Spheroidal dehydrogenated metals and metal alloy particles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11839919-B2
Application number	US-202117468403-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 7, 2021
Priority date	Dec 16, 2015
Publication date	Dec 12, 2023
Grant date	Dec 12, 2023

Abstract

Methodologies, systems, and devices are provided for producing metal spheroidal powder products. Dehydrogenated and spheroidized particles are prepared using a process including introducing a metal hydride feed material into a plasma torch. The metal hydride feed material is melted within a plasma in order to dehydrogenate and spheroidize the materials, forming dehydrogenated and spheroidized particles. The dehydrogenated and spheroidized particles are then exposed to an inert gas and cooled in order to solidify the particles into dehydrogenated and spheroidized particles. The particles are cooled within a chamber having an inert gas.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of producing spheroidized particles, the method comprising:
introducing a titanium hydride or titanium alloy hydride feed material into a plasma torch;
directing the feed material toward a plasma within the plasma torch;
melting and spheroidizing the feed material within the plasma to form spheroidized titanium or titanium alloy; and
deoxidizing the feed material within the plasma,
wherein the spheroidized particles comprise spheroidized titanium or titanium alloy powder particles having a martensitic microstructure.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plasma exposes the feed material to a temperature profile between about 4,000 K and 8,000 K.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising exposing the feed material to a partial vacuum while the feed material is exposed to the plasma.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
screening the feed material prior to introducing the feed material into the plasma torch; and
maintaining an average particle size distribution from the feed material to the spheroidized particles.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the particle size of feed material is no less than 1.0 micrometers and no more than 300 micrometers.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising purging the feed material with an inert gas to remove oxygen prior to introducing the feed material into the plasma torch.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plasma torch is a microwave generated plasma torch.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
exposing the spheroidized particles to an inert gas; and
cooling and solidifying the spheroidized particles in a chamber having the inert gas, the spheroidized particles having more than 90% spheroidization consistency.

9. A method of producing spheroidized particles, the method comprising:
introducing a titanium hydride or titanium alloy hydride feed material into a plasma torch;
directing the feed material toward a plasma within the plasma torch;
melting and spheroidizing the feed material within the plasma to form spheroidized titanium or titanium alloy; and
exposing the feed material to a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure while the feed material is exposed to the plasma,
wherein the spheroidized particles comprise spheroidized titanium or titanium alloy powder particles having a martensitic microstructure.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising deoxidizing the feed material within the plasma.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the plasma exposes the feed material to a temperature profile between about 4,000 K and 8,000 K.

12. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
screening the feed material prior to introducing the feed material into the plasma torch; and
maintaining an average particle size distribution from the feed material to the spheroidized particles.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the particle size of feed material is no less than 1.0 micrometers and no more than 300 micrometers.

14. The method of claim 9 , further comprising purging the feed material with an inert gas to remove oxygen prior to introducing the feed material into the plasma torch.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein the plasma torch is a microwave generated plasma torch.

16. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
exposing the spheroidized particles to an inert gas; and
cooling and solidifying the spheroidized particles in a chamber having the inert gas, the spheroidized particles having more than 90% spheroidization consistency.

Assignees

• 6K Inc

Inventors

• Hadidi Kamal
• Wrobel Gregory M
• Redjdal Makhlouf

Classifications

• B22F9/30 Primary

  with decomposition of metal compounds, e.g. by pyrolysis · CPC title

• B22F1/00

  Metallic powder; Treatment of metallic powder, e.g. to facilitate working or to improve properties · CPC title

• B22F1/065

  Spherical particles · CPC title

• B22F9/08

  by casting, e.g. through sieves or in water, by atomising or spraying (using electric discharge B22F9/14) · CPC title

• B22F9/14

  using electric discharge · CPC title