Abstract:
Plasma-assisted spheroidisation of metal powders offers several technical
advantages with respect to both the ease of materials handling and
powder-metallurgical item manufacturing. Advantages include improved
flowability, increased powder packing density, elimination of internal
component cavities and fractures, changes in morphology resulting in
decreased friction between particles and contamination during pneumatic
transport and enhanced particle purity. In this empirical study, spherical
iron particles were produced using a microwave plasma operating at
atmospheric pressure and characterized using optical microscopy and SEM
techniques. Iron powders were fed into the system at fixed operating
conditions, resulting in particles with spherical structures. The theoretical
estimate of the time required for melting to occur is 1.6 ms, an order of
magnitude smaller than the actual residence time.
