SolidWorks 2009 Training Manual

Exercise 11:
Blower Housing

Create this by following the steps as

shown.
This lab reinforces the following skills:

Getting Started

Helix and Spiral on page 76.

Sweep with guide curves, on

page 91.

Sweeping Along Model Edges on

page 133.

With some models, where you should start is not obvious.

You may find it very tempting to start building your sweep by drawing
the sweep profile first. It is best practice, however, to create the path
and guide curves first so that the profile appears at the right point in
history to apply P i e r c e relations to make the sweep work. This can
present some difficulties because it is often helpful to use the profile to
help build the path and guide curves.
I f you find that you must build the profile first and use it to construct
the path and guide curves, you can copy the original profile to a new
sketch which is driven by the path and guide curves.
In this part, the overall shape is a flat spiral, but the cross section of the
involute shape changes in two directions as the sweep progresses.
Making the profile grow taller around the sweep will mean that we use
a spiral for the path and a spiral of a slightly larger pitch for the first
guide curve. Making the sweep grow in width will be the work of a
helix.

Procedure

Open a new part from the PartJIN template and name it

Blower Housing.
1

C r e a t e the path.

4.000

The path should be the smallest spiral,

since it is best practice to sweep to the
outside of a curve when you can.
Sweeping to the inside of a curve can
create self-intersecting geometry i f the
curvature of the path is too small.
Sketch a circle on the Front reference
plane with a 4 i n c h diameter centered
at the Origin, as shown.

152

E x e r c i s e 11: Blower Housing

SolidWorks 2009 Training Manual

Next use the H e l i x / S p i r a l tool with

the sketched circle to create a spiral
with the settings below:

For D e f i n e d B y select S p i r a l .

For P i t c h enter 0 . 7 5 0 " .

For R e v o l u t i o n s enter 1.
For S t a r t a n g l e enter 0 and click
Counterclockwise.

C r e a t e the first guide c u r v e .

Draw a second circle again on the Front reference plane, this time with
a 5 i n c h diameter centered at the Origin.
Use the settings below to create a second spiral which will function as a
guide curve:

For D e f i n e d B y select S p i r a l .

For P i t c h enter 1.500".

For R e v o l u t i o n s enter 1.
For S t a r t a n g l e enter 0 and click

Counterclockwise.

Create the s e c o n d guide c u r v e .

Create a new plane with an O f f s e t D i s t a n c e of

0 . 2 0 0 " from the Front reference plane.
Name it Helix_Plane.
Draw a third circle on Helix_Plane, with a
4.5" diameter, again centered at the Origin.
This time create a helix with the settings
shown.

For D e f i n e d B y select H e i g h t a n d R e v o l u t i o n .

For H e i g h t enter 0 . 5 0 0 " .

For R e v o l u t i o n s enter 1.
For S t a r t a n g l e enter 0 and click

Counterclockwise.

You do not need to make a tapered helix to compensate for the

increasing diameter. We will accommodate that in the profile sketch.
You should now have two spirals and a helix.

E x e r c i s e 11: Blower Housing

153

SolidWorks 2009 Training Manual

D r a w t h e profile.

Open a sketch on the Top reference plane, and sketch a rectangle with
two tangent arcs on the horizontal ends, turning two of the lines of the
rectangle to construction geometry as shown.

To create involute shape, the spirals will drive the X dimension, so as

the spirals get progressively further apart from one another, the X
dimension of the sketch gets larger.
The Y dimension will be driven by the helix.
A d d s k e t c h p o i n t s to t h e p r o f i l e s k e t c h .

Add sketch points to the midpoints of the vertical lines. The

points allow the spirals to drive the X dimension. The midpoint
relations enable the Y dimension to be driven symmetrically.

154

E x e r c i s e 11: Blower Housing

SolidWorks 2009 Training Manual

A d d a n o t h e r s k e t c h p o i n t to t h e p r o f i l e .

Add a sketch point to the construction line as

shown
Do not place the point at the midpoint of the line,
just on the line so that it only gets a C o i n c i d e n t
relation. The point needs to be able to control the
Y dimension and be able to slide back and forth,
since the helix does not increase in diameter, but
the spirals do.

