Centrifugal atomization pulverizing device

Abstract

The centrifugal atomization powder making device comprises a smelting system, a flow guide assembly, an atomization system and a powder collecting system which are sequentially connected and communicated from top to bottom, the smelting system comprises a low-melting-point metal smelting furnace, a crucible, a heating device, a high-melting-point metal powder storage tank and air supply equipment, and a feeding opening is formed in the top of the low-melting-point metal smelting furnace; the crucible is mounted in the low-melting-point metal smelting furnace and corresponds to the position of the feeding hole; an induction coil of the heating device is wound on the periphery of the crucible; the high-melting-point metal powder storage tank is located outside the low-melting-point metal smelting furnace and communicates with the crucible. And the air supply equipment is connected and communicated with the high-melting-point metal powder storage tank. According to the invention, the low-melting-point metal smelting furnace and the high-melting-point metal powder storage tank are separated into two parts which are matched with each other, so that powder preparation after most metals with different melting points are synthesized into alloy can be realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of spherical powder preparation, and more particularly to a centrifugal atomization powder making device. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of additive manufacturing, powder metallurgy and thermal spraying technology, the demand for high-performance alloy powders has increased sharply, especially composite alloy powders of low-melting-point metals (such as magnesium) and high-melting-point metals (such as titanium and nickel-based alloys). Because of their lightweight and high-temperature resistance, they show broad application prospects in the fields of aerospace, biomedicine and energy.

[0003] At present, the main methods of powder making are gas atomization, water atomization and centrifugal atomization. Among them, gas atomization and water atomization have significant limitations: 1) Cooling rate limitation: Compared with ultrasonic atomization or rapid solidification technology, the cooling rate of centrifugal atomization (about 10 3 ~10 4 K / s) is low; 2) Poor material compatibility: Existing equipment does not adequately passivate low-melting-point metals (such as magnesium), resulting in active powders that are easily oxidized and deteriorate, and poor storage stability; and although centrifugal atomization technology can achieve the crushing and spheroidization of liquid metals through high-speed rotating centrifugal force, there are still the following technical problems: 1) Satellite powder problem: During the atomization process, small droplets adhere to the surface of large particles to form satellite powders, which destroys the uniformity of particle size distribution and leads to uneven material properties; 2) Low heat dissipation efficiency: The heat generated by the long-term operation of the equipment is difficult to be discharged in time, affecting the fluidity of the metal melt and the crystallization quality of the powder, and aggravating equipment loss; 3) Imperfect passivation mechanism: Low-melting-point metals (such as magnesium) require surface passivation to reduce activity, but existing devices lack effective inert atmosphere control and passivation gas integrated design, resulting in an increase in powder oxidation rate; 4) High cost: Traditional centrifugal atomization equipment has a complex structure and relies on high-cost materials (such as pure copper nozzles) and precision components, which restricts its industrial promotion.

[0004] With the development, some existing technologies try to improve the performance of powders by improving process parameters or introducing auxiliary technologies (such as vacuum freeze drying and microwave calcination), but it is still difficult to take into account the special needs of low melting point and high melting point metal alloying. For example, patent CN119035535A optimizes the performance of high temperature alloys by adding Sr and Tb elements, but does not solve the fundamental defects of the preparation system; and patent CN119076939A uses a two-step method to synthesize micron-level gold powder, but is limited to a single metal system.

[0005] Therefore, providing an efficient centrifugal atomization powder making device is an urgent problem to be solved by those skilled in the art. Summary of the invention

[0006] In view of this, the present invention provides a centrifugal atomization powder making device to solve at least one of the technical problems mentioned in the above background art.

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0008] A centrifugal atomization powder making device includes a melting system, a diversion component, an atomization system, and a powder collection system that are connected and conducted in sequence from top to bottom. The melting system includes a low-melting-point metal melting furnace, a crucible, a heating device, a high-melting-point metal powder storage tank, and a blowing device. The top of the low-melting-point metal melting furnace has a feed inlet; the crucible is installed inside the low-melting-point metal melting furnace and corresponds to the position of the feed inlet; the induction coil of the heating device is wound around the periphery of the crucible; the high-melting-point metal powder storage tank is located outside the low-melting-point metal melting furnace and is connected and communicated with the crucible; the blowing device is connected and communicated with the high-melting-point metal powder storage tank.

