FLOW MECHANISMS IN HIGH-PRESSURE GAS ATOMIZATION

Very fine (d < 10-mu-m) metal and alloy powders can be produced efficiently by a high pressure gas atomization (HPGA) technique. Rapid solidification processing, metal injection molding, thermal spraying and other emerging powder-processing approaches benefit from the use of such fine powders. This paper reports on the results of an investigation of gas atomization process dynamics with emphasis on the high pressure operating regime. The direct benefit of a better understanding of the process dynamics will be to permit a more informed selection of atomizer design and operating parameters as well as to further improve HPGA performance.