Analysis of fan blade attachment

Abstract: This thesis work is based on the analysis of a fan blade attachment whereby a complete 3D model is presented by a partner company. The acceptability of a new design regarding the mechanical loads consisting of dividing the hub into two parts instead of using a solid hub is studied. From the model some critical parameters for the attachment of the blade with respect to the stresses are chosen such as the rotational speed, fillet size of the blade and the neck size of the blade. Parametric studies of these parameters are carried out in order to suggest the new design. Bearing in mind that a safety factor of 2 is the prerequisite, based on the analysis performed on ANSYS Workbench, it is suggested from the preliminary design that the axial fan can operate in two specific scenarios consisting of a rotational speed of 1771 rpm and a rotational speed of 1594 rpm. Using this set of parameters, a suggestion is drawn up on the blade fillet which will give lower stress. Blade fillet size of 30 to 35mm is recommended while a size of 45mm is recommended on the neck of the blade. A modal analysis is performed in order to find at what frequency will the model be vibrating and a lowest and critical frequency of 16.8 Hz is obtained. Finally, a fatigue analysis of some interesting areas is performed in order to determine the numbers of cycles before fatigue failure occur. It is recommended to use the rotational speed since these speeds have offered a High Cycle Fatigue results.