Work

The role of orifice geometry in determining fibre production efficiency in pressurized gyration

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Pressurized gyration allows the scaled-up production of polymeric fibre under the simultaneous application of pressure and rotation. This study investigates the influence of orifice design on fibre formation and production rate in pressurized gyration, aiming to optimize the technique for industrial-scale applications. Transparent vessels with varying orifice heights (7.5 mm, 15 mm, and 22.5 mm), orifice numbers (24 and 48), and dual-level orifice distributions were fabricated and tested under pressures of 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 MPa. Morphological analysis showed that fibre diameter decreased from 2.2 µm to 1.8 µm when pressure was raised from 0.1 to 0.3 MPa when increasing the number of orifices to 48. Two-level orifice designs yielded mixed diameter distributions, enabling tunable fibre architectures. High-speed imaging revealed that the 7.5 mm orifice height achieved fluid ejection 7.5 % faster than 22.5 mm at 0.1 MPa and increasing pressure from 0.1 to 0.2 MPa reduced ejection time by up to 33 %. Production rate increased with more orifices (48 compared to 24), by 9.8 % at 0.2 MPa, and declined at higher pressure for vessels with dual-level designs. Overall, the findings provide quantitative insights into how vessel geometry influences fibre morphology and throughput in pressurized gyration systems.

Source: Materials & Design

DOI: 10.1016/j.matdes.2025.114670

Authors: Ahmed Alneyadi, Alexander Smith, Anthony Harker, Mohan Edirisinghe

Institution: University College London

Language: English

Topic: Electrospun Nanofibers in Biomedical Applications

Subfield: Biomaterials

Field: Materials Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,650

Funders: UK Research and Innovation, University College London, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council