Experimental and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis of additively manufactured weirs

Additive Manufacturing is emerging as a cost effective alternative to conventional manufacturing techniques for applications requiring components with complex geometries, assemblies comprising a large number of parts or small productions runs. Cost savings can be realized through reduction in raw material required, reduced manufacture times and removing the need for expensive tooling. AM can offer an economical alternative to the existing alloy weir design to perform fluid mechanics experiment in our lab. An existing 2.5 m open channel fluid flow experiment contains a set of standard weirs which is limited to sharp crested flat profile in design. This paper will compare experimental AM weirs (e.g., labyrinth, piano, catenary), that would not be possible on some laser-cut polymer or machined aluminum weirs. Due to the bespoke complex nature of weirs’ design other manufacturing methods would be too expensive and impossible to use. AM technology allows a cost-effective solution for progressive design modifications to be implemented throughout investigations. This paper will highlight comparisons made between a range of AM produced weirs in terms of flow rate, fluid velocity profile, water level height and discharge coefficient. Computation fluid dynamic modelling (CFD) will also be used to verify, analyze, and compare results. Based on the experimental results and verification, the paper will also discuss the suitability of application of AM techniques in fluid flow analysis experiments