Manufacturing and Properties of Spherical Iron Particles from a By-Product of the Steel Industry

Abstract

In modern cold rolling mills in the steel industry, iron oxide powder is produced as a by-product when used pickling agents are recycled. Further processing of these iron oxide powders could enable the production of iron powder for various applications in powder metallurgy. For this purpose, a new process route with an eco-friendly hydrogen reduction treatment was developed. The process is able to manufacture a variety of iron particles through minor process adaptations. It was possible to manufacture spherical iron particles with high flowability. The flowability was measured by a Revolution Powder Analyzer, and an avalanche angle of 47.7° of the iron particles was determined. In addition, the bulk density measurements of the processed iron particles collective achieved values of 3.58 g/cm3, and a spherical morphology could be observed by SEM analysis. The achieved properties of the iron particles show high potential for applications where high flowability is required, e.g additive manufacturing, thermal spray and hot isostatic pressing. By adjusting the process conditions of the developed process, irregular iron particles could also be manufactured from the same iron oxide powder with a very high specific surface of 1640 cm2/g and a low bulk density of 1.23 g/cm3. Therefore, the property profile is suitable as a friction powder metallurgy material. In summary, the developed process in combination with the iron oxide powder from steel production offers a cost-efficient and sustainable alternative to conventional iron powders for additive manufacturing and friction applications.