Important!

A d d P i e r c e r e l a t i o n to
helix.

Add a P i e r c e relation

between the new sketch

point and the helix. Make
sure to select the helix in
the graphics window near
the end where you want
the point to touch it.
There are three locations
on the plane where the
pierce would be correct:
either end and the
midpoint of the helix.
9

Create the s w e e p .

Use the small spiral as the path, the large spiral as

the first guide curve, and the helix as the second
guide curve.

C3

Check the intermediate profiles to see how the

profile sketch follows the guide curves
parametrically.
Also notice that the helix on one side drives the
width of the involute symmetrically.

GD ^ r g e smooth faces

m
1 Guide Orv8(HefcoScf ai3) I
Pafli(HelSprattT>

E x e r c i s e 11: Blower Housing

155

SolidWorks 2009 Training Manual

10

E x t r u d e t h e outlet.

Open a sketch on the outlet end

of the involute, select the end
face, and click C o n v e r t
Entities.

Now extrude the sketch 2.25".

Rename this feature Outlet.

11

Offset.

Open a new sketch on the Front

reference plane.
Select the smaller spiral from the
FeatureManager design tree, and
create a sketch offset at 0.200".

12

C o m p l e t e the s k e t c h .

Complete the sketch with horizontal

and vertical lines as shown.
Trim the lines and the spline to create
a closed profile.

13

C r e a t e the body.

Create a M i d - P l a n e extrusion
with a D e p t h of 0 . 9 0 0 " .

156

E x e r c i s e 11: Blower Housing

SolidWorks 2009 Training Manual

14

D r a w o u t l e t ring s w e e p profile.

Open a new sketch on the Front reference

plane.
Switch to H i d d e n L i n e s
the sketch more visible.

Removed

to make

Notice the sketch penetrates the solid body.

In SolidWorks, sweeps are not always exact,
so it is best practice to avoid creating lineon-line geometry. In this case, make the
sweep interfere slightly with the main body
to make sure that the new feature merges.

Tip

Create a P i e r c e relation between the endpoint of the arc and the edge of
the Outlet.

Edge of

15

Outlet

S w e e p the outlet ring.

Select the sketch from the

previous step as the profile and
the pierced edge as the path.
Use the option T a n g e n t
p r o p a g a t i o n so the sweep will
continue along the tangent
edges, much like a fillet.

The result of the sweep is

shown in a different color for
illustration purposes.

E x e r c i s e 11: Blower Housing

157

SolidWorks 2009 Training Manua

16 C r e a t e e x t r u s i o n .

Open a sketch on the flat face as shown.

Sketch a circle centered on the Origin with a diameter of
Extrude the sketch a D e p t h of

0.550"

with

Draft

of

4.75".

5.

17 Mirror t h e f e a t u r e .

Mirror the extruded boss about the Front reference plane.

Introducing:
Split L i n e s

W h e r e to F i n d It

I n s e r t , C u r v e , S p l i t L i n e s uses one or more curves to split one model

face into two. They can be one or more connected sketch entities. They
must be oriented so that they will pass through model faces when
projected normal to the sketch plane.

Click I n s e r t , C u r v e , S p l i t L i n e .
Or on the Curves toolbar, click S p l i t

Line

B.

18 S p l i t line.

Open a sketch on the Front reference plane.

Draw a circle centered on the Origin with a diameter of

158

Create a S p l i t

Line

Make sure the

Single Direction

3.25".

feature splitting the two flat faces as shown.

option is cleared.

E x e r c i s e 11: Blower Housing

SolidWorks 2009 Training Manual

E x e r c i s e 11: Blower Housing

159

SolidWorks 2009 Training Manual

21

Shell.

Shell the part using a T h i c k n e s s of

0.050".

For the F a c e s to R e m o v e , select the three faces that were created by

the split lines in step 18 and step 19.

Notice that at the transition from the

involute scroll to the straight outlet,
there is a bit of tangent discontinuity.
To correct for this, try using a spline to
flow smoothly between the spiral and
the straight line. A similar technique
was shown in the coil spring case
study.

E x e r c i s e 11: Blower Housing