System and method for increasing the bulk density of metal powder

摘要

An apparatus for increasing the bulk density of metal powder may include a sealed chamber, a nozzle, and a target. The sealed chamber may include an inert environment. The nozzle may be coupled to an inert gas source and may be configured to introduce raw metal powder into a flow of the inert gas for discharge as a cold spray mixture of the raw metal powder and the inert gas into the chamber. The target may be housed within the sealed chamber and may be configured to receive an impact of the cold spray mixture. The nozzle and the target may be configured to flatten the raw metal particles into flattened metal particles in response to the cold spray mixture impacting the target.

主权项

1. A method of increasing a bulk density of metal powder formed of a metal material, comprising the steps of:
introducing raw metal powder containing raw metal particles into a flow of inert gas to form a cold spray mixture; directing the cold spray mixture toward a target housed within a sealed chamber; impacting the cold spray mixture against the target; densifying the raw metal powder by plastically deforming the raw metal particles into flattened metal particles in loose form to produce a flattened metal powder consisting of the flattened metal particles prior to compaction of the flattened metal powder, wherein densifying the raw metal powder produces the flattened metal powder having a bulk density higher than that of the raw metal powder to an extent that the flattened metal powder has the bulk density of at least approximately 10 percent of a theoretical density of the metal material; receiving the flattened metal powder in an elastomeric bag having flexible walls and sealed to the sealed chamber during the densifying step; placing the elastomeric bag containing the flattened metal powder within a chamber; injecting fluid between the elastomeric bag and chamber walls; and hydrostatically pressurizing the elastomeric bag in the chamber using fluid pressure to cause the compaction of the flattened metal powder and form a green structure using a cold isostatic process.