DEM simulation and characterization of copper and iron powders fabricated by ball milling

In this study,the particle morphology,and size changes in copper and iron powders were investigated by using a high-energy ball mill under the same experimental conditions.The particle sizes and morphologies of the powders were examined using a particle size analyzer and scanning electron microscopy(SEM).We also used the discrete element method(DEM)to analyze the ball impaction and the shear energy during the ball milling process.It was discovered that the quantity of milling balls and rotational speed had a major impact on energy dissipation through heat and plastic deformation as well as milling efficiency.The characteristic(particle morphology and size)of the iron and copper powder were differently changed under the same experimental conditions,shear energy,and ball impaction.When the particle sizes of copper and iron powder were compared under the same experimental conditions,the copper particle size increased from 21.6μm to 280μm,resulting in particle agglomeration,while the iron powder particle size decreased from 154μm to 4.35μm.

Electromagnetic Characteristics and Corrosion Resistance of New Magnetosoft Materials Based on Capsulated Iron Powders

A new method of depositing an insulating multifunctional oxide coating on metal particles was developed.Such coatings increase corrosion resistance and insulate metal particles from each other.On base of capsulated by oxide coating water-atomized iron powder ASC100.29,new composite soft magnetic materials were synthesized,which are able of replacing electrical steel in devices.Structural,electromagnetic properties and corrosion characte-ristics of the obtained composites were studied.It was found that the synthesized composite materials have low elec-tromagnetic losses,high values of magnetic induction(up to 2.1 T)and good corrosion resistance.The results demon-strate that the use of such materials in power supplies,c hokes,transformers,stators and rotors of electric machines and other products ensures their stable operation under various conditions.

A Study of Making Iron Aluminide Alloy Powders with New Rotating Electrode Technology

A new process was used for producing FeAl alloy pow de rs with double consumable rotating electrodes and the powders made in this appar atus were analyzed. In this new technology, tungsten rod serves as a cathode ele ctrode, while the alloy rod as an anode electrode. The conventional rotating ele ctrode process must have an anode with pre-melting alloys; however, in this new process, using pure iron as cathode electrode and pure aluminum as anode electr ode can eliminate the step of pre-melting. The effects of process variables, which include electrode rotational speed, a nd electrode diameter of the mean particle diameter were determined. Results showed that both the rotational speed and diameter of electrodes would a ffect the mean diameter of particles. There are three kinds of powders with diff erent composition produced in this study and the possible mechanisms are discuss ed. The process parameters and volume mean diameter of the powders have been cor related to find an experimental equation. The results show that when the rotational speed and the diameter of the anode el ectrode are increased, the powders size will decrease. However, the powders size will increase with cathode electrode.

Enhanced recovery of high-purity Fe powder from iron-rich electrolytic manganese residue by slurry electrolysis

Iron-rich electrolytic manganese residue(IREMR)is an industrial waste produced during the processing of electrolytic metal manganese,and it contains certain amounts of Fe and Mn resources and other heavy metals.In this study,the slurry electrolysis technique was used to recover high-purity Fe powder from IREMR.The effects of IREMR and H2SO4 mass ratio,current density,reaction temper-ature,and electrolytic time on the leaching and current efficiencies of Fe were studied.According to the results,high-purity Fe powder can be recovered from the cathode plate,and the slurry electrolyte can be recycled.The leaching efficiency,current efficiency,and purity of Fe reached 92.58%,80.65%,and 98.72wt%,respectively,at a 1:2.5 mass ratio of H2SO4 and IREMR,reaction temperature of 60℃,electric current density of 30 mA/cm^(2),and reaction time of 8 h.In addition,vibrating sample magnetometer(VSM)analysis showed that the coercivity of electrolytic iron powder was 54.5 A/m,which reached the advanced magnetic grade of electrical pure-iron powder(DT4A coercivity standard).The slurry electrolytic method provides fundamental support for the industrial application of Fe resource recovery in IRMER.

