Effect mechanism of multiple obstacles on non-Newtonian flow in ceramic 3D printing (arcuate elements)

Direct ink writing (DIW), as an additive manufacturing method, can effectively mould ceramic parts. The single screw extruder is used here to extrude viscous SiC slurry. The deposits caused by the low viscosity and the agglomerations resulting from the nonuniform mixing, form the obstacles in the channel, which affect the normal theoretical flow of the slurry, and interaction with other printing parameters. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the effect mechanism of the obstacles on the flow. The obstacles are always irregular, which makes it difficult to directly analyse them. The irregular geometries are always composed of linear and/or arcuate elements; therefore, the obstacles can be simplified into regular geometries. In the previous work, linear elements have been analysed first. As the continuous work, arcuate elements are investigated in the current research. To conduct the required simulations, an improved MRT LBM (multiple relaxation time lattice Boltzmann method) with a pseudo external force is proposed. The above numerical method is combined with the rheological model to analyse cases with two obstacles, and the obtained results are used to reveal the general mechanism in cases with multiple obstacles. The results show that the central angles, radii, and positions of the obstacles are important factors affecting the flow. To obtain a stable and controllable slurry flow, it is recommended that the central angle and the radius should be small enough. The number of obstacles should be minimized, and the position of the last obstacle is expected to be far away from the outlet to avoid the negative velocity. In addition, the adjacent obstacles should maintain a certain distance to ensure the full development of the vortex and avoid affecting the following obstacles or back vortices.