Simulation Study on the Mixing Process of Polydimethylsiloxane/Carbon Fiber Composites
Abstract
Uniform filler dispersion is vital to form thermal networks within polymer composites. Planetary centrifugal blending enables high-quality composite fabrication, yet the microscale dispersion mechanism of carbon fiber (CF) in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) remains unclear. This work adopted EDEM-based discrete element simulation to explore the dispersion characteristics of CFs in PDMS during planetary centrifugal stirring. With mixing deviation as the quantitative evaluation indicator, the effects of CF loading, mixing time and mixing speed on dispersion uniformity were analyzed. The results showed that increasing CF content within 1-5 vol% improved dispersion uniformity by strengthening inter-fiber collisions and breaking agglomerates. Optimized processing parameters (6-12 min mixing time and 600-1200 rpm mixing speed) effectively enhanced fluid shear and particle movement to homogenize CF distribution. However, excessively long stirring duration and excessive mixing speed generated parallel particle flow trajectories and suppressed valid inter-particle collisions. Specifically, a high mixing speed of 1400 rpm induced prominent fiber orientation and slight secondary re-agglomeration, thereby degrading the mixing quality. The multi-scale coupling analysis of macroscopic statistical data and microscopic flow field evolution clarified the intrinsic particle-scale dispersion mechanism of PDMS/CF composites.
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.33142/rams.v8i1.20145
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