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2025 №03 (01) 2025 №03 (03)

Electrometallurgy Today 2025 №03


"Suchasna Elektrometallurgiya" (Electrometallurgy Today), 2025, #3, 19-28 pages

Prospects of ultrasound application in the production of dispersed granules by gas and plasma -arc atomization of metal melts and compact materials (Review)

V.M. Korzhyk, O.S. Tereshchenko, D.V. Strohonov, O.I. Demianov, O.V. Ganushchak

E.O. Paton Electric Welding Institute of the NAS of Ukraine 11 Kazymyr Malevych Str., 03150, Kyiv, Ukraine. E-mail: vnkorzhykn@gmail.com

Abstract
The technological features of using the ultrasonic vibrations for atomization of micro-volumes of metal melts in the following technologies of dispersed spherical powder production are considered: gas atomization, ultrasonic atomization on sonotrode, plasma arc atomization by means of ultrasonic standing wave, electric arc atomization with the application of ultrasound to the atomized wire, and plasma arc atomization with the application of ultrasonic vibrations to the atomized feedstock. The influence of ultrasonic vibrations on the process of melt droplet formation and detachment for the aforementioned methods is analyzed. It is established that the application of ultrasound promotes a reduction in the size of initial melt droplets, intensifies dispersion due to the creation of additional pressure on the melt droplets, and, as a result, contributes to the narrowing of the particle size distribution. It was found that among the analyzed approaches for obtaining spherical powders using high-frequency acoustic vibrations, the most promising is the technology of plasma arc atomization of wires and rods under the condition of applying ultrasound directly to the feedstock. An analysis of the efficiency and prospects of using plasma-arc atomization technologies with introduction of ultrasonic vibrations into the atomized feedstock is conducted, and it is assumed that this approach will allow increasing the yield of ~63 μm fraction powders up to 80…90 %, which is promising for application in the production of powders for additive manufacturing technologies. 45 Ref., 6 Fig.
Keywords: ultrasonic atomization, dispersion, plasma-arc atomization, gas atomization, spherical powders, particle size distribution

Received: 23.04.2025
Received in revised form: 28.04.2025
Accepted: 22.07.2025

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