Dr David Browne and PhD student Andrew Murphy, from the UCD School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, are interested in real time observation of what happens during solidification of aluminium alloys. In this video, they perform solidification experiments on board a European Space Agency Parabolic Flight Campaign and experience zero gravity. By performing the same experiments on Earth, they can compare the results to better understand the effects of gravity on alloy solidification. There is a need for improved quality in a range of metal cast products like hip or knee replacement parts, engine pistons, and turbine blades and computer simulations of alloy solidification are a good way of doing this.
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