Influence of Gas Atomization Parameters of the KhN60M Alloy on the Powder Characteristics for Laser Surfacing

Powders of the KhN60M alloy (EP367, 06Kh15N60M1) are investigated. An overview of manufacturing methods of products of the KhN60M alloy is presented with the analysis of their advantages and disadvantages. It is shown that, when compared with the casting technology and hot pressing of powders of high-alloyed special steels and alloys, additive technologies enable fabricating complexly shaped products with a high level of physicomechanical properties and material utilization factor. The low casting properties of the alloy under study are the reason for the research into atomization to meet the requirements for size, shape, morphology, and fluidity of powders for additive technologies. The goal of this work is to study the influence of the argon pressure during gas atomization on the physical, chemical, and process properties of powders for laser surfacing formed from the KhN60M alloy. The gas atomization technology of the liquid melt by argon using a VIGA 2B laboratory atomizer was used to fabricate the metallic powder of the KhN60M brand at 1560°C and varying the atomizing gas pressure in a range of 22–25 mbar. To select the atomization parameters, the values of the melt viscosity are calculated using the ProCast system for the computer simulation of casting processes by the finite element method and the temperature dependence of viscosity is constructed. The shape and size of the particles and their granulometric composition are studied using laser sedimentation and electron and optical microscopy. The quantitative metallography data are processed using the VideoTest 4 software. The fluidity of powders is measured. It is established that the fraction of spherical particles increases and fluidity of powders improves with an increase in the atomizing gas pressure; the Feret diameter, average particle size, and d₅₀ values vary insignificantly. An experimental dependence of an increase in the yield of the target fraction powder (40–60 μm) with a decrease in the atomizing gas supply is found. The inversely proportional dependence of the fraction of spherical particles on the desired cut fraction is established. The results of the study make it possible to predict the output parameters of powders when atomizing KhN60M steel. Characteristics of powders of the fraction –80 + 40 μm with a shape factor of 0.99 and fluidity of 14–15 g/s make it possible to use them for manufacturing products using additive technologies.