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Electromagnetic levitation—A useful tool in microgravity research

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Abstract

Electromagnetic levitation is one area of the electromagnetic processing of materials that has uses for both fundamental research and practical applications. This technique was successfully used on the Space Shuttle Columbia during the Spacelab IML-2 mission in July 1994 as a platform for accurately measuring the surface tensions of liquid metals and alloys. In this article, we discuss the key transport phenomena associated with electromagnetic levitation, the fundamental relationships associated with thermophysical property measurement that can be made using this technique, reasons for working in microgravity, and some of the results obtained from the microgravity experiments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

    Julian Szekely Ph.D. (professor in materials science and engineering, Fellow of TMS)

  2. Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA

    Elliot Schwartz Ph.D. (postdoctoral research associate in the Materials Science and Technology division, member of TMS)

Authors
  1. Julian Szekely Ph.D.
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  2. Elliot Schwartz Ph.D.
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  3. Robert Hyers B.S.
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Szekely, J., Schwartz, E. & Hyers, R. Electromagnetic levitation—A useful tool in microgravity research. JOM 47, 50–53 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03221177

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