Aerodynamic Levitation: Thermophysical Property Measurements of Liquid Oxides

We report on a compact laser-heated aerodynamic levitation facility which can be used for studies of thermophysical properties like density, surface tension and viscosity of liquid oxides at high temperatures. The facility is characterized by employing an acoustic excitation system for controlled excitation of droplet oscillations which is key for measurements of surface tension and viscosity. Results of measurements of density and viscosity of pure liquid Al2O3 as well as CaAl2O4 are presented. The data are discussed in the context of available literature data. It is shown that with the present setup the experimentally accessible temperature ranges could be enlarged. For viscosity high precision data for high melting point and highly reactive oxide melts can now be obtained using aerodynamic levitation