APPLICATION OF A NEW GAS ATOMIZATION SYSTEM FOR ALLOYS AND CHALCOGENIDES

摘要

During the past years, enormous attention has been drawn to atomizing systems and their use inpowder metallurgy and friction material manufacturing. The present work deals with an atomizingsystem named IMR-WIDEFLOW?, using a slit nozzle for supplying the liquid phase. Compared tothe state of the art, the melt forms a film instead of a melt stream after leaving the orifice to achieve alarger zone, where both phases are able to interact. Up to now, low-melting metals and alloys up to1200 °C (2190 °F) as well as different metal chalcogenides have been atomized successfully. The aimis to produce high-quality metal powders with an exactly defined grain size distribution and uniformshape by atomizing.The paper gives a brief overview of different spraying systems and techniques applied to producemetal powders followed by a description of the new gas-atomization system. Also the main parameterslike geometrical settings of the nozzle as well as gas pressure influencing the gas atomizing systemand the specific gas consumption were investigated. A model to describe the influence of thesedifferent parameters on the atomizing results (median grain size, etc.) was generated.The purpose of this paper is to report on the current atomizer system and different metal powdersproduced with it.