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Completed TRL 2 (started at 2, targeting 3)
FAMIS is a flight-based microgravity material science research experiment aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to study gravity-driven convection arising from density gradients in the microstructure of Bulk Metallic Glass (BMG) materials as a matrix alloy and as a Metal Matrix Composites (MMC).
The goal of the FAMIS flight investigation is to study gravity-driven convection arising from density gradients in the microstructure. Flight experiment objectives are to (1) use the Low Gradient Furnace (LGF) to complete Bridgmancrystal growth on composites in an attempt to grow dendrites along the translational axis, (2) use the Solidification and Quenching Furnace to coarsen and homogenize dendrite microstructures using mushy-zone processing.
A novel type of MMC is an alloy that exhibits benchmark combinations of strength and toughness. These alloys were developed by creating a MMC with high-strength metallic glasses (also called amorphous metals) as the matrix phase and a soft body centered cubic (bcc) dendrite as the crystalline phase called metallic glass matrix composites (MGMCs). The widespread use of MMCs and MGMCs in particular requires in-depth research into the processing and fabrication of these multi-phase alloys. For example, semi-solid (or mushy) processing is often required to coarsen the second phases in MMCs and MGMCs to improve the mechanical properties. These additional processing requirements make the fabrication of hardware from MMCs unique compared with traditional metal parts (which are typically machined into a final shape). This NASA/Space Life and Physical Sciences Program funded science seeks to understand the development of second phases in MGMCs as a function of processing parameters so that innovative industrial processing techniques can be used to generate hardware.
The microgravity flight experiment objectives are to (1) use the Low Gradient Furnace (LGF) to complete Bridgman crystal growth on composites in an attempt to grow dendrites along the translational axis, (2) to study the nucleation, growth, directionality, and cooling rate dependence of crystalline dendrites evolving in a glass-forming eutectic matrix. The ground-based research effort will be carried out utilizing laboratories at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the California Institute of Technology, including the High Vacuum Electro-Static Levitator platform (HVESL) at Caltech.
Understanding the development of innovative new materials is a fundamental part of future terrestrial and space technologies. Metal matrix composites (MMCs) made from Bulk Metallic Glass (BMG) are a relatively new class of alloys that exhibit unique properties which make them desirable for many new technologies. They differ from traditional monolithic crystalline metal alloys because the mechanical and physical properties of single-phase alloys are limited by composition and dislocation-based plasticity. These alloys have the potential for significant impact in high-performance structural applications in areas ranging from defense, to aerospace, to commercial sporting goods and many potential benefit towards improving life on Earth, from improving the accessibility and cost of solar power, improved wear resistance properties of Bulk Metallic Glasses, and reducing the mass of spacecraft.
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