Wettability of mineral and metallic powders: Applicability and limitations of sessile drop method and Washburn's technique

Characterization of powder wettability is a prerequisite to the understanding of many processes of industrial relevance such as agglomeration which spans from pharmaceutical and food applications to metallurgical ones. The choice of the wetting fluid is crucial: liquid must wet the powder in order for agglomeration to be successful. Different methods for wettability assessment of powders were reported in the literature, however the sessile drop method and capillary rise test remain among the most widely employed because they are easy to perform and inexpensive. In this paper, the application and limitations of sessile drop method and capillary rise test on mineral and metallic surface were discussed. This work provides a collection of wettability measurements using several powders and binders which are involved in the manufacturing process of welding wires. Moreover a new reference liquid for the calibration of capillary rise method was proposed. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.