Structural Dynamics Analysis

FEA On Design of Fan Blade

Mohammad Hafiz Bin Abu Hassan

KEC070016

Structural Dynamics Analysis Introduction For this assignment, I have chosen table fan blade as the subject of this analysis. Table fan is very common household electric appliance in our house. The fan blade is very important part of a table fan besides the electric system and the motor. One of the considerations to design the fan blade is the natural frequency of the blade. The fan blade is spinning around 1000 rpm that is driven by the motor. Therefore the design should meet the requirement so that the blade will not vibrate at its natural frequency. Resonant frequency (resonance) is a state in which the induced vibration frequency into a system is equal to the natural frequency of the system. As any mechanical system is subjected to fatigue, a fans structural integrity is greatly affected by its resonance, which upon occurrence, can destroy the fan in no time; it is therefore advisable to maintain a safe margin of operating frequencies to avoid resonance.

Design and Dimensions:

Material Most of the current table fan blade is made from Polypropylene (PP). The properties of PP as follow: Density Modulus of Elasticity Possion Ratio Results and Conclusion: The analysis has been done using Abaqus software. The material is polypropylene. Mode 1 0.855g/cm3 2.0 GPa 0.35

Mode 2

Mode 3

Mode 4

Mode 5

Mode 6

Mode 7

Mode 8

Mode 9

Mode 10

Mode 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Natural Frequency (Hz) 63.6318 69.2289 73.7457 134.068 175.275 185.435 366.335 409.736 425.774 566.168

During fan operation, resonant frequencies can force a blade to vibrate at its natural frequencies. Blade Pass Frequency: This frequency is dependent on the total number of blades and calculated as follows : Blade Passing Frequency = [(No. Of Blades x rpm) / 60] Hz

The design of blade is 3 and if the RPM is at 1000 RPM, Blade passing frequency will be = 3 x 1000 / 60 = 50Hz According to the analysis, the blade natural frequency is more than 50Hz. Therefore the blade will not vibrate at its natural frequency.

Recommendations: Any improvement should make the natural frequencies range is farther from the operating frequency. Some of the improvements that can be made are: Change the material Changes of the material should consider the weight of the blade. The larger the weight, it will consume more energy to spin it at desire RPM. Change the design The blade design can be shorten so that the natural frequencies range will farther from the operating frequency. But the flow rate of the air is also should be taken into account to design the blade.

References: http://www.paragfans.com/benifits.php http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vibration