R. Hardin (UI), C. Beckermann (UI), R. Trivedi (ISU, Ames), S. Mashl (ISU, Ames), J. Bendle (ISU), others

The IJEMS is a Cooperative Experiment on the Wake Shield Facility which flew on the Space Shuttle STS-69 mission in September, 1995.

The objective of the IJEMS is to provide experimental data on the interaction between the solid/liquid interface and suspended Ni particulates during the directional solidification of eutectic and near-eutectic Sn-Cd alloys under microgravity conditions. Microgravity eliminates convective melt motion and buoyancy forces on the particulates, and thus allows for a more conclusive test of available (but inconclusive) theories on particle/solidification front interactions, particularly for a eutectic microstructure (instead of just a plane front for pure substances).

The project is unique in its (i) small budget (~$100,000), (ii) short leadtime (about 1/2 year), (iv) heavy student participation, and (v) cooperation between the two major state universities (IU and ISU).

As of January 1996, the four samples have been succesfully retrieved from the Shuttle (after its flight in Sep 95), and are presently being analyzed and compared to corresponding ground-based experiments.