This is predominantly a qualitative study on the manufacturing of micronozzles with an additive manufacturing (AM) technique, namely the laser-powered powder bed fusion (PBF-LB). Manufacturing of micronozzles with standard microelectromechanical system technology often results in 2.5-D or close to 3-D structures and does not yield a fully rotationally symmetric nozzle. For this reason, AM can be a better solution. However, the structures obtained with PBF-LB exhibit very rough surfaces which will impair the performance of the micronozzle. To improve the surface finish electropolishing was performed on the interior walls. Given the shape and the scale of the components, uniformity of the polishing is a challenge, calling for an inventive electrode configuration and electrolyte feed solution. The approach was to integrate an electrode on the inside of the converging part of the nozzle, to serve as a cathode for the electropolishing, already in the process, and to make the nozzle itself the vital part of the fluidic system. With this, titanium micronozzles were manufactured with throat diameters varying between 300 and 800 μm. With the resolution of the used AM technique, it was possible to integrate the internal electrode in the micronozzles with a designed throat diameter down to 600 μm. Below this, the anode, and cathode, sometimes made contact short-circuiting the cell. Profilometry showed a decrease of the average surface roughness (𝑅𝑅𝑎𝑎) with 15-60 % for the electropolished micronozzles. The Schlieren imaging showed an exhaust that followed the throat’s axial direction and also demonstrated pressure disks and, hence, a supersonic jet exhaust. This study has shown that AM is a viable choice for manufacturing of rotationally symmetric micronozzles, and that electropolishing could be used to decrease the surface roughness on their inside uniformly with the integration of a cathode.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-491393 |
| Date | January 2022 |
| Creators | Bugurcu, Alan |
| Publisher | Uppsala universitet, Ångström Space Technology Centre (ÅSTC) |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Relation | UPTEC K, 1650-8297 ; 22034 |
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