concentration field is disturbed and, as a result, the solution-crystal interface is deformed by buoyancy convection even when the gravitational acceleration is as low as 10-6 g, which is supposed to be the gravity level in the International Space Station. We also found that the direction of residual gravity has a strong effect on the concentration field in the solution and the crystal growth process. Next, we analyse the influence of g-jitters and the Sorét effect on the crystal growth process. We, in fact, found that g-jitters and the Sorét effect have little influence on the macroscopic crystal growth process. The dependence of the generation of supercooling in the solution on convection is also investigated. We found that supercooling is not induced by convection if residual gravity is 10-6 g. Finally, the possibility of growing high quality InGaAs crystals of uniform compositions in space is discussed.

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Industrial Potential of Microgravity

Cited by 6 publications

References 1 publication

A Homogeneous Solidification Criterion for Undercooled Ni-20at%Pb Hypermonotectic Melts

A Homogeneous Solidification Criterion for Undercooled Ni-20at%Pb Hypermonotectic Melts

Solidification of Eutectic Bi<sub>32.5</sub>In<sub>51</sub>Sn<sub>16.5</sub> Alloy under Microgravity Using a Drop Tube

Numerical analysis of crystal growth of an InAs-GaAs binary semiconductor under microgravity conditions

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