Containment of a silicone fluid free surface in reduced gravity using barrier coatings

In support of the Surface Tension Driven Convection Experiment planned for flight aboard the Space Shuttle, tests were conducted under reduced gravity in the 2.2-sec Drop Tower and the 5.0-sec Zero-G facility at the NASA Lewis Research Center. The dynamics of controlling the test fluid, a 10-cSt viscosity silicone fluid in a low gravity environment were investigated using different container designs and barrier coatings. Three container edge designs were tested without a barrier coating; a square edge, a sharp edge with a 45-deg slope, and a sawtooth edge. All three edge designs were successful in containing the fluid below the edge. G-jitter experiments were made in scaled down containers subjected to horizontal accelerations. The data showed that a barrier coating is effective in containing silicone fluid under g-levels up to 10 sup -1 sub g sub 0. In addition, a second barrier coating was found which has similar anti-wetting characteristics and is also more durable.