[0009] By adopting the above technical solutions, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0010] Separating the low-melting-point metal melting furnace and the high-melting-point metal powder storage tank into two parts and matching them can realize powder making after synthesizing alloys of metals with too large a difference in melting points.

[0011] Furthermore, a vacuum pump is further included, and the vacuum pump is connected and communicated with the low-melting-point metal melting furnace.

[0012] Furthermore, the high-melting-point metal powder storage tank includes a tank body, a plurality of partition plates, and a cover plate. The inside of the tank body is divided into a plurality of metal powder storage cavities by the plurality of partition plates spaced from top to bottom; the side of the tank body has a plurality of powder feeding ports spaced from top to bottom, and the plurality of powder feeding ports respectively correspond to the positions of the plurality of metal powder storage cavities; slide rails are provided on both sides of the tank body at the positions of the plurality of powder feeding ports; the cover plate is slidably connected to the slide rails to open or close the powder feeding ports; each metal powder storage cavity is connected and communicated with the crucible through a first pipeline; a first valve is installed on each first pipeline; each metal powder storage cavity is connected and communicated with the blowing device through a second pipeline; a second valve is installed on each second pipeline.

[0013] Furthermore, the low-melting-point metal melting furnace is provided with a visualization window.

[0014] Furthermore, a stirring mechanism is installed inside the crucible.

[0015] Furthermore, the diversion component includes an I-shaped diversion groove and a liquid guide pipe connected as a whole. The I-shaped diversion groove and the liquid guide pipe are vertically distributed and connected and communicated; the top of the liquid guide pipe is connected and communicated with the bottom of the crucible.

[0016] Furthermore, the atomization system includes an atomization box, a lower material bin, a rotating disk device, an annular purge pipe, a cooling circulating water pipe, an argon gas bottle and a cooling water tank, wherein the atomization box is fixed at the bottom of the low-melting-point metal smelting furnace; the bottom end of the liquid guide pipe passes through the atomization box and extends into the interior thereof; an atomization nozzle is installed at the bottom end of the liquid guide pipe; the lower material bin is installed in the atomization box; the rotating disk device is installed in the center of the lower material bin and corresponds to the position of the atomization nozzle above it; the annular purge pipe is installed inside the rotating disk device, one end of the annular purge pipe is connected to the argon gas bottle, and the other end of the annular purge pipe is aligned with the rotating disk of the rotating disk device; the cooling circulating water pipe is installed on the inner wall of the lower material bin, and both ends of the cooling circulating water pipe are connected to the cooling water tank.

[0017] Furthermore, a heat-insulating layer is provided on the wall surface of the crucible and the liquid-conducting tube.

[0018] Furthermore, the powder collection system includes a conical lower hopper, a third valve and a collection tank, wherein the conical lower hopper is installed at the open bottom of the atomization box; the top end of the third valve is connected to the conical lower hopper, and the bottom end of the third valve is detachably connected to the collection tank.

[0019] It can be seen that the present invention provides a centrifugal atomization powder making device. Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0020] 1) The structure is simple and the heating temperature requirement is not high. There is no need to melt the metal into ingots and then smelt them again to make powder, which reduces the intermediate links. This not only greatly reduces the smelting power consumption, but also can obtain alloy powders of high melting point and low melting point metals by operating at lower power. It also reduces the preparation cost and realizes an efficient and economical powder making process.

