Numerical Simulation of a Particle Layer Formation in Electrophotography by Distinct Element Method

In a magnetic single component development system of electrophotography, toner particles are formed into a thin layer by a contact blade, which also makes toner particles charged. This particle layer is important for quality of output images. However, the particle layer is sometimes not formed properly by some reasons, such as, condensed particles which stay in the nip between the blade and a sleeve. In an extreme case, toner particles are not provided normally and the shortage of the toner in the development area makes the output image quality poor. To clarify a mechanism of the particle layer formation in the development system, Distinct Element Method is applied and an roll of a blade pressure in layer formation is analyzed. The simulation result suggests that too low blade pressure does not make an uniform layer and there is a proper pressure range for the uniform layer formation.