New developments in high quality grey cast irons

The paper reviews original data obtained by the present authors,revealed in recent separate publications,describing specific procedures for high quality grey irons,and reflecting the forecast needs of the worldwide iron foundry industry.High power,medium frequency coreless induction furnaces are commonly used in electric melting grey iron foundries.This has resulted in low sulphur(<0.05wt.%)and aluminium(<0.005wt.%)contents in the iron,with a potential for higher superheating(>1,500°C),contributing to unfavourable conditions for graphite nucleation.Thin wall castings are increasingly produced by these electric melt shops with a risk of greater eutectic undercooling during solidification.The paper focused on two groups of grey cast irons and their specific problems:carbides and graphite morphology control in lower carbon equivalent high strength irons(CE=3.4%-3.8%),and austenite dendrite promotion in eutectic and slightly hypereutectic irons(CE=4.1%-4.5%),in order to increase their strength characteristics.There are 3 stages and 3 steps involving graphite formation,iron chemistry and iron processing that appear to be important.The concept in the present paper sustains a threestage model for nucleating flake graphite[(Mn,X)S type nuclei].There are three important groups of elements(deoxidizer,Mn/S,and inoculant)and three technological stages in electric melting of iron(superheat,pre-conditioning of base iron,final inoculation).Attention is drawn to a control factor(%Mn)x(%S)ensuring it equals to 0.03–0.06,accompanied by 0.005wt.%–0.010wt.%Al and/or Zr content in inoculated irons.It was found that iron powder addition promotes austenite dendrite formation in eutectic and slightly eutectic,acting as reinforcement for the eutectic cells.But,there is an accompanying possible negative influence on the characteristics of the(Mn,X)S type graphite nuclei(change the morphology of nuclei from polygonal compact to irregular polygonal,and therefore promote chill tendency in treated irons).A double addition(iron powder+inoculant)appears to be an effective treatment to benefit both austenite and graphite nucleation,with positive effects on the final structure and chill tendency.

Effects of Silane Coupling Agent on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of EPDM/Carbonyl Iron Microwave Absorbing Patch

The effects of types and amounts of silane coupling agent on mechanical properties of vuleanized rubber microwave absorbing patch （VRMAP） were studied. The mechanisms of silane coupling agent＇s effects on mechanical properties of rubber microwave absorbing patch （ RMAP ） and microvave absorbing patch＇s （MAP＇s） mierostrueture were also discussed by using SEM and FT-IR. The experimental results show that the tensile strength of RMAP could be increased through adding the filler of carbonyl iron powder （CIP） modified by silane coupling agent. RMAP fiUed with CIP, which was treated by silane coupling agent KH550, possessed a high tensile strength of 11.5 MPa, which was 448% more than that of MAP whose filler wus not modified by any coupling agent. It was found that the optimal amount of KH550 was 1.0 phr to 100.0 phr carbonyl iron powder. The effects of different modifying techniques on RMAP＇s mechanical properties were also inrestigated. It is indieated that MAP whose filler is modified by the wet process has the highest tensile strength, but it is not the optimal modiifying technique due to complieated wet process. On the contrary, the dry process was very simple, and VRMAP possessed fairly high mechanical properties, therefore, it was the perfect modifying process.

Analysis of density and mechanical properties of high velocity compacted iron powder

A new method for producing higher density PM parts, high velocity compaction （HVC）, was presented in the paper. Using water atomized pure iron powder without lubricant admixed as the staring material, ring samples were compacted by the technique. Scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and a computer controlled universal testing machine were used to investigate the morphologies and the mechanical properties of samples, respectively. The relationships among the impact velocity, the green density, the sintered density, the bending strength and the tensile strength were discussed, The results show that with increasing impact velocity, the green density and the bending strength increase gradually, so the sintered density does. In addition, the tensile strength of sintered material is improved continuously with the sintered density enhancing. In the study, the sintered density of 7.545 g/cm^3 and the tensile strength of 190 MPa are achieved at the optimal impact velocity of 9.8 m/s.

Improving chill control in iron powder treated slightly hypereutectic grey cast irons

Recent studies revealed that in eutectic to slightly hypereutectic grey irons （CE = 4.3%-4.5%） the presence of austenite dendrites provides an opportunity to improve the cast iron properties, as a high number of eutectic cells are ＂reinforced＂ by austenite dendrites. An iron powder addition proved to be important by promoting dendritic austenite in hypereutectic irons, but was accompanied by adverse effect on the characteristics of potential nuclei for graphite. The purpose of the present paper is to investigate the solidification pattern of these irons. Chill wedges with different cooling moduli （CM = 0.11 - 0.43 cm） were poured in resin bonded sand and metal moulds. Relative clear / mottled / total chill measurement criteria were applied. Iron powder additions led to a higher chill tendency, while single inoculation showed the strongest graphiUzing effect. The various double treatments show an intermediate position, but the inoculant added after iron powder appears to be the most effective in reducing base iron chill tendency, for all cooling moduli and chill evaluation parameters. This performance reflects the improved properties of （Mn,X）S polygonal compounds as nucleation sites for graphite, especially in resin bonded sand mould castings. Both austenite and graphite nucleation benefit from a double addition of iron powder ＋ inoculant, with positive effect on the final structure and chill tendency.

