Metallic powders and methods therefor
AssigneeWisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
InventorsLianyi Chen, Ali Nabaa
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Aspects of the disclosure are directed to methods and/or apparatuses involving the formation of pore-free or nearly pore-free liquid droplets. As may be implemented in accordance with one or more embodiments, liquid droplets including metal are formed having pores within the liquid droplets. This may involve, for example, atomizing liquid metal with a gas and forming the droplets having pores. The pores are then driven out of the liquid droplets by heating the liquid droplets from a first state in which an outer surface of the droplets has a lower temperature than an inner region thereof, to a second state in which the outer surface has a higher temperature than the inner region.
Claims20
A method comprising:
- forming liquid droplets including metal, the liquid droplets having an outer surface and pores at an inner region within the liquid droplets;
- cooling the liquid droplets to a first state in which the outer surface has a lower temperature than the inner region;
- and
- driving the pores out of the liquid droplets by heating the liquid droplets from the first state to a second state in which the outer surface has a higher temperature than the inner region, therein reversing the temperature gradient within the droplets;
- and
- solidifying the liquid droplets.
An apparatus for manufacturing metallic powders, the apparatus comprising:
- a chamber;
- an atomizer having an inlet to receive liquid metal and an outlet to atomize the liquid metal using a gas to form liquid droplets including metal in the chamber, the liquid droplets having an outer surface and pores at an inner region within the liquid droplets, the chamber being configured to facilitate cooling of the liquid droplets, after atomization, to a first state in which the outer surface has a lower temperature than the inner region;
- and
- a heat source configured to drive the pores out of the liquid droplets by heating the liquid droplets in the chamber from the first state to a second state in which the outer surface has a higher temperature than the inner region, therein reversing the temperature gradient within the droplets, the chamber being configured to solidify the liquid droplets thereafter.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.