[0021] 2) The present invention adopts a semi-continuous ingot smelting method. After the low-melting-point metal is smelted into molten metal, the high-melting-point powder can be quantitatively fed into the smelting furnace through the cooperation of the air supply device, the first valve and the second valve. After the magnesium metal liquid and the powder are fully mixed in the smelting furnace, centrifugal atomization is combined to ensure that the alloy ingot is not oxidized. Finally, alloy powders with different mass fractions of two kinds of metals can be formed. At the same time, the mass fractions of the two metals can be freely controlled, and multi-component magnesium-based alloy powders can be prepared, thereby realizing efficient preparation of magnesium-based alloy hydrogen storage powders;

[0022] 3) The I-shaped guide groove can cause the alloy metal liquid to fall slowly and steadily, thereby achieving effective regulation of the liquid flow shape and precise control of the flow rate. On this basis, the atomizing nozzle can quantitatively break up the droplets at the set speed, ultimately achieving the goal of efficient atomization powder production;

[0023] 4) The annular purge pipe can greatly reduce the generation of satellite powder during the powder-making process, prevent powder oxidation, ensure the uniformity of metal powder, improve the efficiency and quality of powder collection. At the same time, purging can effectively promote the uniform distribution of liquid metal on the rotating disk, enable the liquid metal to be more smoothly ejected and atomized from the edge of the rotating disk, improve the atomization efficiency and the stability of atomization, and thus increase the output and quality of powder-making;

[0024] 5) By adopting the combined method of air cooling and water cooling, rapid temperature reduction can be achieved, making the temperature field more uniform and achieving the effect of efficient heat dissipation; at the same time, it can also reduce the thermal stress of equipment components, ensure that the material properties do not change, thereby increasing the equipment life; meanwhile, the combined method of air cooling and water cooling makes the powder not easily oxidized in a lower environment;

[0025] 6) The bottom end of the third valve is detachably connected to the collection tank. After stopping operation, the collection tank will be filled with magnesium-based alloy powder. By closing the switch of the third valve, the collection tank can be taken out separately to ensure that the magnesium-based alloy powder does not come into contact with air, thereby effectively maintaining the excellent hydrogen storage performance of the magnesium-based alloy powder. Description of the Drawings

[0026] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only the embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained according to the provided drawings.

[0027] Figure 1 The drawings are the overall three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of a centrifugal atomization powder-making device provided by the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 The drawings are the three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of a half-section of a centrifugal atomization powder-making device provided by the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 The drawings are the cross-sectional view of a centrifugal atomization powder-making device provided by the present invention;

[0030] Figure 4 The drawings are Figure 3 The enlarged structural schematic diagram of part A in Detailed Embodiments

[0031] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0032] As Figures 1-4 shown, an embodiment of the present invention discloses a centrifugal atomization powder making device, which includes a melting system 1, a diversion component, an atomization system 2, and a powder collection system 3 that are connected and conducted in sequence from top to bottom.

[0033] The melting system 1 includes a low-melting-point metal melting furnace 11, a crucible 12, a heating device 13, a high-melting-point metal powder storage tank 14, and a blowing device 15. The top of the low-melting-point metal melting furnace 11 has a feed inlet 16; the crucible 12 is installed inside the low-melting-point metal melting furnace 11 and corresponds to the position of the feed inlet 16, and is a mixing chamber for the low-melting-point metal solution and the high-melting-point metal powder; the induction coil of the heating device 13 is wound around the periphery of the crucible 12; the high-melting-point metal powder storage tank 14 is located outside the low-melting-point metal melting furnace 11 and is connected and communicated with the crucible 12; the blowing device 15 is connected and communicated with the high-melting-point metal powder storage tank 14. In the present invention, the low-melting-point metal melting furnace 11 and the high-melting-point metal powder storage tank 14 are separated into two parts and cooperate with each other, so that powder making can be realized after synthesizing alloys of multiple metals with a large difference in melting points.

[0034] It can be understood that the feed inlet 16 has functions such as inputting raw materials, controlling the feed amount and feed speed, and cooperating with continuous production, etc., and conveys various raw materials to be melted, such as ores, metal scraps, additives, etc. into the low-melting-point metal melting furnace 11; the feed amount and feed speed of the raw materials can be accurately controlled according to the requirements of the melting process and the production plan; it can also cooperate with the discharge port to realize continuous feeding and discharging during the melting process, ensuring the continuity and high efficiency of production.

