An integrated model of the electrospinning process: A comparison of computational results to experimental observations

A mathematical solution electrospinning model is being developed for both process control and property prediction. The development of the model focuses on the stress-critical parameters of solvent concentration, temperature, and viscosity. This unique electrospinning model has been created based on a premise that solution electrospinning process is, in many respects a variation of dry spinning. The model was constructed by adapting a published 1-dimensional dryspinning mode1 (Gou & McHugh 2003) for its treatment of the mass and energy transport balance equations. The initial electrostatic component was taken from a published model (Feng 2002) that treats the tangential and normal traction forces on the fiber surface due to the electric field. By integrating the electrical component of the process to an industry-proven dry spinning model, generation of the material profiles necessary for predicting fiber diameter, morphology, and uniformity is achieved The model presented in this paper is a 1-dimensional electrospinning model. The fluid used is 8.0% by mass of cellulose acetate to acetone, modeled as a Newtonian fluid. The differential equations for the model where solved using a constant-step fourth order Runge-Kutta numerical method in FORTRAN. Representative electrospinning conditions have been used to define the ability of the model to predict experimental electrospun fiber results. Similarities and departures of prediction from observation are discussed in terms of proposed electrospinning mechanisms.