Fabrication and Characterization of Deformable Porous Matrices with Controlled Pore Characteristics
The subject of this study concerns a method of manufacture for porous media for which the solid matrix is capable of experiencing deformation under the influence of the flow field.
In most traditional considerations of flow through porous media, the solid matrix is composed if a very rigid material so that the permeability of the porous media is completely uninfluenced by the flow field. The motivation behind the work of this paper concerns the situation in which the matrix is composed of a material that has a low resistance to deformation. Conventionally, the matrix design parameters: elasticity and pore geometry, cannot be precisely controlled and the choice of parameters is limited to existing available media.
Here a solution is provided that uses an indirect solid free form fabrication process that combines 3D Printing with an infused Polydimethylsiloxane elastomer to provide a highly deformable matrix with a controlled pore architecture. The manufacturing method is presented in detail. Local SEM analysis of the manufactured matrix show that the method has a high capability to accurately create pore structures at length scales as low as 0.75 mm. Experimental flow measurements further validate that the intended pore geometry is able to be reproduced in highly deformable matrices. The experimentally determined permeability of the deformable matrix is determined to agree with the intended within 95 %.