Recovery of zinc from electric arc furnace dust by alkaline pressure leaching using iron as a reductant

To recover zinc from electric arc furnace(EAF)dust,a process of primary normal pressure leaching and secondary alkaline pressure leaching is proposed.First,under the alkaline pressure leaching system,the experiment of pure zinc ferrite being reduced by iron powder was carried out.Under the optimal reduction conditions(i.e.,temperature of 260℃,NaOH concentration of 6 mol/L,liquid-to-solid ratio of 50 mL/g,and a 5-fold excess of iron powder),89%of zinc was extracted.The iron in the reduced residue exists as a magnetite phase.Subsequently,the normal pressure leaching experiment was carried out with EAF dust as raw material,and 66%zinc was leached.The main phase of zinc in normal leaching residue was determined to be zinc ferrite.Then,the normal leaching residue was reduced by iron powder under the alkaline pressure leaching system,and 66.5%of zinc was extracted.After the two-stage leaching process,the leaching rate of zinc in EAF dust can achieve 88.7%.The alkaline pressure leaching solution can be returned as the normal pressure leaching solution,and the magnetite in the alkaline pressure leaching residue can be recovered by magnetic separation.

Production of Reduced Iron Powder Using Ultra-Fine Iron Concentrate

The using of the iron to extract reduced iron with T Fe ≥ 69.5% Al 2O 3+SiO 2<0.3% was studied. Preparation of reduced iron powder in this experimental research can produce ultra pure magnetite concentrate. The quality of the final product reaches the product standard of SC 100.26 and NC 100.24.

Rapid Extraction and Analysis of Essential Oil from Cinnamomum Cassia Presl.

An improved solvent-free microwave extraction（ISFME） was used for the extraction of essential oil from dried Cinnamomum cassia Presl. Two kinds of solid microwave absorption media[carbonyl iron powder（CIP） and graphite powder（GP）] were used. When ISFME was applied, the heating rate was enhanced and the extraction time was obviously shorter than that consumed in conventional solvent-free microwave extraction（CSFME）. Twenty-eight kinds of compounds in the essential oil were identified, and the total content fractions of the compounds obtained by CIP-ISFME, GP-ISFME, CSFME, and hydrodistillation（HD） were 96.65%, 96.06%, 97.22%, and 96.29%, respectively. The compounds in the essential oil obtained from Cinnamomum cassia Presl. by ISFME, CSFME, and HD were compared and the quantity of the essential oil was almost the same. The ISFME has been proved to be a feasible way to extract essential oil from dried samples, and there are several obvious advantages in ISFME over those of HD and CSFME, for example, shorter extraction time（30 min） and lower energy consumption.

A Facile Route for Synthesis of LiFePO_4/C Cathode Material with Nano-sized Primary Particles

A facile and practical route was introduced to prepare LiFePO4/C cathode material with nano-sized primary particles and excellent electrochemical performance. LiH2PO4 was synthesized by using H3PO4 and LiOH as raw materials. Then, as-prepared LiH2PO4, reduced iron powder andα-D-glucose were ball-milled, dried and sin-tered to prepare LiFePO4/C. X-ray diffractometry was used to characterize LiH2PO4, ball-milled product and LiFePO4/C. Differential scanning calorimeter-thermo gravimetric analysis was applied to investigate possible reac-tions in sintering and find suitable temperature for LiFePO4 formation. Scanning electron microscopy was em-ployed for the morphology of LiFePO4/C. As-prepared LiH2PO4 is characterized to be in P21cn（33） space group, which reacts with reduced iron powder to form Li3PO4, Fe3（PO4）2 and H2 in ball-milling and sintering. The appro-priate temperature for LiFePO4/C synthesis is 541.3-976.7 ℃. LiFePO4/C prepared at 700 ℃ presents nano-sized primary particles forming aggregates. Charge-discharge examination indicates that as-prepared LiFePO4/C displays appreciable discharge capacities of 145 and 131 mA·h·g^-1 at 0.1 and 1 C respectively and excellent discharge ca-pacity retention.

