Fully resolved numerical simulations of fused deposition modeling. Part II – solidification, residual stresses and modeling of the nozzle

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to continue to describe the development of a comprehensive methodology for fully resolved numerical simulations of fused deposition modeling. Design/methodology/approach A front-tracking/finite volume method introduced in Part I to simulate the heat transfer and fluid dynamics of the deposition of a polymer filament on a fixed bed is extended by adding an improved model for the injection nozzle, including the shrinkage of the polymer as it cools down, and accounting for stresses in the solid. Findings The accuracy and convergence properties of the new method are tested by grid refinement, and the method is shown to produce convergent solutions for the shape of the filament, the temperature distribution, the shrinkage and the solid stresses. Research limitations/implications The method presented in the paper focuses on modeling the fluid flow, the cooling and solidification and volume changes and residual stresses, using a relatively simple viscoelastic constitutive model. More complex material models, depending, for example, on the evolution of the conformation tensor, are not included. Practical implications The ability to carry out fully resolved numerical simulations of the fused deposition process is expected to be critical for the validation of mathematical models for the material behavior, to help explore new deposition strategies and to provide the “ground truth” for the development of reduced-order models. Originality/value The paper completes describing the development of the first numerical method for fully resolved simulation of fused filament modeling.