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Comparative Study on Extrusion 3D Printing of Solid Propellant Based on Plunger and Screw
Shixiong Song1, Jiawei Shi2, Quanbin Ren3
1School of Astronautics, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, China.
Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
|February 26, 2025
Summary
This study compares screw and plunger extrusion for 3D printing solid propellants. Plunger extrusion offers more stable flow and uniform velocity, while screw extrusion has lower average pressure but exhibits backflow.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Chemical Engineering
- Additive Manufacturing
Background:
- Extrusion-based 3D printing is promising for solid propellant manufacturing.
- Screw- and plunger-based extrusion are common techniques for propellant 3D printing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the flow characteristics of screw- and plunger-based extrusion for 3D printing solid propellants.
- To evaluate the impact of extrusion mechanisms on propellant slurry flow behavior.
Main Methods:
- Combined computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations and experimental validation.
- Analysis of flow velocity, shear rate, pressure distribution, and rheological behavior.
Main Results:
- Plunger extrusion shows stable flow, high velocity, high shear rate, and low pressure near the nozzle, with uniform outlet velocity.
- Screw extrusion exhibits complex rheology and backflow but has lower average channel pressure (3885.11 Pa vs. 7292.92 Pa for plunger).
- Experimental results confirm comparable printing quality between the two methods.
Conclusions:
- Plunger extrusion provides more predictable flow dynamics for solid propellant 3D printing.
- Screw extrusion, despite complexities, achieves lower operational pressure.
- Both methods yield comparable printing quality, offering insights for process optimization.
