Dimensional analysis of powders obtained by electroerosive dispersion of heat-resistant nickel alloy ZHS6U in water

Currently, one of the main problems of using the ZhS6U alloy is associated with the presence of expensive components in its composition, such as Ni, Ti, Mo, Co, etc. and the need to reuse it by grinding. One of the effective, but insufficiently studied metallurgical methods of grinding metal waste is electrodispersion. To date, in the modern scientific and technical literature there is no complete information about the composition, structure and properties of the particles of the ZhS6U alloy obtained in the conditions of electroerosive metallurgy.
The purpose of this work was to conduct a dimensional analysis of powder particles obtained by electroerosive dispersion of heat-resistant nickel alloy ZhS6U in water.
Electrodispersion of the waste of the heat-resistant nickel alloy ZHS6U in the form of substandard "working" turbine blades of the jet engine of the aircraft was carried out in distilled water at the original installation. As a result of exposure to short-term electrical discharges, particles of heat-resistant nickel alloy ZHS6U powder of various sizes were formed in the water. The dimensional characteristics of the powder particles obtained by electroerosive dispersion of the heat-resistant nickel alloy ZHS6U in water were studied using a laser particle size analyzer "Analysette 22 NanoTec".
Based on the conducted experimental studies, it was found that the powder particles obtained by electroerosive dispersion of heat-resistant nickel alloy ZHS6U in water have sizes from 0.1 to 285 microns with an average volumetric diameter of 67.1 microns. The features of the formation of the fractional composition of powder particles in the process of electroerosive metallurgy of metal waste of the ZhS6U brand are noted, namely, the presence of two extremes of particle sizes of 10 microns and 100 microns: a small fraction (0.1 $\ldots$ 25.0 microns) is formed due to condensation of the vapor phase and a large fraction (25.0 $\ldots$ 300 microns) is formed due to condensation of the liquid phase. It is noted that the displacement of the extremes of the particle sizes formed during the crystallization of the vapor and liquid phases is determined by the electrical parameters of the installation: the voltage on the electrodes, the capacity of the discharge capacitors and the pulse repetition frequency. It is shown that the powder obtained by electroerosive dispersion of heat-resistant nickel alloy ZHS6U in water contains: 5% particles with a size up to 1.69 microns; 10% particles with a size up to 3.36 microns; 25% particles with a size up to 11.71 microns; 50% particles with a size up to 50.07 microns; 75% particles with a size up to 99.02 microns; 90% of particles with a size up to 165.74 microns; 95% of particles with a size up to 210.72 microns; 99% of particles with a size up to 281.09 microns inclusive. In this case, the specific surface area of the powder is 7994 cm$^2$/cm$^3$.