Microgravity processing of materials

M. Bier, N. B. Egen, R. A. Mosher and G. E. Twitty in Material Processing in the Microgravity Environment of Space, G. Rindone (ed), Elsevier Science, New York 1982. 

Frazier, D. Paley, M. Penn, B. Abdeldayem H. Smith, D. Microgravity Processing and Photonic Applications of Organic and Polymeric Materials. In MSFC Center Director s Discretionary Fund Final Report, Project No.95-26, NASA Technical Memorandum 108533,1997. 

C. BkrX Jun., C. Barta, sen., J. Sestak Thermophysical Research under Microgravity key lecture at the of 3 IPMM (Intelligent Processing and Manufacturing of Materials)... 

Space shuttle -microgravity experiments [SPACE PROCESSING] (Vol 22) -use of ablative materials [ABLATIVE MATERIALS] (Vol 1) -use of high temperature alloys [HIGH TEMPERATURE ALLOYS] (Vol 13)... 

Abbaschian, R. Gokhale, A.B. Allen, D.B. A study of directional solidification of faceted Bi-Sn alloys in microgravity. In Solidification Science and Processing, Ohnaka, L, Stefanescu, D.M., Eds. TMS (The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society) Warrendale, PA, 1996 73-84 pp. 

Naumann, R. J. Mason, E. D. Summaries of Early Materials Processing in Space, NASA TM-78240, Aug. 1979. More recent experiments that provide excellent data on microgravity effects with fluids can be found in the accompanying preprints from this symposium. 

The study of gas phase and cluster polymerization is an important intellectual and technological frontier which promises unique results not only for a fundamental understanding of polymerization reactions, but also for the development of new materials with unique properties. In the past it has been almost impossible to study gas phase chain polymerization because the involatile product molecules condensed out of the gas phase. The application of microgravity to the study of gas phase polymerization is expected to result in a better control of the process and may also lead to important technological advances. 

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