Advanced high-temperature ultracentrifuge apparatus for mega-gravity materials science

An ultracentrifuge apparatus, which can generate an ultra-strong gravitational field even >1 000 000 (1 million) G (1 G=9.8 m/s2) over a wide temperature range up to >500 °C with high stability control, was developed for new materials science research. The system consists of an air turbine motor with ceramic ball bearings and dumper section, a sample rotor with an outer diameter of up to 160 mm, a vacuum chamber, and a heating system. The nonbored rotor and the double-structural dumper bushing are used to raise the maximum rotational speed and to improve the stability. The samples can be heated by radiant heat. A maximum rotational speed of 190 000 rpm using a 70 mm diam rotor was recorded despite a short time where the maximum gravitational field was >1 2000 000 G. Long and high-temperature ultracentrifuge experiments using 70 and 80 mm diam rotors made of titanium alloy with rotational speeds of up to 170 000 rpm even at temperatures of over 200 °C for 100 h with ripples of <0.05% and <1°, respectively, were successfully performed, where the maximum gravitational field of the sample was >1 000 000 G. The potential energy and sample volume were increased by factors of >2 and >4, respectively, compared with those in the Kumamoto University study [T. Mashimo, S. Okazaki, and S. Tashiro, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 67, 3170 (1996)].