Gte Products Corporation

Lori S Pruyne

Nelson E Kopatz

Walter A Johnson

Philip E Stermer

Muktesh Paliwal

Howard H Shaw

John E Miller

A composition is disclosed consisting essentially of substantially spherical glass particles having a diameter of less than about 25 micrometers. A process is disclosed for producing substantially spherical particles. The process involves providing irregularly shaped glass particles having a predetermined particle size, entraining the particles in a carrier gas, feeding the entrained particles into a high temperature zone having a temperature sufficiently above the softening point of the glass to allow surface tension to subsequently spheroidize the particles and having a temperature below the vaporization temperature of the glass. The particles are maintained in the high temperature zone for a sufficient time to convert at least a portion of the particles into droplets without the formation of a substantial amount of filaments affter which the droplets are cooled to form solid spheres having essentially the same particle size as the irregularly shaped particles and a reduced surface area as compared with the irregularly shaped particles.

Process for producing spherical glass particles

Apparatus is disclosed for reacting a powder with a gas comprising a shroud consisting of a first section having a peripheral cylindrical wall with inner surface and outer surface. Inner surface defines a cavity which serves as reaction chamber in which powder and gas react. First section is detatchably mounted at top end to exit nozzle of high temperature source. First section has powder inlet opening(s) extending through peripheral wall from outer surface to inner surface, thereby connecting the outside with reaction chamber through which powder enters the chamber. Powder inlet opening(s) are positioned sufficiently close to exit nozzle to allow powder to melt and react with gas in the molten state. Second section forms cylindrical jacket skirting lower part of first section at a point below powder inlet openings. Jacket has outer peripheral wall, inner wall one and same with peripheral wall of first section, and top and bottom ring plates forming top and bottom walls respectively of second section. Walls of second section define a plenum. Second section has outer opening(s) through outer peripheral wall of jacket connecting outside with plenum through which gas enters from outside to plenum. Second section has two or more inner openings through inner wall of second section, which connect plenum with chamber through which gas enters chamber from plenum to react with powder in chamber. Inner openings are directed downward into chamber and tangential to inner surface of shroud. Resulting reaction product exits shroud through bottom end of chamber.

Gas dispersion shroud for high temperature processing of powders

A process is disclosed for producing fine spherical particles from a starting fine powder material which comprises entraining the powder material in a carrier gas, passing the powder material and the carrier gas through a high temperature zone, and maintaining the powder in the high temperature zone for a sufficient time to melt at least about 50% by weight of the particles of the powder and to form spherical particles of the melted portion, allowing the high temperature treated material to come in contact with a reducing atmosphere created by a stream of hydrogen gas, and thereafter rapidly solidifying the resulting high temperature treated material to form spherical particles wherein the oxygen content of the spherical particles is reduced by greater than about 10% by weight from the starting powder.

Process for producing fine spherical particles having a low oxygen

A process is disclosed for producing fine spherical powder particles. The process involves forming a relatively uniform admixture of a starting powder material and a flowability aid, the flowability aid being non-reactive with and coarser than the starting material, entraining the admixture in a carrier gas and passing the admixture through a high temperature zone at a temperature above the melting point of the starting material to melt at least about 50% by weight of the starting material, resolidifying the resulting high temperature treated material, and separating the flowability aid from the balance of the high temperature treated material.

Process for producing fine spherical particles from non-flowing powders

A process is disclosed for producing spherical glass particles. The process involves forming a high velocity stream of molten droplets of glass, directing said stream toward a repellent surface, impacting the molten droplets against the surface to form fragmented portions, and cooling the fragmented portions to form a glass powder consisting essentially of particles the major portion of which are glass spheres.

A process is disclosed for producing agglomerates of aluminum based material which is suitable for plasma melting rapid solidification processing. The process involves first forming a slurry comprising the aluminum based material and one or more fluxing agents and then removing the liquid medium from the slurry to produce agglomerates of the aluminum based material and the fluxing agent or agents.

Process for producing agglomerates of aluminum based material

A process is disclosed for producing finely divided spherical glass powders. The process comprises forming a coating of a surface active agent which can be of the nonionic or anionic type on the surfaces of the particles of a glass powder, feeding the coated particles and a carrier gas into a high temperature zone and maintaining the particles in the zone for a sufficient time to melt at least about 50% by weight of the particles and to form droplets therefrom, and cooling the droplets to form glass particles having essentially a spherical shape with the majority of the particles having an average particle size of less than about 25 micrometers in diameter which is essentially the same size as the starting glass particles.

Process for producing finely divided spherical glass powders

A process is disclosed for producing finely divided spherical metal powders. The process comprises forming a coating of a surface active agent which can be of the nonionic or anionic type on the surfaces of the particles of a metal powder, feeding the coated particles and a carrier gas into a high temperature zone and maintaining the particles in the zone for a sufficient time to melt at least about 50% by weight of the particles and to form droplets therefrom, and cooling the droplets to form metal particles having essentially a spherical shape with the majority of the particles having a size less than about 50 micrometers.

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Sayre, PA, United States of America

Lori S Pruyne