[0035] Of course, there is one blowing device 15 at the front and back respectively to avoid the accumulation of high-melting-point powder above the low-melting-point metal melting furnace 11 and avoid explosion phenomena, while ensuring that the high-melting-point metal powder can enter the crucible 12 and be fully mixed with the low-melting-point metal, ensuring the accurate and stable alloy composition to be melted.

[0036] In order to further optimize the technical solution of the present invention, a thermocouple can also be equipped in the crucible 12 to detect the temperature of the melted metal at any time and ensure that the melted metal is always in a liquid state.

[0037] Specifically, a vacuum pump 4 is further included, and the vacuum pump 4 is connected and communicated with the low-melting-point metal melting furnace 11 to ensure that the whole system is in an inert gas environment.

[0038] Specifically, the high melting point metal powder storage tank 14 includes a tank body 141, a plurality of partition plates and a cover plate 142. The interior of the tank body 141 is divided into a plurality of metal powder storage chambers 143 by a plurality of partition plates spaced from top to bottom; the side surface of the tank body 141 has a plurality of powder feeding ports 1411 spaced from top to bottom, and the plurality of powder feeding ports 1411 respectively correspond to the positions of the plurality of metal powder storage chambers 143; the tank body 141 is provided with slide rails on both sides of the plurality of powder feeding ports 1411; the cover plate 142 is slidably connected to the slide rails to open or close the powder feeding ports 1411; each metal powder storage chamber 143 is connected and communicated with the crucible 12 through a first pipeline 5; a first valve 51 is installed on each first pipeline 5. In this embodiment, they are respectively the first stepped into-crucible valve, the second stepped into-crucible valve and the third stepped into-crucible valve arranged at intervals from bottom to top; each metal powder storage chamber 143 is connected and communicated with the air supply device 15 through a second pipeline 6; a second valve 61 is installed on each second pipeline 6. In this embodiment, they are respectively the first stepped into-tank valve, the second stepped into-tank valve and the third stepped into-tank valve arranged at intervals from bottom to top, which can realize the individual control of the usage amounts of various metal powders.

[0039] To further optimize the technical solution of the present invention, the low melting point metal melting furnace 11 is provided with a visualization window 17. The visualization window 17 has functions such as observing the melting state in real time, detecting the materials in the furnace, assisting in controlling the temperature and atmosphere, discovering equipment abnormalities and improving operation safety. At the same time, for teaching and training scenarios, the visualization window 17 provides an intuitive observation object for trainees, helping them more clearly understand the principle, process and operation key points of the equipment.

[0040] To further optimize the technical solution of the present invention, a stirring mechanism is installed inside the crucible 12 to ensure the uniform mixing of the high melting point metal powder and the low melting point metal solution, and obtain a magnesium alloy with uniform composition.

[0041] Specifically, the diversion assembly includes an I-shaped diversion groove 7 and a liquid guide pipe 8 connected as a whole. The I-shaped diversion groove 7 and the liquid guide pipe 8 are vertically distributed and communicated; the top end of the liquid guide pipe 8 is connected and communicated with the bottom of the crucible 12.

[0042] Specifically, the atomization system 2 includes an atomization chamber 21, a blanking bin 22, a rotating disk device 23, an annular purging pipe, a cooling circulating water pipe, an argon gas cylinder 24, and a cooling water tank 25. The atomization chamber 21 is fixed to the bottom of the low melting point metal melting furnace 11; the bottom end of the liquid guiding pipe 8 penetrates through the atomization chamber 21 and extends into its interior; an atomizing nozzle 9 is installed at the bottom end of the liquid guiding pipe 8, which has the functions of guiding and accelerating the liquid flow, adjusting the liquid flow pattern, precisely controlling the flow rate, promoting droplet fragmentation, and optimizing atomization uniformity; the blanking bin 22 is installed inside the atomization chamber 21 and is conical in this embodiment; the rotating disk device 23 is installed at the center of the blanking bin 22 and corresponds to the position of the atomizing nozzle 9 above it. The rotating disk provides the core power. When the rotating disk rotates at a high speed, materials such as molten metal placed on or near it will be subjected to a strong centrifugal force. This centrifugal force will overcome the surface tension of the liquid, causing the liquid to be stretched and broken into fine droplets, thereby realizing the atomization process. The rotation speed of the rotating disk determines the degree of atomization; the annular purging pipe is installed inside the rotating disk device 23. One end of the annular purging pipe is connected and communicated with the argon gas cylinder 24, and the other end of the annular purging pipe is aligned with the rotating disk of the rotating disk device 23; the cooling circulating water pipe is installed on the inner wall of the blanking bin 22, and both ends of the cooling circulating water pipe are connected and communicated with the cooling water tank 25.

