Characteristics and atomization behavior of Ti-6Al-4V powder produced by plasma rotating electrode process

In the present research, the characteristics and atomization behavior of Ti-6Al-4V powders produced by plasma rotating electrode process (PREP) with different rotation speeds were investigated. Three kinds of particles in the as-PREPed powders are observed: spherical particles, satellite particles and irregular particles. The mean particle size of the PREP powder decreases and its distribution becomes narrower gradually with increasing rotation speed. PREP powder at higher rotation speed demonstrates lower fractions of both satellite particles and irregular particles. By observing the residual electrode tip, it is considered that the irregular particles with corner or flat shape are possibly caused by the tearing of liquid film under the action of centrifugal force and shear force during the atomization process.