Hello everyone,
I’m currently working on a hydrofoil geometry (NACA profile) that I modeled in Rhino and imported into ANSYS SpaceClaim for composite layup modeling in ANSYS ACP.
I’m facing issues during the ACP solid model generation stage. The foil has top and bottom surfaces (pressure and suction sides), and I am using a mid-surface plane in Rhino to control ply cut-off and solid extrusion alignment. However, when I generate the solid model in ACP, the top and bottom solids are not connecting properly, especially near the leading edge region. This results in mesh distortion, degenerated elements, and later solver errors in ANSYS Mechanical.
I suspect the issue may be related to how I:
Created the mid-surface (camber plane) in Rhino
Split the geometry into surfaces
Structured the topology before export (STEP file)
Or how the surfaces share edges / continuity
My questions are:
What is the best method in Rhino to create a clean mid-surface for an airfoil that will later be used for composite cut-off or solid modeling?
Should the top and bottom surfaces be joined into a single closed polysurface before export?
How important is shared edge topology for downstream meshing in ANSYS?
Are there recommended Rhino workflows (e.g., Rebuild, MatchSrf, ShrinkTrimmedSrf, MergeAllFaces) before exporting to STEP for FEA?
The foil is slightly tapered in chord (root and tip differ), so geometry continuity is important.
Any advice on preparing Rhino geometry specifically for composite FEA workflows (ANSYS ACP) would be greatly appreciated
Thank you !
