Abstract
A Magnetically Assisted Powder Flow (MAPF) system has been investigated for discharging consolidated powder from a hopper. In this system, magnetic particles, excited under an oscillating magnetic field, are used as the media to internally break arching so that powder discharge can be achieved from a system where unaided flow would not take place. At high consolidation, the magnetic particles scratch or etch away the powder layer from the bottom to achieve powder flow. The discharge rate decreases when the effective scratch is reduced as the distance between the magnetic particles and the remaining powder layer increases. A controlled and constant powder flow rate can be achieved by distributing the magnetic particles more uniformly. The effects of various operating parameters on the discharge rate are investigated. A controlled powder flow rate, which is a linear function of these parameters, can be obtained by adjusting the mass of the magnetic particles and the magnetic field strength. The size of the magnetic particles also affects the flow rate. An optimum size, which depends on the combination of each particle's magnetic moment and the total particle number concentration to effectively break the arch, is determined to attain the maximum powder flow rate.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 357-361 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Powder Handling and Processing |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| State | Published - 1998 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Materials Science (miscellaneous)
- Mechanical Engineering