Computer Aided Modelling and Investigation of the Performance of a Pump Impeller Produced using Fused Deposition Modelling

Pumps find many industrial applications in converting electrical to mechanical energy necessary for fluid transfer. In this study, numerical analysis of the pump impeller produced via the Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) was carried out in the complete ABAQUS environment (CAE/2020). This led to the determination of the stress, strain and deformation distribution induced on the modelled impeller under the operating conditions using the von Mises failure criterion. For the purpose of this study, the static general and steady state heat transfer steps were employed sequentially. The impeller’s model as casted in the FDM process was designed as a single solid homogenous part with no nodal separations or assembly constraints between the base of the impeller and its blades. Using a mesh interval of 0.5 mm, it was observed that the computational time decreases with an increase in the mesh size up to 5.0 mm. The results obtained showed that blade thicknesses less than 5 mm are more susceptibility to failure. In addition, extreme operating speeds up to 1000 rad/s and pressures of 0.22 MPa are not suitable conditions for high operational efficiency and structural integrity of the impeller. The findings of this work provides an insight into the design of pump impeller using the FDM with improved design accuracy and cycle time.