Effect of Spheroidization of Ti-6Al-4Â V Powder on Characteristics and Rheological Behaviors of Gelcasting Slurry

We have prepared spherical Ti-6Al-4 V (TC4) alloy powder by radio frequency (RF) plasma with irregular TC4 powder for obtaining the stable suspension slurry. The results showed that fine spherical powders with smooth surface and favorable dispersion were obtained and the spheroidization efficiency of spherical powders was almost 100%. The solid loading of TC4 slurry using spherical powders was greatly improved to 63 vol.% compared to that 40 vol.% using irregular powder, at which viscosity of the suspension slurry is lower than 1 Paás. The green bodies with bending strength of 20 MPa had a smooth surface.