Method for manufacturing a metal powder by granulation of a metal melt
AssigneeASEA Aktiebolag
InventorsHans G. Larsson, Erik Westman
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for granulating a metal melt wherein a tap stream of molten metal is granulated by directing a jet of gas having a trough-shaped cross-section against the side of the tap stream such that the tap stream is formed into droplets which are thrown into a parabolic trajectory. An additional gas jet is also directed towards the tap stream so that it hits both the trough-shaped gas jet and the tap stream, the additional gas jet acting to prevent the droplets of metal melt from moving towards the nozzle from which the trough-shaped jet of gas emanates. The nozzle which emits the trough-shaped jet of gas can thus be positioned very closely to the side of the tap stream without becoming clogged with deposited droplets of metal melt.
Claims13
A method of forming a metal powder which includes
- (a) forming a vertically downwardly moving tap stream of molten metal,
- (b) directing a trough-shaped first jet of gas towards the side of said stream so as to impact therewith and generate droplets of molten metal and thereafter cause the droplets to be thrown in a substantially parabolic trajectory, said trough-shaped jet of gas having an open top and a vertically oriented plane of symmetry therethrough, said plane of symmetry of said trough-shaped jet intersecting said stream,
- (c) directing a second jet of gas obliquely downwardly towards the open top of said trough-shaped first jet of gas so as to prevent molten metal droplets from moving in a second jet of gas having the same general direction of flow as said trough-shaped first jet of gas, and
- (d) rapidly cooling the droplets of molten metal to form the metal powder as said droplets travel in said substantially parabolic trajectory.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.