Automated aviation sealant gluing process modelling and parametric optimization: A dynamic mesh-coupled multiphase flow framework

Abstract Modern aerospace systems demand enhanced fuel tank sealing integrity and assembly efficiency, where automatic gluing plays a pivotal role in optimizing both process effectiveness and gluing quality. However, aviation-grade sealants present unique challenges due to their elevated viscosity, time-environment-dependent rheological properties, and complex flow deformation characteristics. Conventional experimental approaches prove prohibitively expensive for parameter optimization while failing to capture dynamic rheological responses during gluing processes. This investigation establishes a computational framework integrating multiphase flow theory with dynamic mesh methodology to simulate the process of automatic gluing, systematically examining flow behavior under various operational parameters and elucidating their impacts on surface morphology. Results reveal that the gluing velocity primarily governs the sealant morphology width, while glue supply predominantly affects surface smoothness and sealant morphology height. A more stable gluing quality can be obtained by the combination of the parameters of gluing velocity of 0.001 m/s, glue supply of 0.17 g/s, and gluing velocity of 0.002m/s, glue supply of 0.5 g/s.