A New Approach for Preparation of Various Phenylethylamines

A new approach for preparation ol various substituted phenylethylamines from the corresponding nitro compounds with iron powder and NH4Cl in 75% aqueous ethanol solution was developed.

Highly selective and green recovery of lithium ions from lithium iron phosphate powders with ozone

Since lithium iron phosphate cathode material does not contain high-value metals other than lithium,it is therefore necessary to strike a balance between recovery efficiency and economic benefits in the recycling of waste lithium iron phosphate cathode materials.Here,we describe a selective recovery process that can achieve economically efficient recovery and an acceptable lithium leaching yield.Adjusting the acid concentration and amount of oxidant enables selective recovery of lithium ions.Iron is retained in the leaching residue as iron phosphate,which is easy to recycle.The effects of factors such as acid concentration,acid dosage,amount of oxidant,and reaction temperature on the leaching of lithium and iron are comprehensively explored,and the mechanism of selective leaching is clarified.This process greatly reduces the cost of processing equipment and chemicals.This increases the potential industrial use of this process and enables the green and efficient recycling of waste lithium iron phosphate cathode materials in the future.

A novel approach to investigate effect of magnetic field on dynamic properties of natural rubber based isotropic thick magnetorheological elastomers in shear mode

The preparation of natural rubber based isotropic thick magnetorheological elastomers(MRE) was focused on by varying the percentage volume concentration of carbonyl iron powder and developing a test set up to test the dynamic properties. Effect of magnetic field on the damping ratio was studied on the amplification region of the transmissibility curve. The viscoelastic dynamic damping nature of the elastomer was also studied by analyzing the force-displacement hysteresis graphs. The results show that MR effect increases with the increase in magnetic field as well as carbonyl iron powder particle concentration. It is observed that softer matrix material produces more MR effect. A maximum of 125% improvement in the loss factor is observed for the MRE with 25% carbonyl iron volume concentration. FEMM simulation shows that as carbonyl iron particle distribution becomes denser, MR effect is improved. FEMM analysis also reveals that if the distance between the adjacent iron particles are reduced from 20 μm to 10 μm, a 40% increase in stored energy is observed.

Surface structural engineering of carbonyl iron powder for enhancing microwave absorption and anti-oxidation performance

Surface structural engineering is desirable in modifying the surface performance of carbonyl iron powder(CIP)to enhance microwave absorption(MA)and anti-oxidation performance.Herein,the surface shape-dependent CIP absorbers are designed via surface coating with zinc oxide(ZnO)nanoparticles and then a thermal annealing treatment.The morphology of ZnO nanoparticles which can be easily regulated by controlling the annealing temperature ultimately affects the MA performance of CIP coating with ZnO nanoparticles(CIP@ZnO).The core-shell CIP@ZnO particles with cubic cone ZnO nanoparticles exhibit ex-cellent MA performance and thermal stability in comparison to the original CIP.Specifically,the CIP@ZnO annealed at 350 ℃(CIP@ZnO-350)samples which have the cubic cone ZnO nanoparticles exhibit a min-imum reflection loss(RLmin)of-55.35 dB at a thickness of 2.1 mm and a maximum effective absorp-tion bandwidth(EAB)of 7.09 GHz at a thickness of 2.0 mm.In addition,the antioxidant property of the CIP@ZnO composite particles is abruptly enhanced,which breaks the restriction of the application of CIP at high temperatures.The superior MA performance of CIP@ZnO particles with cubic cone ZnO nanoparti-cles comes from the enhancement in surface shape-dependent multiple microwave scattering,interfacial polarization,and electromagnetic-dielectric synergism between ZnO and CIP.

