Preliminary Experiments Using Electromagnetic Levitation On the International Space Station

Abstract

Calibration and check-out runs during FeCrNi steel alloy melting cycles on the International Space Station are compared to previous test results from experimental platforms both in microgravity and on ground. Four key thermophysical properties are investigated: density, thermal expansion, surface tension and viscosity. Analysis shows that the three facilities yield results with comparable accuracy but the space results indicate that planned changes to on-orbit processing protocol are required to maximize the potential for significantly improved precision.