This project will result in a melt-growth flight furnace. A permanent magnet will provide a coaxial magnetic field along the growth axis to suppress convection flow in the melt, permitting production of single crystals with more uniform properties and better crystal quality. This project will develop the permanent-magnet concept by selecting the materials and developing the preliminary design. Then a laboratory-prototype, permanent-magnet furnace will be built and tested.
Potential Commercial Applications: This project could lead to utilization of the Earth-orbital environment for commercial production of materials. In addition, the size and design of this furnace system could provide a means to perform rapid quench or casting experiments using the KC-135 low-gravity simulator or sounding rockets,STATUS: Phase I Only
