Laboratory Apparatus for the Generation of Rapidly Quenched Metal Powders.

摘要

The objective of this program is to develop a Table Top Rapid Solidification Powder Generator utilizing electrohydrodynamic (EHD) techniques. EHD is a method of producing very small droplets from a liquid using intense electric fields. The intense field is attained by the application of nominal voltages (several kilovolts) to an emitter having small radius of curvature. When the voltage is applied, the intense field provides sufficient forces upon the liquid surface to form a liquid jet from which droplets are produced. When small droplets are formed from a liquid metal, at the melting point, the droplets will solidify because of heat radiation at rates related to the material properties and the droplet size. The droplet sizes can be varied through a combination of varying the applied voltage and the material mass flow rate. The equipment required to produce metal powders using EHD techniques includes a vacuum system, a droplet source, a particle collector, and the appropriate electronics and test instruments.