[0043] To further optimize the technical solution of the present invention, heat preservation layers are provided on the walls of the crucible 12 and the liquid guiding pipe 8 to prevent the solidification of the metal solution, which may lead to poor fluidity, and to ensure the fluidity of the mixed alloy solution.

[0044] Specifically, the powder collection system 3 includes a conical blanking hopper 31, a third valve 32, and a collection tank 33. The conical blanking hopper 31 is installed at the open bottom of the atomization chamber 21; the top end of the third valve 32 is connected to the conical blanking hopper 31, and the bottom end of the third valve 32 is detachably connected to the collection tank 33.

[0045] The present invention not only fills the technical gap in the field of preparing low melting point and high melting point alloy powders, but also provides a material basis for high-end applications such as aerospace lightweight components, biodegradable implants, and solids, having significant industrial value.

[0046] The working principle of the present invention:

[0047] First, turn on the vacuum pump 4 to make the whole device in a vacuum state, and then turn on the argon gas cylinder 24 to fill the whole device with argon. Repeat the above operations several times to displace the air in the device, and finally make the whole device in an atmospheric argon environment.

[0048] Then, magnesium metal enters the crucible 12 through the feed port 16. Next, the cover plate 142 is opened, and three different types of high-melting-point powders are respectively fed into the metal powder storage cavity 143 through the three powder feeding ports 1411. After the addition is completed, the cover plate 142 is closed. If multi-component magnesium alloy powder is required, the number of metal powder storage cavities 143 can be increased.

[0049] Next, the heating device 13 heats the magnesium metal. When the magnesium metal is heated to its melting point, the air supply device 15 is turned on (the gas of the air supply device 15 is mainly argon gas with pressure). At the same time, the first-stage tank inlet valve and the first-stage crucible inlet valve are opened. After being uniformly mixed by induction heating, it falls into the I-shaped diversion groove 7. The magnesium alloy solution enters the atomizing nozzle 9 at a constant speed and in a fixed quantity. The droplets once broken by the atomizing nozzle 9 then reach the rotating disk for secondary high-speed rotation and core-breaking. At the same time, the cooling water in the cooling water tank 25 circulates and cools on the inner wall of the conical blanking bin 22. While the rotating disk is running, the argon gas cylinder 24 is opened, and the annular purging pipe performs a purging action. Water cooling and air cooling are operated simultaneously.

[0050] Finally, the powder enters the collection tank 33. The collection tank 33 and the third valve 32 are detachable, enabling the obtained magnesium alloy powder to carry out subsequent work, such as screening, inspection, hydrogen storage work, etc.

[0051] If multi-component magnesium alloy powder is to be obtained, the third-stage tank inlet valve, the second-stage tank inlet valve, the first-stage tank inlet valve, the third-stage crucible inlet valve, the second-stage crucible inlet valve, and the first-stage crucible inlet valve can be opened simultaneously while the air supply device 15 is turned on, ensuring that the multi-component metal powder enters the crucible 12 while the magnesium metal is being induction heated, and various metals are fully mixed, thus obtaining multi-component magnesium alloy powder.

[0052] In this specification, each embodiment is described in a progressive manner. The key point of each embodiment is to illustrate the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts among the embodiments can be referred to each other. For the devices disclosed in the embodiments, since they correspond to the methods disclosed in the embodiments, the description is relatively simple, and the relevant parts can be referred to the description of the method part.

