Cooling aluminium alloy research

The CETSOL-2 series of experiments uses ESA’s Materials Science Laboratory on the International Space Station. Nothing less than a miniature metal furnace in space, the Materials Science Laboratory can heat samples to 1400°C before letting the metals solidify. Astronauts collect data for the MICAST ( Microstructure Formationin Casting of Technical Alloys) experiment by installing cartridges with metal alloys.

CETSOL-2 (Columnar to Equiaxed Transition in Solidification Processing) focuses on how cooling aluminium alloys in specific areas and adding microparticles can improve the result.

Aluminium is used in many products, from car engines to industrial machines but casting strong forms is heavily influenced by temperature differences during the cooling process. In a single block of cast aluminium, the strength, elasticity and resistance can differ because the aluminium does not cool uniformly.

This problem has been known for years but an effective computer model to use as a basis for improving the process has been missing.

In addition to looking at temperature, CETSOL-2 observes how adding microparticles can help. Like adding raisins to a cake-mix, adding small particles to a metal can improve the result. Called ‘grain refiners’ by metallurgists, these grains improve the metals properties but CETSOL-2 will help to understand how.