Production of ultrafine iron powder by low-temperature hydrogen reduction: properties change with temperature

Ultrafine iron powder is widely used due to its excellent performance. Hydrogen reduction of fine-grained high-purity iron concentrate to prepare ultrafine iron powder has the advantages of low energy consumption, pollution-free, and low cost. The hydrogen reduction of high-purity iron concentrates, characterized by the maximum particle size of 6.43 μm when the cumulative distribution is 50% and the maximum particle size of 11.85 μm when the cumulative distribution is 90% while the total iron content of 72.10%, was performed. The hydrogen reduction could be completed at 425 ℃, and the purity of ultrafine iron powders was more than 99 wt.% in the range of 425–650 ℃. Subsequently, the effect of reduction temperature on various properties of ultrafine iron powder was investigated, including particle morphology, particle size, specific surface area, lattice parameters, bulk density, and reaction activity. It was found that the reaction activity of the iron powders prepared by hydrogen reduction was much higher than that of the products of carbonyl and liquid phase synthesis. Below 500 ℃, the reduced iron powders were nearly unbound, with a small particle size and a low bulk density. The particles had a porous surface, with a specific surface area as high as 11.31 m^(2) g^(−1). The crystallization of reduced iron powders was imperfect at this time, the amorphization degree was prominent, and the interior contained a high mechanical storage energy, which had shown high reaction reactivity. It was suitable for catalysts, metal fuels, and other functionalized applications.

Effect of temperature and reaction path interaction on fluidization reduction kinetics of iron ore powder

Due to the instability of FeO at temperatures below 843 K,the fuidization reduction pathway of iron ore powder changes with the reduction temperature.Thus,the effect of temperature and reaction pathway interaction on the kinetics of fuidization reduction of iron ore powder under low-temperature conditions ranging from 783 to 903 K was investigated to describe the fluidization reduction rate of iron ore powder from three aspects:microstructure change,reaction limiting link,and apparent activation energy of the reaction,exploring their internal correlation.The experimental results revealed that in a temperature range of 783-813 K,the formation of a dense iron layer hindered the internal diffusion of reducing gas,resulting in relatively high gas diffusion resistance.In addition,due to the differences in limiting links and reaction pathways in the intermediate stage of reduction,the apparent activation energy of the reaction varied.The apparent activation energy of the reaction ranged from 23.36 to 89.13 kJ/mol at temperature ranging from 783 to 813 K,while it ranged from 14.30 to 68.34 kJ/mol at temperature ranging from 873 to 903 K.

A novel approach to enhance decrepitation temperature and reducibility of ultrafine iron ore concentrate pellets

Utilizing ultrafine iron ore concentrate for pellet production can expand domestic iron ore resources in China and promote the utilization of low-grade ores.However,a challenge arises with the low decrepitation temperature and reducibility in the preparation process of ultrafine iron ore concentrate pellets.To address the challenge,a novel approach was proposed,which incorporated straw powder as an additive to enhance pellet porosity,thereby improving the decrepitation temper-ature and reducibility of ultrafine iron ore concentrate pellets.The effect of varying proportions of straw powder(0.0-2.0%)on the characteristics of ultrafine iron ore concentrate pellets was examined.Results indicate that at a 2.0%straw powder ratio,pellet decrepitation temperature notably rises from 380 to 540℃,while the reducibility index escalates from 25.7%to 48.1%.Nevertheless,the addition of straw powder results in diminished drop strength,compressive strength of green pellets,and cold crushing strength of fired pellets.In addition,enhanced pellet reducibility leads to exacerbated reduction swelling index and reduction degradation index.Despite these effects,all parameters remain within an acceptable range.

Recovery of iron and copper from copper tailings by coal-based direct reduction and magnetic separation

A technique comprising coal-based direct reduction followed by magnetic separation was presented to recover iron and copper from copper slag flotation tailings.Optimal process parameters,such as reductant and additive ratios,reduction temperature,and reduction time,were experimentally determined and found to be as follows：a limestone ratio of 25%,a bitumite ratio of 30%,and reduction roasting at 1473 Kfor 90 min.Under these conditions,copper-bearing iron powders（CIP）with an iron content of 90.11% and copper content of 0.86%,indicating iron and copper recoveries of87.25% and 83.44%respectively,were effectively obtained.Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy of the CIP revealed that some tiny copper particles were embedded in metal iron and some copper formed alloy with iron,which was difficult to achieve the separation of these two metals.Thus,the copper went into magnetic products by magnetic separation.Adding copper into the steel can produce weathering steel.Therefore,the CIP can be used as an inexpensive raw material for weathering steel.