SURFACE REACTIONS OF FERRITIC STEEL PARTICLES ATOMIZED WITH WATER OR MIXTURES OF WATER-ADDITIVE

The production of metallic powders has been a very important industrial activity for many years. In this work, the water or a mixture water-additive atomization process has been used. During the production of steel particles by water atomization these particles are coated with a surface oxide layer. With particles under these conditions it is very difficult to obtain final products with high mechanical properties, so that it is desirable to diminish the surface oxide as much as possible. Experimental tests to know if the use of additives as corrosion inhibitors, used to avoid steel oxidation at room temperature, could modify the properties of particles during the manufacture of an AISI C1115 steel by water atomization were carried out. In order to improve the knowledge of the chemical surface reactions, characterization of the powder surfaces and interfaces of metal matrix/oxide layer by means of Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Diffraction and Auger Electron...