PROCESS OF DISPERSING A MOLTEN JET BY AN ANNULAR STREAM OF HIGH-PRESSURE WATER .2. EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES, SEMIEMPIRICAL MODEL FOR PREDICTINGPOWDER PARTICLE-SIZE COMPOSITION

Results are presented for an experimental study of steel atomization b y high-pressure water. The dependence of median grain size on relative melt and water flow rates, attack angle, annular nozzle slit width, a nd jet diameter is established. A theoretical model for the dependence of powder fineness on water flow rate and jet diameter is shown to be correct for steel atomization. Calculated semiempirical equations are obtained for predicting the particle-size composition of water-atomiz ed powder depending on process conditions and atomization geometry, an d the physical properties of the melt and atomizing liquid.