Squeeze flow of thixotropic semisolid slurries

Abstract

An essential element for the integration of a semisolid process in the production of complex commercial components is the availability of accurate mathematical and computational tools that could describe both the rheological behavior and the material characteristics of the suspension, which are strongly affected from its internal structure and its evolution during deformation. In this study we considered the squeeze flow experiment, which is a standard method used to determine material properties of semisolid slurries, where a fixed amount of material is compressed from its topside either under constant load or constant velocity, while the bottom side remains fixed. Through high fidelity computational modeling we simulated the classical compression experiment by including the effects of thixotropy in order to demonstrate its role in determining material constants. More specifically a structural viscoplastic model based on the Bingham plastic constitutive equation is proposed. The yield stress is assumed to vary linearly with the structural parameter which follows a first-order rate equation accounting for the material structure break-down and build-up. The development of the yielded/unyielded regions in relation to material structural changes is analyzed. Furthermore, we performed also simulations, where the compression is interrupted for a short time, in order to study the material internal structure after a short relaxation time. © (2015) Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland.