Nozzle clogging during direct ink writing of polymer matrix composites – A numerical simulation insight into the process

Nozzle clogging during direct ink writing of polymer matrix composites – A numerical simulation insight into the process | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Nozzle clogging during direct ink writing of polymer matrix composites – A numerical simulation insight into the process Rajat Mishra, Swasti Chakrabarty, Amit Arora This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7648374/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Enhancing properties of composite materials through aligned reinforcements in Direct Ink Writing (DIW), an extrusion-based additive manufacturing (AM) process, is a critical objective in engineering applications. The DIW process involves study of complex multiphase flow to determine the directionality of the reinforcement. Advanced numerical techniques are to be delployed to study the interplay of various forces and process parameters in the process. In this study, we use coupled Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Discrete Element Method (DEM) numerical techniques to investigate the flow of a graphite-reinforced PVA polymer matrix through a nozzle, a process not easily achievable through experimental means. The drag force, pressure gradient force, and virtual mass force are found significant based on a comprehensive analysis of simulation and experimental data. Non-linear regression analysis is performed to quantify the impact of these forces on reinforcement alignment. The orientation angle of reinforcements is chosen as the output parameter, with input parameters comprising nozzle outlet diameter, reinforcement aspect ratio, volume flow rate, polymer viscosity, and reinforcement concentration. Additionally, the nozzle clogging during printing is studied using the developed model. Nozzle rotation is proposed as an effective method to mitigate clogging, further enhancing the efficiency of the reinforcement alignment process. This research advances our understanding of composite material printing and offers practical solution for optimizing the alignment of reinforcements in polymer matrices, paving the way for developing high-performance composite materials with tailored properties using extrusion based AM processes. Mechanical Engineering CFD-DEM Additive manufacturing Direct ink writing Regression analysis Nozzle clogging Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7648374","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":517022544,"identity":"280c3bbc-46f6-4321-b503-c134c281bee4","order_by":0,"name":"Rajat Mishra","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA6ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYJACAwaG//X97M0HgGwJGSK1JDAzzuw5lgDSwkOkPUAtG27kGICYhLXozj78oODnDzZmgxs5n1/dqLHgYWA/fHQDPi1m59IMDHsSeNgkz7zdZp1zDOgwnrS0G3i1nGEwMOBJkODhO567zTiHDahFgseMgBb2D4Z/EgwkGA7kPDPO+UeUFh4DY56EBAOBEznMj3PbiNNSYCyTdiBBsueYGXNunwQPG2G/sG8zfGNzIIGfvfnx55xvdXL87IeP4dUCBGwGMIYEmCSgHASYH8AYH4hQPQpGwSgYBSMQAADEsEiS7IiUbgAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"IIT Gandhinagar","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Rajat","middleName":"","lastName":"Mishra","suffix":""},{"id":517022545,"identity":"2719aa5f-5de7-457a-aa85-65f0edf01292","order_by":1,"name":"Swasti Chakrabarty","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"IIT Gandhinagar","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Swasti","middleName":"","lastName":"Chakrabarty","suffix":""},{"id":517022546,"identity":"d5438b9b-62ee-4e25-b821-0bc5f9a8714e","order_by":2,"name":"Amit Arora","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"IIT Gandhinagar","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Amit","middleName":"","lastName":"Arora","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-09-18 10:22:47","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":false,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"humanSubjectConsent":false,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7648374/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7648374/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":91691399,"identity":"dfad6040-8608-46ae-965d-231ee140c795","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-09-19 08:39:02","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":2410996,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7648374/v1_covered_eba4787e-4916-400a-b505-33a6bc121118.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare no competing interests.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eNozzle clogging during direct ink writing of polymer matrix composites – A numerical simulation insight into the process\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"CFD-DEM, Additive manufacturing, Direct ink writing, Regression analysis, Nozzle clogging","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7648374/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7648374/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eEnhancing properties of composite materials through aligned reinforcements in Direct Ink Writing (DIW), an extrusion-based additive manufacturing (AM) process, is a critical objective in engineering applications. The DIW process involves study of complex multiphase flow to determine the directionality of the reinforcement. Advanced numerical techniques are to be delployed to study the interplay of various forces and process parameters in the process. In this study, we use coupled Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Discrete Element Method (DEM) numerical techniques to investigate the flow of a graphite-reinforced PVA polymer matrix through a nozzle, a process not easily achievable through experimental means. The drag force, pressure gradient force, and virtual mass force are found significant based on a comprehensive analysis of simulation and experimental data. Non-linear regression analysis is performed to quantify the impact of these forces on reinforcement alignment. 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