[0053] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to implement or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be obvious to those skilled in the art. The general principles defined herein can be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention will not be limited to these embodiments shown herein, but will conform to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A centrifugal atomization powder making device, comprising a melting system, a diversion assembly, an atomization system and a powder collection system which are connected and conducted in sequence from top to bottom, and is characterized in that, The smelting system includes a low-melting-point metal smelting furnace, a crucible, a heating device, a high-melting-point metal powder storage tank, and a blowing device. The top of the low-melting-point metal smelting furnace has a feed inlet; the crucible is installed inside the low-melting-point metal smelting furnace and corresponds to the position of the feed inlet; the induction coil of the heating device is wound around the periphery of the crucible; the high-melting-point metal powder storage tank is located outside the low-melting-point metal smelting furnace and is connected and communicated with the crucible; the blowing device is connected and communicated with the high-melting-point metal powder storage tank.

2. The centrifugal atomization powder making device according to claim 1, characterized in that, It further includes a vacuum pump, and the vacuum pump is connected and communicated with the low-melting-point metal smelting furnace.

3. The centrifugal atomization powder-making device according to claim 2, wherein, The high-melting-point metal powder storage tank includes a tank body, a plurality of partition plates, and a cover plate. The interior of the tank body is divided into a plurality of metal powder storage cavities by the plurality of partition plates spaced from top to bottom; the side of the tank body has a plurality of powder feeding ports spaced from top to bottom, and the plurality of powder feeding ports respectively correspond to the positions of the plurality of metal powder storage cavities; slide rails are provided on both sides of the tank body at the positions of the plurality of powder feeding ports; the cover plate is slidably connected to the slide rails to open or close the powder feeding ports; each metal powder storage cavity is connected and communicated with the crucible through a first pipeline; a first valve is installed on each first pipeline; each metal powder storage cavity is connected and communicated with the blowing device through a second pipeline; a second valve is installed on each second pipeline.

4. A centrifugal atomization powder making device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The low-melting-point metal smelting furnace is provided with a visualization window.

5. A centrifugal atomization powder making device according to claim 2, characterized in that A stirring mechanism is installed inside the crucible.

6. The centrifugal atomization powder making device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The flow guiding assembly includes an I-shaped flow guiding groove and a liquid guiding pipe connected as a whole. The I-shaped flow guiding groove and the liquid guiding pipe are vertically distributed and communicated; the top end of the liquid guiding pipe is connected and communicated with the bottom of the crucible.

7. The centrifugal atomization powder making device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The atomization system includes an atomization box, a blanking bin, a rotating disk device, an annular purging pipe, a cooling circulating water pipe, an argon gas cylinder, and a cooling water tank. The atomization box is fixed at the bottom of the low-melting-point metal smelting furnace; the bottom end of the liquid guiding pipe penetrates through the atomization box and extends into its interior; an atomization nozzle is installed at the bottom end of the liquid guiding pipe; the blanking bin is installed inside the atomization box; the rotating disk device is installed in the center of the blanking bin and corresponds to the atomization nozzle above it; the annular purging pipe is installed inside the rotating disk device, one end of the annular purging pipe is connected and communicated with the argon gas cylinder, and the other end of the annular purging pipe is aligned with the rotating disk of the rotating disk device; the cooling circulating water pipe is installed on the inner wall of the blanking bin, and both ends of the cooling circulating water pipe are connected and communicated with the cooling water tank.

8. The centrifugal atomization powder making device according to claim 6, characterized in that, Heat insulation layers are provided on the wall surfaces of the crucible and the liquid guiding pipe.

9. A centrifugal atomization powder making device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The powder collection system includes a conical blanking hopper, a third valve, and a collection tank. The conical blanking hopper is installed at the open bottom of the atomization box; the top end of the third valve is connected to the conical blanking hopper, and the bottom end of the third valve is detachably connected to the collection tank.

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