Metal melting, joining, and alloying under weightlessnessDuring the Skylab mission experiments were conducted concerning the influence of weightlessness on molten metals and the solidification process. It was found that the absence of gravity-induced thermal convection and sedimentation modified the properties of the bulk melt. A metals melting experiment was conducted to study the behavior of metal melted by an electron beam and to evaluate the feasibility of joining metals in space. An exothermic brazing experiment investigated the spreading, mixing, and capillary flow of molten braze material. The containerless melting and solidification of small samples of several metals was studied in another experiment. A description is also given of a study of the directional solidification of solid solution alloys.
Document ID
19770035685
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Authors
Snyder, R. S. (NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Physical Sciences Branch, Huntsville, Ala., United States)
Date Acquired
August 9, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1976
Subject Category
Astronautics (General)
Report/Patent Number
AIAA PAPER 74-1237
Meeting Information
Meeting: Conference on Scientific investigations on the Skylab satellite