EVALUATION OF METAL POWDERS USING ARNOLD DENSITY METER AND HALL FLOWMETER

A comparative study of the performance of two instruments widely used by the US PM industry to obtain precise, rapid evaluation of metal pow der apparent density, the Arnold density meter and the Hall flowmeter, has been conducted. As received water atomised iron powder, screened fractions of this powder, and reblends of the size fractions were test ed at various relative humidities. The Arnold meter was found to be mo re sensitive to small changes in apparent density and to give results more representative of flow in industrial die filling operations, wher eas the Hall meter showed greater sensitivity to powder surface smooth ness.