This book presents inductive and hybrid levitation micro-systems and their applications in micro-sensors and –actuators. It proposes and discusses analytical and quasi-finite element techniques for modeling levitation micro-systems based on the Lagrangian formalism. In particular, micro-bearings, -actuators, -accelerators and –accelerometers based on inductive levitation are comprehensively described with accompanying experimental measurements.

This book presents experimental work conducted on the International Space Station (ISS) in order to characterize metals and alloys in the liquid state. The internationally recognized authors present and discuss experiments performed in microgravity that enabled the study of the relevant volume and surface related properties free of the restrictions of a gravity-based environment. The collection serves also as a handbook of space experiments using electromagnetic levitation techniques. A summary of recent results provides an overview of the wealth of space experiment data, which will ignite further research activities and inspire academics and industrial research departments for their continuous development.

A variety of industries – information technology, aerospace, automobile, and basic and new materials manufacturing – need technological innovations, which bring high-value-added and high-quality products at low cost not only because of global competition, but also because of the perspective of en- ronmental consciousness and regulation. Thermophysical properties of hi- temperature melts are indispensable for numerical simulations of material processes such as semiconductor and optical crystal growth of the melt, and castingofsuper-high-temperaturealloysforjet-engineturbineblades,inad- tion to welding in automobile manufacturing. Recent developments in process modeling provide 3D unsteady analysis of melt convection, temperature, and heat ?ux distribution, which enables us to predict product quality. In fact, 3D process visualization using computer modeling helps us to understand complicated phenomena occurring in the melt and to control the process. Accurate data are necessary to improve the modeling, which co- e?ectively engenders high-quality products. However, crucial obstacles render measurements of thermophysical properties di?cult at elevated temperatures because of high chemical reactivity and ?uidity of melts. Substantial and persistent challenges have been made to ascertain the precise thermophysical properties of high-temperature melts. This book describes the new techniques and latest developments in the measurements of atomic structure, density, surface tension, viscosity, heat capacity, thermal and mass di?usivity, th- mal conductivity, emissivity, and electrical conductivity of high-temperature melts. In addition to up-to-date improvements in conventional techniques, some new attempts are introduced to open a new scienti?c ?eld, that is, physics of high-temperature melts.

One of the major experimental difficulties in studying materials at extreme temperatures is unwanted contamination of the sample through contact with the container. This can be avoided by suspending the sample through levitation. This technique also makes metastable states of matter accessible, opening up new avenues of scientific enquiry, as well as possible new materials for technological applications. This book describes several methods of levitation, the most important being aerodynamic, electromagnetic and electrostatic. It summarizes the state-of-the-art of the measurement of structural, dynamic and physical properties with levitation techniques, the considerable progress made in this field in the past two decades, and prospects for the future. It also explores the concepts behind the experiments and associated theoretical ideas. Aimed at researchers in physics, physical chemistry and materials science, the book is also of interest to professionals working in high-temperature materials processing and the aerospace industry.

This book presents in-depth coverage of magnetic sensors in industrial applications. It is divided into three sections: devices and technology for magnetic sensing, industrial applications (automotive, navigation), and emerging applications. Topics include transmission speed sensor ICs, dynamic differential Hall ICs, chopped Hall switches, programmable linear output Hall sensors, low power Hall ICs, self-calibrating differential Hall ICs for wheel speed sensing, dynamic differential Hall ICs, uni- and bipolar Hall IC switches, chopped mono cell Hall ICs, and electromagnetic levitation.

This volume is a collection of review articles by scientists who have pioneered many of the recent advances in studies of the optical effects of small particles. The book begins with a review of the multitude of sharp dielectric resonances which exist in all optical spectra as a result of particle size and shape. Latest advances in absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy of a single particle and/or an ensemble of particles are also discussed, as well as advances in the energy transfer mechanisms for molecules embedded in the particle. The effects of laser-induced heating on a single particle are reviewed in terms of the hydrodynamics and thermodynamics of the liquid droplet and its ambient gas surrounding. The limits of applying bulk optical constants to small particles which lie between the bulk substance and the quantum-sized substance are also presented.

All metallic materials are prepared from the liquid state as their parent phase. Solidification is therefore one of the most important phase transformation in daily human life. Solidification is the transition from liquid to solid state of matter. The conditions under which material is transformed determines the physical and chemical properties of the as-solidified body. The processes involved, like nucleation and crystal growth, are governed by heat and mass transport. Convection and undercooling provide additional processing parameters to tune the solidification process and to control solid material performance from the very beginning of the production chain. To develop a predictive capability for efficient materials production the processes involved in solidification have to be understood in detail. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the solidification of metallic melts processed and undercooled in a containerless manner by drop tube, electromagnetic and electrostatic levitation, and experiments in reduced gravity. The experiments are accompanied by model calculations on the influence of thermodynamic and hydrodynamic conditions that control selection of nucleation mechanisms and modify crystal growth development throughout the solidification process.