DEM-Based Investigation of Sand Mixing Ratio and Recoating Speed Effects on Recoating Performance and Mechanical...

Based on the discrete element method (DEM), a sand particle contact force model and a motion model for the 3D sand printing (3DSP) process were developed. By accounting for the viscous support force and contact force between sand particles, and gravity acting on each individual sand particle, the displacement of sand particles was calculated, enabling the simulation of the 3DSP process using sand particle ensembles. Furthermore, the effects of the ratio of silica sand to ceramsite sand and the recoating speed on sand-recoating performances and mechanical properties were investigated. Irregularly shaped sand particles (primarily silica sand) were constructed via the multi-sphere filling method. The simulation was performed on a virtual sand-recoating device (180 mm in length, 100 mm in width, 70 mm in height) with reference to the EXONE S-MAX printer. Meanwhile, the EXONE S-MAX was utilized to print the bending samples for experimental validation. Simulation and experimental results indicate that as the ratio increases, the porosity first decreases and then increases, whereas mechanical properties exhibit an initial increase followed by a decrease. At a ratio of 3:7, the porosity reaches a minimum of 21.3%; correspondingly, the shear force of bonding bridges peaks at 908 mN, and the bending strength of specimens attains a maximum of 2.87 MPa. With the increasing recoating speed, the porosity rises consistently, while the shear force of bonding bridges and the bending strength of specimens first increase and then decrease, which is primarily attributed to the penetration behavior of the binder under capillary force. At a recoating speed of 160 mm·s^-1, the shear force of bonding bridges reaches its maximum, and the specimens achieve a maximum bending strength of 2.89 MPa. The simulation results are well-validated by the experiments. The DEM-based simulation method proposed in this study offers a practical and convenient tool for parameter optimization in 3DSP process.