Ivan V. Kazachkov; Development of Amorphous Metals with Functionally Unique Properties Based on the Granulation Technology; Advanced NanoMaterials and Technologies for Energy Sector; 2017:1(4): 177-187

Development of the amorphous granules of metals is one of the perspective directions connected with a production of the new (including nanostructured) functionally unique materials. The methods and devices for production the spherical granules (particles) of metals of a given size, with a high cooling a rate by solidification, are presented. The cooling rate of the drops during their solidification has been achieved up to 10 000 ^oC/s in our experiments! Such fine structure metals are so-called amorphous metals. The granular technology in the material science is using amorphous particles of nearly the same size (the uniform properties) produced from liquid drops, cooled down with a high cooling rate so that to avoid development of the big crystals, which can decrease the quality of a metal dramatically. The granular technology is a contrast to the powder metallurgy, where cooling of particles of different size is going with a low cooling rate being. Therefore, granules of a small size are normally required, except some special applications other than the ones of the material science. Big spherical granules cannot be produced this way because the big liquid drops have non-spherical form. The capillary forces fall rapidly down by growing of a diameter of particles over 3mm or so.