Tsoho Zhang ya yi duk aikinsa a Cibiyar Kayan Aikin Jiragen Sama. Kafin ya yi ritaya, abin da ya fi so shi ne ya kai ɗalibansa zuwa ma'ajiyar kayan don gano kayan aiki. Ya kwance wani bokitin filastik mai launin fari mai laushi, ya ɗauki cokali ɗaya na foda mai laushi mai laushi tare da cokalin samfurin, sannan ya jefa shi a hankali a ƙarƙashin haske. Kura ta zauna a hankali a cikin hasken, tana walƙiya a hankali. "Kada ku raina wannan farin foda," in ji Tsoho Zhang koyaushe, yana kallon idanunsa. "Ko jiragen sama da rokoki da muke ginawa za su iya jure yanayin sararin samaniya wani lokacin ya dogara ne da ƙarfin wannan 'fulawa'."
"Furan farin" da ya ambata shinefoda na alumina. Yana kama da na yau da kullun—ba wai kawai an tace shi daga bauxite ba? Amma foda alumina da ake amfani da shi a sararin samaniya ya bambanta gaba ɗaya da alumina na masana'antu na yau da kullun. Tsarkakewarsa kusan nisan huɗu ne bayan ma'aunin decimal; ana auna girman barbashi da nanometers da micrometers; ana la'akari da yanayinsa—ko ƙwallo, flakes, ko allurai—duk an yi la'akari da su sosai. A cikin kalmomin Lao Zhang, "Wannan shine abinci mai kyau wanda ke 'ƙara sinadarin calcium' ga kayan aikin ƙasa masu nauyi."
Dangane da abin da wannan abu zai iya yi a fagen sararin samaniya, akwai aikace-aikace marasa adadi. Bari mu fara da mafi "ƙarfin" - wanda ke ba da "sulke" na jiragen sama. Menene manyan fargabar duk wani abu da ke tashi a sararin samaniya, ko jirgin saman farar hula ne ko jirgin yaƙi na soja? Yanayin zafi mai tsanani da lalacewa. Ruwan injin turbine yana juyawa da sauri a cikin iskar gas mai fitarwa a dubban digiri Celsius; ƙarfe na yau da kullun zai yi laushi kuma ya narke tun da daɗewa. Me za a yi? Injiniyoyi sun fito da mafita mai kyau: shafa saman ruwan wukake da wani rufin yumbu na musamman. Babban kayan gini na wannan rufin galibi shine foda alumina.
Me yasa za a zaɓe shi? Na farko, yana jure zafi, tare da wurin narkewa ya wuce digiri 2000 na Celsius, wanda hakan ya sa ya zama kyakkyawan "kayan rufe zafi." Na biyu, yana da tauri kuma yana jure lalacewa, yana kare ruwan wukake daga lalacewar ƙura a cikin iska mai sauri. Mafi kyau ma, ta hanyar daidaita girman barbashi na foda alumina da ƙara wasu abubuwa, za a iya sarrafa porosity, tauri, da mannewa ga ƙarfen murfin. Kamar yadda wani tsohon ma'aikacin bita ya faɗa cikin barkwanci, "Yana kama da shafa wani Layer na kariya daga rana mai ƙarfi na yumbu ga ruwan wukake na turbine - yana da kariya daga rana kuma yana jure karce." Yaya muhimmancin wannan "kariyar rana"? Yana ba ruwan wukake na turbine damar aiki a yanayin zafi mafi girma, kuma ga kowane digiri goma, zafin injin yana ƙaruwa, turawa yana ƙaruwa sosai, yayin da yawan amfani da mai ke raguwa. Ga jiragen sama da ke tashi dubban kilomita, tanadin mai da haɓaka aiki abu ne mai tauri. Idan murfin shingen zafi shine "aikace-aikacen waje," to rawar da foda alumina ke takawa a cikin kayan haɗin shine "ƙarin ciki."
Jiragen sama na zamani, tauraron dan adam, da rokoki suna amfani da kayan haɗin gwiwa sosai don rage nauyi. Duk da haka, waɗannan kayan haɗin da aka yi da resin suna da rauni - ba sa jure lalacewa, suna iya fuskantar yanayin zafi mai yawa, kuma ba su da isasshen tauri. Masana kimiyya masu wayo sun haɗa da foda alumina, musamman girman nanofoda na alumina, a ko'ina cikin resin, kamar kullu mai ƙullawa. Wannan haɗin yana da tasiri mai ban mamaki: taurin kayan, juriyar lalacewa, juriyar zafi, har ma da kwanciyar hankali duk suna inganta sosai.
Misali, benayen jirgin sama, wasu kayan ciki, har ma da wasu sassan tsarin da ba sa ɗaukar kaya suna amfani da wannan kayan haɗin da aka ƙarfafa da aluminum. Wannan ba wai kawai yana sa su zama masu sauƙi da ƙarfi ba, har ma yana hana su yin aiki yadda ya kamata, wanda ke inganta aminci sosai. Kayan aikin da aka yi daidai yana tallafawa tauraron dan adam, waɗanda ke buƙatar ƙaramin canji a ƙarƙashin yanayin zafi mai tsanani, kuma yana da matuƙar muhimmanci ga wannan kayan. Yana kama da "zubar" kwarangwal cikin filastik mai sassauƙa, yana ba shi ƙarfi da sassauci.
