Specimen heating during free fall testing - comprises applying incident heat energy on specimen during weightlessness using heating means arranged independently of specimen

摘要

In the heating of specimens for resting under weightless conditions, the novelty is that, when carrying out a free fall test, the heating equipment (14) (pref. a laser or resistance heater) is arranged independently of the specimen (11) and the heat energy (16') is also incident on the specimen during weightlessness. Equipment for carrying out the process consists of a laser fixed or movably mounted on a tower or shaft for directing a laser beam (16,16') onto a specimen (11) during free fall in the tower or shaft. USE/ADVANTAGE - The process is useful for research e.g. into metal and alloy solidification processes under free fall conditions on earth or in a space vehicle. It allows flexible heating and cooling control, e.g. for directional solidification, and allows free fall of the specimen as droplets or as a melt in a crucible.