Plasma Alloying and Spheroidization Process and Development

摘要

Elemental and blended refractory metal powders were processed using a plasma alloying and spheroidization process. The powders were characterized to determine changes in chemistry and morphology after processing. Five refractory metal powders were evaluated during this investigation: 1) crystalline tungsten, 2) spray dried molybdenum, 3) W-25 wt percent Re composite powder, 4) W-2 wt percent Re composite powder, 5) Mo-40 wt percent Re composite powder. Benefits of the PAS process such as a two-order magnitude reduction in oxygen contamination, production of highly spherical powders for enhanced flow characteristics, and the ability to produce pre-alloyed powders were demonstrated.