Foda ta Alumina kuma tana da "ƙwarewa ta ɓoye," mai mahimmanci a fagen sararin samaniya - kyakkyawan abin rufe fuska ne mai zafi da kuma kayan da ke jure wa bushewa.
Idan jirgin sama ya sake shiga sararin samaniya daga sararin samaniya, kamar ya faɗi cikin tanderun plasma mai dubban digiri. Bakin waje na kwanson sake shiga dole ne ya kasance yana da wani Layer mai jure zafi wanda "ke sadaukar da kansa don mafi kyawun amfani." Foda ta Alumina tana taka muhimmiyar rawa wajen samar da kayayyaki da yawa masu jure zafi. Idan aka haɗa ta da wasu kayayyaki, tana samar da Layer mai tauri, mai ramuka, kuma mai kariya sosai a saman. Wannan Layer yana narkewa a hankali a yanayin zafi mai yawa, yana ɗauke da zafi kuma yana kiyaye zafin ɗakin a cikin kewayon rayuwa ga 'yan saman jannati ta hanyar amfani da kansa. "Duk lokacin da na ga kwanson dawowa ya sauka cikin nasara, kuma Layer na waje na kayan da ke jure zafi ya ƙone baƙi, ina tunanin waɗannan dabarun da aka yi amfani da su a aluminum da muka gyara akai-akai," in ji wani babban injiniya mai kula da kayan da ke jure zafi. "Ya ƙone, amma an kammala aikinsa daidai."
Bayan waɗannan aikace-aikacen "gaba-gaba" masu ƙarfi,foda na aluminayana da mahimmanci "a bayan fage." Misali, a cikin ƙera kayan haɗin jirgi da rokoki masu inganci, ana buƙatar a yi amfani da ƙarfe mai ƙarfi da yawa. A lokacin yin siminti, ana buƙatar a tallafa wa sassan ƙarfe na foda a cikin tanda mai zafi mai zafi ta amfani da takamaiman "shims" ko "faranti masu harbi." Waɗannan faranti dole ne su kasance masu jure zafi, ba sa lalacewa, kuma ba sa manne da samfurin. Faranti masu harbi da aka yi da yumbu mai ƙarfi na alumina sun zama zaɓi mafi kyau. Bugu da ƙari, a cikin tsarin niƙa da goge wasu sassa masu matuƙar daidaito, ƙaramin foda na alumina mai matuƙar tsarki matsakaici ne mai aminci da inganci.
Hakika, ba za a iya amfani da irin wannan abu mai mahimmanci ba tare da sakaci ba. Shin tsarkin ya isa? Shin rarrabawar girman barbashi iri ɗaya ne? Akwai wani haɗuwa? Shin wargajewar yana da kyau? Kowane alama yana shafar aikin samfurin ƙarshe. A fagen sararin samaniya, ko da ƙaramin kuskure na iya haifar da mummunan sakamako. Saboda haka, daga zaɓin kayan abu da gyaran sarrafawa zuwa dabarun aikace-aikace, kowane mataki yana ƙarƙashin ƙa'idodi masu tsauri, kusan buƙata, da ƙa'idodi na sarrafawa.
A tsaye a cikin wani kamfanin haɗa jiragen sama na zamani, kana kallon jirgin sama mai sauƙi yana walƙiya a ƙarƙashin fitilun, ka fahimci cewa wannan tsari mai rikitarwa yana shawagi a sararin samaniya sakamakon abubuwa marasa adadi kamar foda alumina, kowannensu yana taka rawar da ya taka a duk ƙarfinsa. Ba ya samar da babban tsarin, duk da haka yana ƙarfafa tsarin; ba ya samar da babban ƙarfi, duk da haka yana kare tushen tsarin turawa; ba ya ƙayyade hanyar kai tsaye, duk da haka yana tabbatar da amincin jirgin.
Daga shafa mai jure zafi mai yawa zuwa kayan haɗin da aka ƙarfafa, har ma da yadudduka masu jure zafi mai kai, aikace-aikacenfoda na aluminaa fagen sararin samaniya yana ci gaba da zurfafawa zuwa ga yanayi mai sauƙi, ƙarfi, da juriya ga yanayi mai tsauri. A nan gaba, tare da haɓaka kayan alumina masu tsabta mafi girma da kuma siffofi na musamman (kamar nanowires da nanosheets), yana iya taka rawar da ba a zata ba a cikin sarrafa zafi, watsar da zafi na na'urorin lantarki, har ma da kera a cikin sararin samaniya.
Wannan farin foda, mai shiru da kwanciyar hankali, yana ɗauke da babban kuzari wanda ke tallafawa binciken ɗan adam na sararin samaniya. Yana tunatar da mu cewa a tafiyarmu zuwa taurari, ba wai kawai muna buƙatar manyan wahayi da ƙarfi mai ƙarfi ba, har ma da waɗannan "fikafikan da ba a iya gani" marasa shiru da tsayayyu waɗanda ke haɓaka aikin kayan yau da kullun. Lokaci na gaba da ka kalli jirgin sama yana tashi sama ko kuma ka kalli abin mamaki na harba roka, za ka iya tuna cewa a cikin wannan ƙarfe da kayan haɗin gwiwa, akwai irin wannan "farin ruhu," yana kare aminci da kyawun kowane tashi.