Ultrasonic monitoring for directional solidification experiments onboard of the International Space Station

摘要

Ultrasonic monitoring schemes for the detection of the solid-liquid interface during directional solidification have been developed including electronic equipment for the Material Science Laboratory (MSL) of the International Space Station (ISS). Special signal and data processing suitable for automatic monitoring, on board signal averaging, and operation under a limited data transfer condition is discussed. The achievable resolution in the micrometer regime as well as post experimental processing and evaluation for high resolution monitoring are presented and exemplified for typical applications.