Effects of processing conditions on powder particle size and morphology in centrifugal atomisation of tin

Abstract

This paper investigates the effects of atomiser design and processing parameters on the morphology and size distribution of centrifugally atomised tin powder. Premature solidification of the melt on the atomiser and poor wetting of the atomiser by the melt were found to be the main causes of unsuccessful atomisation. The particle size distributions of the powders follow a lognormal distribution. The median particle size increased with decreasing atomiser rotation speed and with increasing melt flowrate. Cups with a high included angle made significantly finer powders than flat discs under the same operating conditions.