Fractions design of irregular particles in suspensions for the fabrication of multiscale ceramic components by gelcasting

Abstract A new approach for the preparation of suspensions with a high solid loading and low viscosity by using irregular particles was proposed. These suspensions were prepared for the fabrication of multiscale ceramic components by gelcasting. Based on the Funk-Dinger function and fractal theory, the closest packing theory was applied to optimize the volume fractions of different particles. The maximum solid loading of slurries prepared for gelcasting was 62 vol%, and the viscosity at a shear rate of 100 s −1 was only 0.29 Pa s. By as-prepared suspensions, a decimeter-scale ceramic part with submillimeter features was fabricated successfully by gelcasting, which verify the feasibility of the proposed method.