QMI: a furnace for metals and alloys processing on the International Space Station

The Quench Module Insert (QMI) is being designed for materials science research on the International Space Station (ISS). It will operate inside the Materials Science Laboratory (MSL) in the First Materials Science Research Rack (MSRR-1) as part of the Materials Science Research Facility (MSRF). This unique materials processing furnace has been designed to create an extremely high temperature gradient for the directional solidification processing of metals and alloys, but at the same time is flexible enough to process samples in their low-gradient or isothermal environments. It is also capable of quenching samples at the end of processing to freeze in the interfacial microstructure developed during processing, which can then be analyzed on the ground by the principal investigators. Design and development of QMI was challenging given the requirement to operate for a long life on the space station, where opportunities for maintenance are minimal. Development was also constrained by the small MSL processing chamber inside which the furnace will operate. Details of the performance capabilities and how they relate to enabling science, along with some of the more significant design features implemented to overcome the space station design challenge, are presented.