Geometry of the melting interface in cylindrical metal rods under microgravity conditions

The melting interface geometries present within cylindrical iron rods in microgravity are examined. Melting samples are quenched in microgravity by immersion in a water bath. Samples are sectioned on multiple planes and photo microscopy analysis is used to determine the shape of the melting interface on each plane. Images from multiple cross-sections are assembled to produce a three-dimensional representation of the melting interface present in microgravity. Iron rods are shown to have an asymmetric, convex melting interface in microgravity, with a significantly different (increased) heat transfer area compared to the planar normal-gravity case. The change in surface area of the melting interface between normal gravity and microgravity is shown to provide excellent agreement with the observed change in melting rate, as predicted by simple one-dimensional heat transfer analysis. To cite this article: N.R. Ward, T.A. Steinberg, C. R. Mecanique 335 (2007).