Three-dimensional Numerical Analysis and Experimental Confirmation for Investigating the Ground-Based Lateral Droplet Ejection Toward Microgravity Simulation

Rapid in situ manufacturing is significant in space exploration. Droplet-based printing technology with micrometer accuracy has great potential in space due to the advantages of convenient transportation, customized metal material, and good environmental adaptability. It could achieve the ground microgravity simulation by a small Bond number (Bo < 1). The present work proposes a new method to evaluate the reliability of the ground microgravity simulation in the lateral metallic droplet-based ejection. The three-dimensional model is developed to numerically analyze the droplet ejection dynamic process coupled with the volume of fluid method and the k–ω shear stress transport model. The model accuracy and efficiency are improved by the local fine grid. In addition, the computation is validated by the cryogenic alloy droplet ejection experiments and theoretical analysis. The proposed theoretical analysis equation has good agreement with the SnPb alloy droplet ejection trajectory. Reynolds number (Re), Weber number (We), Froude number (Fr), Ohnesorge number (Oh), and breakup length (Lb) are used to analyze the gravity influences on the droplet ejection process of different materials, nozzle length–diameter ratios, and crucible fluid unfilled heights. The ejection direction has little effect on the aluminum droplet formation time and breakup length and the gravity effect increases with the length–diameter ratio and unfilled heights. In simulated results, the minimum We number of the aluminum droplet formation is 0.22 and the cryogenic alloy droplet formation is 0.19. The reliability of ground physical microgravity simulation is dependent on material selection, and aluminum is more suitable than the cryogenic and SnPb alloys.