Matson, Kelton co-author article in npj Microgravity

Dr. Douglas Matson (Tufts University) and Dr. Kenneth Kelton (Washington University in St. Louis) were co-authors of an article in npj Microgravity titled “Electromagnetic levitation containerless processing of metallic materials in microgravity: rapid solidification” published Aug. 15, 2023.   

Significance

This review article presents a highlighted summary of selected key accomplishments from several of the ESA/DLR/NASA projects that utilize the ISS-EML (International Space Station-electromagnetic levitation) to investigate rapid solidification. The ISS-EML facility allows for the selection of the desired stirring conditions and provides an enabling and powerful tool for the advancement of knowledge in solidification physics across a wide range of experimental objectives and a diverse set of current and future metallic material classes.

To produce materials that meet specific requirements and performance, the solidification processing of materials must be controlled with precision. One major thrust will be advancing the development of process modeling capability supporting additive manufacturing with an eye toward developing in-space manufacturing, material reuse and recycling, and in situ resource utilization capabilities to support human exploration missions.   

Abstract

Space levitation processing allows researchers to conduct benchmark tests to understand the physical phenomena involved in rapid solidification processing, including alloy thermodynamics, nucleation and growth, heat and mass transfer, solid/liquid interface dynamics, macro- and microstructural evolution, and defect formation. Supported by ground-based investigations, a major thrust is to develop and refine robust computational tools based on theoretical and applied approaches. This work is accomplished in conjunction with experiments designed for precise model validation with application to a broad range of industrial processes.