https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7144-5512
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ABSTRACT
The aim of this study is to quantify the impact of different rheological models on the accuracy of LPIM numerical simulation. Two different feedstocks were formulated, and rheological profiles were characterised using a rotational rheometer from which the parameters of different rheological models were extracted and then implemented in an Autodesk Moldflow package. Mould filling patterns into a rectangular shape mould cavity were simulated, and then validated using real-scale injections. Depending on the feedstock rheological behaviour, models are not always well adapted to predict the mixture viscosity over the entire shear rate range. Because injections were performed at constant volumetric flow, all the rheological models were successfully used to predict the injected length. However, the simulated pressure through the mould cavity was only accurately simulated using the second-order or matrix models since these viscosity models were able to adequately capture the feedstock behaviour in the shear rate range representing the injections.
Acknowledgements
This work was carried out with the financial support of the NSERC Graduate Scholarships-Master’s Program, MITACS Globalink Graduate Fellowship and AeroCREATE Program in Competitive Manufacturing for the Aerospace Industry.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes on contributors
Raphaël Côté is a Master of Applied Science student in Department of Mechanical Engineering of Ecole de technologie superieure. His research in low-pressure powder injection moulding (LPIM) is about numerical simulation and rheological behaviour of feedstock (mouldability, viscosity profiles and segregation). His project intends to investigate the impact of rheological models on the accuracy of the predicted flow pattern obtained by numerical simulation. He received his B.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering from École de technologie supérieure in 2019.
Mohamed Azzouni is a Master of Applied Science student in Department of Mechanical Engineering of Ecole de technologie superieure. He received his undergraduate degree in Mechatronic Engineering in 2017 from the National Engineering School of Sousse, Tunisia. His current research interest is the evaluation of the potential of a numerical simulation tool to predict the cavity pressure of a powder-binder feedstock during the injection phase of LPIM process based on an experimental validation.
Oussema Ghanmi received his Master of Applied Science of Ecole de technologie superieure in 2019. His research project was about simulation and characterisation of titanium feedstock for the LPIM process. He received his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2017 from National engineering school of Monastir in Tunisia. He actually works at Creaform Engineering in Laval, Canada.
Sarthak Kapoor is a final-year undergraduate student from National Institute of Technology, Warangal, India, where he is pursuing Bachelor’s in Technology at the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering. He completed his internship under MITACS 2019 program at the Department of Mechanical Engineering in Ecole de technologie superieure. His research interests include process optimisation, metal joining, and computational materials engineering.
Vincent Demers is a professor in Department of Mechanical Engineering of Ecole de technologie superieure since 2014. He is an expert in the development of advanced manufacturing technologies with more than 11 years’ experience in the field of powder metallurgy, brazing, welding and heat treatment. He is an expert in the development of powder injection moulding including the characterisation of dry powder (PSD, morphology and dry powder rheology), rheological behaviour of feedstock (mouldability, viscosity profiles and segregation), injection, debinding and sintering. He received his Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2009 from the Ecole de technologie superieure. Between 2009 and 2013, he worked in the Special Process Development group at Pratt & Whitney Canada in applied R&D. His research and teaching interests include powder metallurgy, materials characterisation and material processing.