Claims
- 1. Gas atomizing nozzle for atomizing a melt, comprising a melt supply member having a frusto-conical tip with a melt discharge orifice, said frusto-conical tip defining a tip apex angle not exceeding 40 degrees, a gas manifold for supplying pressurized atomizing gas, a plurality of discrete gas jet orifices disposed about said tip and comprising a converging section communicated to said gas manifold, a throat section, and a diverging section for discharging a supersonic gas jet, said orifices being in communication with said gas manifold and collectively converging at an orifice apex angle substantially matched to the tip apex angle for discharging supersonic gas jets to atomize said melt in a manner to establish a melt aspiration condition at said melt discharge orifice effective to draw melt therefrom.
- 2. The nozzle of claim 1 wherein said tip apex angle and said orifice apex angle are about 30 degrees or less.
- 3. The nozzle of claim 2 wherein said tip apex angle and said orifice apex angle are in the range of about 30 degrees to about 10 degrees.
- 4. A method of gas atomizing a melt, comprising: flowing a melt through a discharge orifice of a frusto-conical tubular melt supply member tip having a tip apex angle not exceeding 40 degrees and supplying pressurized atomizing gas to a plurality of discrete convergent-divergent gas jet orifices disposed about said tip at an orifice apex angle substantially matched to said tip apex angle such that said atomizing gas flows through a converging section, a throat section and a diverging section of each of said orifices for discharge as supersonic gas jets toward said melt thereby atomizing said melt and establishing a melt aspiration condition at said discharge orifice effective to draw melt therefrom.
- 5. The method of claim 4 wherein said tip apex angle and said orifice apex angle are about 30 degrees or less.
- 6. The method of claim 5 wherein said tip apex angle and said orifice apex angle are about 30 degrees to about 10 degrees.
- 7. The method of claim 4 wherein said melt is a molten metal or alloy.
Parent Case Info
This application claims the benefits of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/050,114 filed Jun. 18, 1997.
CONTRACTUAL ORIGIN OF THE INVENTION
The United States Government has rights in the invention pursuant to Contract No. W-7405-ENG-82 between the U.S. Department of Energy and Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, and Contract No. ITA 87-02 between the U.S. Department of Commerce and Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, which contracts grant to Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc. the right to apply for this patent.
US Referenced Citations (11)
Foreign Referenced Citations (3)
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WO 9713599 |
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WO 9841345 |
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WO 9814292 |
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Non-Patent Literature Citations (3)
Entry |
Effects of Supersonic Jet on Particle Size of Gas-Atomized Metal Powder; Kobe Steel Engineering Reports, vol. 42 (4), pp. 3-6, 1992, Satoh et al. |
Production of Superalloy Powders by Means of Confined Design Gas Atomization with Supersonic, Multiple Discrete and Swirl Jets; Kobe Steel Engineering Reports, vol. 79 (12), pp. 52-56, 1993, Satoh et al. |
Production of Superalloy Fine Powder by Means of Confined Gas Atomization with Supersonic, Multiple-Discrete Swirl Jets; Kobe Steel Engineering Reports, vol. 44 (2), pp. 34-37, 1994, Satoh et al. |