Influence of the Doctor Blade Shape on Tape Casting—Comparison Between Analytical, Numerical, and Experimental Results

In this study, the influence of the shape of the doctor blade on the flow inside the tape casting unit and on the resulting tape properties is investigated both numerically and experimentally. Using the results from the analysis of the produced tape and from the simulations of the flow inside the tape casting unit, the relationships between blade geometry and the particle orientation in the resulting tape, as well as the resulting tape thickness, are shown. Additionally, the experimentally and numerically obtained results were compared to an analytical model for the prediction of the tape thickness. The simulations were carried out using the particle‐based smoothed particle hydrodynamics method using a non‐Newtonian fluid model to describe the ceramic slurry. Both in experiment and simulation, the influence of the blade geometry on the resulting tape shows good agreement.