Correlation Between Powder Particle Size Distribution and Production Methods and Parameters

Abstract

Establishing the relationship between atomized particle sizes and atomization process parameters is important both theoretically and technologically. However, the large number of process parameters complicates this task. A potential solution is to establish simple dependences on the main (defining) parameters (or functional dependences). Determining the mass median particle diameter of a powder batch is particularly difficult, so this study incorporates data from other authors in addition to personal research findings. This study used personal research findings and calculations of the mass median particle diameter of the powders produced at the pilot plant of the Frantsevich Institute for Problems of Materials Science by high-pressure (0.05 to 200 MPa) water atomization of the Al-40.1 Cu-16.9 Fe melt. A series of experiments were performed on the Al-40.1 Cu-16.9 Fe alloy to produce powders by varying the atomization pressure and melt temperature. The dataset included the size distributions of water-atomized powders of pure metals: lead, zinc, copper, stainless and high-speed steels, and copper-phosphorus and ferrosilicon alloys. For comparison, mass median diameters of lead, aluminum, and copper powder particles produced by compressed air atomization at 0.4 to 2.8 MPa were also used. Based on these data, the relationship between the ratio of the mass median particle diameter to the gravitational melt jet diameter, d₅₀/D (inverse degree of atomization), and the Weber number (We) was plotted in logarithmic coordinates. The correlation between the inverse degree of water and gas atomization for liquid metals and alloys and the Weber number followed a linear dependence: \(\text{lg}\left({d}_{50}/D\right)=2.0-0.5\times \text{lg}\left(\text{We}\right)\).