Abstract
A novel micro-feeder for fine powders is developed using a vibration shear flow mechanism. This feeder consists of a cylindrical tube and a bottom, which are vibrated by piezoelectric vibrators. Particles in the tube are discharged through a narrow gap between the lower edge of the tube and the bottom surface. The frequency and maximum amplitude of the vibration applied were 320 Hz and 30μm, respectively. Micron, submicron, and nanoparticles were used in the experiments to study the effect of the particle size, amplitude and phase difference of the vibrations, gap distance, and inclination angle of the tube on the mass flow rate of the particles discharged from the tube. Furthermore, the stability of the mass flow rate was analyzed. The experimental results showed that the proposed method has high performance in micro-feeding of fine powders.
