Blade Modeling Application Part 1: Workflow from the Initial CAD Design to a New Adjustable Model

Blade Modeling Application Part 1: Workflow from the initial CAD design to a new adjustable model So our Workbench is open, we will bring the Geometry module here, and with the right-click, it's going to be a new Design Modeler geometry.

The Geometry screen pops up, we will import an external geometry file. So here is the imported geometry. We have some blade design with a number of blades and an associated hub with that. We don't have the shroud at the moment, but we will generate that one.

So we're going to stay on the ZX plane to proceed further because we will create some sketches. So we have to get here and then select the ZX plane, and then let's create a new sketch. If you go to the sketching section, we have a lot of alternatives to use.

If you want to use the rectangle, select the rectangle and provide some cushion on the front and rear end. Use only the upper half of the body, and the rectangle will end by the axis. As you see here, and that is it. We have our sketch available.

Then we will convert this to a surface, and for that, in the Concept Surfaces from Sketches, we will use that sketch, and there you go, we can make this at Frozen too, it's going to be a better-looking one ultimately. There you go. So now we have the sketch and associated surface with that.

Now at this stage, I will create a cylinder to define the shroud geometry and the dimensions. And for that purpose, let's go to the Primitive Cylinder, and it's going to be again; it's always good to make this add frozen the Z-coordinate origin.

Wait a minute, I'm gonna have to change the units so that it's gonna help us better, but I guess I have to do that first. I have to do something. Let's put that first, and then generate, and then units. Let's use inches and get the cylinder again. Edit selections.

So it's going to be 1.4 inches on here, the Z component is going to be negative 6, and the radius will be 0. 236. So this is how the cylinder is positioned at the moment. As you see, the cylinder diameter is pretty much flushing the total impeller height, and I deliberately chose that.

But we're going to perform a few other simplifications for better streamlined workflow. Now what we will do is we will split the surface that we generated using this surface, the exterior surface of the cylinder. And for that, we will go to the Tools and Face Split. There you go.

Now it will be by surface. The target face, as you may imagine, it's going to be that one. The tool will be this one. Now we actually generated the split here. It's actually better visible. See that we have an upper portion of that surface, and the lower portion is within the cylinder already.

Now we'll perform another phase split, and I will use the Hub, but before that, let me hide this body so that I can reach the Hub. Similarly, by surface, now my target is actually the lower portion. The tool geometry will be; let me see if I can precisely select the hub geometry.

So with that, we created this middle section, which describes the region between the Hub and shroud, and the blade will be positioned there, of course. So I will create four new sketches to define the inlet, outlet, hub, and shroud locations.

And let's go there and make a new sketch, and let's name this as Inlet, and go to Sketching, and then it's going to be a line between; it's going to be better if we zoom in to the and then zoom out later on. There you go, this is the inlet. So I created those after the inlet outlet, as you see.

Here we have the flow path, and we will define the flow path in the Blade Editor section. In the Blade Editor section, you will see a bunch of different options that we could use, and from here we're going to select the flow path.

We don't have to define the machine type at this moment, but for hub contour, we will select the hub, for shroud contour, we will select the shroud, similarly inlet and outlet. And for the other selections, we don't have to specify the number of layers; I guess it's going to be created by itself.

Let's generate. There you go. Now we have defined the flow path. So at this stage, I'd like to demonstrate some further simplification steps that could be helpful.

For example, now in our CAD file, we have the fillet region, and it's not going to help us to continue with that to generate the blade profile.

So what we have to do is basically we have to cut the blade profile slightly above the flat region, and then we should create the blades with only the remaining portion of it. And then we're going to make some blade extensions.

And I'll actually do this on the top section too, just to be on the safe side, so that the hub really crosses the blade tip. So let's create another sketch, and let's name it as TrimSketch. And it's going to be again a line. And let's be aligned well, so that we see things better.

I would like to stay above that region. As you see, the letter H is shown here; it's going to make that this line is perfectly horizontal. If you are dragging here and there, luckily the software is going to make the line perfectly horizontal. Now we are going to use this sketch to cut the regions.

Now I would like to demonstrate this. Let's get to Revolve here. So the geometry is trim, and the axis will be the main axis of the geometry. Let's flip it, and it's frozen. So, as you see, now we have a revolve.

Of course, after doing this, what we have to do, we're going to create a slice using this created revolve. So let's create a slice, which is under the Create section here. And the slice by surface, and the target surface is the one that we created with Revolve already.

And the slice with all targets, I mean the slice targets all bodies. So, after the slice, what you see here, I kind of highlighted the other geometries, so we have the blades.

So ultimately what we try to do is try to create the blade region with the defined sketches associated with those, and we have, of course, used just like the single blade. We need just like a single blade, and we will generate others with a multiplier later on.

So, now we have the blades, and we will continue with those. So, let's continue with renaming the surfaces of the blade. I'm going to be just focusing on a single blade at the moment. So let's name this portion as Front.

Similarly, I named the rear end, rear surface side; you can call this pressure side, the other one is the suction side, however you like to name it, depending on your application.

And we can definitely also exclude the sketches from the view, but before moving on, I'd like to make an extend function so that I want to make sure the blade height actually passes the shroud and the hub surface. In order to do that, we're going to use the Solid Extend, and get to Tools here.

This is a beta version. If that's not available, you have to go back to the Workbench and turn the beta functions on. And when we do this, let's define a very small offset. So I have the front portion extended, similarly I will do another extend with the same amount to the bottom portion.

If it fails to extend, you have to play with the offset until you find a good one working. Now my blade is ready. I have extended blade regions for the hub and shroud, so that we can create the flow domain in a better fashion. Now at this stage, we will perform a CAD import.

Again, on the Blade Editor, CAD import, and create CAD import feature. And the flow path, we have already defined the flow path, remember. And is this the main blade? Yes. Number of blades?

Again, it's totally up to us, and let's make this three; however, we'd like to do it, and that's pretty much it. Of course, we have to define the blade surfaces, and that is either I can select with the name selections or I can, you know, visually physically select, I mean.

I'm only selecting, as you see, the sides and inlet and front and rear sections, not the top and the bottom. And now that is already completed, so we can actually write this going here; we're going to name it like let's name it test2 and save.

So before going to the next stage, I wanted to demonstrate the blade profile that is generated after the CAD import function. And this is actually a good visual to indicate the profile of the geometry that we have.

The next stage will be bringing this CAD to a new Design Modeler screen and continuing the work from there. Please contact us at https://ozeninc.com/contact for more information.