Abstract
Numerical simulations have been carried out using the finite element method (FEM) for the forming flow of ceramic tapes. The flow domain encompasses both the slurry reservoir and the doctor‐blade region with free surface and is fully two‐dimensional. The material of this study is an organic‐bonded alumina slurry used in a previous experimental investigation and is modeled as a viscoplastic Bing‐ham fluid with a yield stress. For different substrate speeds, the entire flow domain is analyzed and the extent and shape of yielded/unyielded regions are found. The computed free surface profiles are in close agreement with the experimental ones. Large vortices appear in the reservoir and their intensity is computed under different operating conditions. The lubrication approximation theory (LAT) is then used to deduce a new reservoir design with tapered walls avoiding recirculation. Subsequent FEM studies show the adequacy of the new design to achieve certain criteria such as elimination of vortices and an evenly distributed unyielded region. It is proposed that a combination of LAT and FEM techniques be used for design of ceramic tape casting equipment.
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