Design and construction of a centrifugal atomization disc system by a new types of water atomization method for metal powder productions

The study has proven that metal powders, which are widely used in the manufacturing industry, can be produced more economically. At the beginning of the research, the effects of the pump fan, thermal furnace, and iron crucible used in the water atomization method on the characteristic feature of the metal powder to be produced were determined by using the relevant literature. Thus, the design and manufacture of the experimental setup to produce metal powder by the water atomization method were carried out. This experimental setup; consists of a pump fan, a thermal furnace, and an iron crucible. In the experimental setup, the rotation speed of the pump fan, the liquid metal outlet velocity, and the liquid metal temperature can be calculated at desired values. In addition, the factors affecting the metal powder properties were investigated. The pump fan used for the water atomization method was tested in different shapes and sizes to examine the effects on metal powders. High-temperature-resistant channel fire bricks were used for the thermal furnace, and a low-temperature and heat-resistant aerated concrete material was used to keep the heat loss at the lowest level. A high melting temperature nickel-chromium electrical resistance wire was used to heat the thermal furnace. The electrical resistance in question was obtained by using the formulas developed for the diameter, length, and number of turns suitable for the channels of the circular fire bricks and it is fixed by connecting, and the resistance wire is connected to the lathe machine from both ends of the rod and spiraled. The crucible is made of iron material due to its high heat resistance and heat transmission coefficient. The temperature has an important role in the design of this thermal furnace. For this, a temperature sensor called a thermocouple is used. Instant temperature values are shown on the screen of this temperature sensor. The equations used in heat transfer and boundary conditions are used for the temperature distribution of the crucible. The prominent aspect of the study is that the crucibles and furnaces manufactured in the study are more economical and easier to manufacture than similar manufacturing technologies. Numerous experiments were conducted on lead and other low-melting metals. The powders produced were brought from the sieve analysis and the average powder sizes and powder distributions were examined. The powders were examined under an optical microscope by metallographic methods. The test results have determined that the metal powders produced are suitable for use in the field of powder metallurgy. Very small powders are spherical in shape. This smallness of dust indicates that they solidified in the air without hitting the water. The shapes of large powders have complex geometrical shapes because they are solidified by water impact. It shows that the use of multi-channel discs is not an important parameter in the amount of metal powders production.