30 May 2026 to 2 June 2026
ESA HQ-N
Europe/Paris timezone

Revisiting Electromagnetic Levitator Data Using a More Detailed Theoretical Model to Improve Viscosity Measurement Accuracy

1 Jun 2026, 12:10
5m
ESA HQ-N

ESA HQ-N

Paris, France
Poster Lunch

Speaker

Marcelina Stasik (European Space Agency)

Description

Viscosity measurements of metallic samples obtained from electromagnetic levitator experiments on the International Space Station have traditionally exhibited deviations of over 10% for very viscous samples. This study presents a recalculation of the original data using a more detailed theoretical equation, resulting in improved accuracy with deviations reduced to approximately 2% [1]. The enhanced model accounts for previously neglected factors affecting levitation dynamics and electromagnetic forces, enabling more precise interpretation of experimental results. These recalculated findings provide a more reliable basis for understanding the viscosity behaviour of metallic melts under microgravity conditions. The improved accuracy contributes significantly to materials science research and supports future experimental design in space-based levitation studies. [2]

[1] G. Lohöfer, Viscosity measurement by the “oscillating drop method”: The case of strongly damped oscillations. Int. J. Thermophys. 41 30 (2020) [2] H.-J. Fecht, M. Mohr, Metallurgy in Space: Measurement of Thermophysical Properties Using the ISS-EML (2022)

Author

Marcelina Stasik (European Space Agency)

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