Characteristics of water atomized particles produced using a broad range of atomization pressures and water-to-melt mass ratios

Typical water atomized powders have a median particle size in the order of 100 μm. However, the same process, based on equivalent underlying principles, can be applied to produce particulate materials shifting the median particle size to much smaller or larger values. This has been achieved in the present work for several copper and iron based alloys by varying the water atomization pressure and the water-to-melt mass flow rate ratio. The geometrical parameters of the atomizer, as the water jet length and the impact angle, have also been varied. After atomization, the particle size distribution was measured by sieve analysis or laser diffraction. The tap density of the particulate materials was evaluated as well. The morphology of the particles was examined by macrophotography or scanning electron microscope, depending on their size. This unique set of data allows interpreting water atomization as a unified process either for powder or shot production.