Hi Modelers,
Using Creo 4.
I am designing a complex air duct. The duct has two different inlet/out profiles, sweeps downward and moves right to left. There is an mid wall inside the duct which at the inlet end sits about a third to the left hand side and then finishes in the middle at the outlet.
My design approach has been to complete a wire frame of reference sketches, datum points and splines to achieve the shape. I then use boundary blends to make up the different duct wall sections. I then merge the walls, thicken and remove the excess.
Wire frame
Boundary blends
Thickened - Outlet End
Rear Iso View - Inlet End
The challenge I face is to maintain a constant (or close to) smooth inner duct chamber profile on both sides. As air flows through each duct chamber the goal is for a stable airflow speed (little increase) and minimal pressure drop at the outlet. This is achieved by transitioning between the start/end profiles in a smooth fashion without collapsing the profile and keeping the cross sectional area as constant as possible.
The green lines shown the internal chamber profiles. The main problem is here as they are not smooth.
Please note I am aware of the mid duct wall not looking right. This is an easy fix (tuning of datum points). Outside profile solution is the main issue.
The below views show the areas of the duct geometry which aren't controlled and have blown out.
Side Elevation
Front Elevation
Plan View
My questions:
1. This this the right modeling approach to tackle this part?
2. Or do I just need more reference sketches to control the sweep?
Appreciate anyone who can help.
File attached.
Cheers,
Ray
