Blade coating analysis of viscous nanofluid having Cu–water nanoparticles using flexible blade coater

This article presents the blade coating analysis of viscous nanofluid passing over a porous substrate using a flexible blade coater. Water-based copper nanoparticles are considered to discuss the blade coating process. The lubrication approximation theory is applied to develop the flow equations. The analytical solution is obtained for velocity, volumetric flow rate, and pressure gradient, while shooting method is applied to obtain the pressure, thickness, and load. Different models for dynamic viscosity have been applied to observe the impact of related parameters on pressure, pressure gradient, and velocity. These results are presented graphically. Interesting engineering quantities such as load, deflection, and thickness are computed numerically and are shown in the tabulated form. It is found that nanoparticle volume fraction increases the pressure gradient, pressure and has minor effects on velocity. For model 1, an increase in the volume fraction reduces the coating thickness, load, and deflection, while model 2 has opposite effects on the mentioned quantities. Also, model 2 has a greater impact on pressure and pressure gradient when compared to model 1.