A Numerical Investigation on the Drying Process of Laminated Green Body Manufactured by 3D Gel-Printing of Metal Power

In order to predict the temperature, humidity and deformation of the 3D gel-printing metal laminated green body during the drying process. This paper presents a mathematical model of solving the coupled temperature, moisture, and stress-strain fields during the drying process. This model was established on the Luikov’s irreversible thermodynamics and material mechanics. It was numerically solved based on the discrete difference method, and it was implemented into numerical simulations through a combination of sequence and direct coupling method. The results have shown that, for the temperature field, green body temperature field approached to be steady in a short time during drying. For the moisture field, moisture migration exhibited between materials with different initial moisture contents. While for the stress-strain fields, obvious tensile stress state was experienced on the edges of green body longitudinal sides. The research carried out in this paper contributes to provide a comprehensive guide of the process planning of drying process of green body.