Abstract
Gas atomization is the predominant method of powder production for metal additive manufacturing. The EIGA atomizer (Electrode Induction melting Gas Atomization) is a free-fall process used to produce spherical powders, particularly for refractory and high-purity metals such as the titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V (Ti64). In this process, a swirling supersonic gas jet hits a molten metal stream atomizing it into small droplets through various fragmentation mechanisms. To identify the different fragmentation mechanisms of molten Ti64 within the process, a visualization of the metal atomization by a high-speed video camera is performed in an EIGA tower. The role of the atomization gas pressure on the fragmentation mechanisms and on the final particle size distribution is determined. The mechanisms observed are fiber breakup, bag breakup and Rayleigh breakup for primary fragmentation and bag breakup and shear breakup for secondary fragmentation. Key words: Free-fall atomizer; swirling supersonic gas flow; metal powder; primary fragmentation; secondary fragmentation; high-speed camera.
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