Hi everyone,

I am currently working on an analysis project for a turbine rotor and I am stuck on a specific geometry task. I would appreciate some expert advice on the best workflow to handle this in SolidWorks.

The Context:

• Model: I am working with an imported geometry (STEP/neutral file) with no feature history (no native tree).
• Geometry: The turbine rotor has 114 blades with a twisted/complex design.
• Objective: My goal is to isolate a single 1-pitch sector (containing 1 full blade + runner segment) to be used for periodic simulation in ANSYS.

The Problem: I have tried several methods such as:

1. Split: Using reference planes at 3.15° angles to cut the sector.
2. Delete Face (Delete & Patch): Trying to remove adjacent blade segments that get intersected due to the blade twist.
3. Extruded Cut: Trying to shave off parasitic geometry.

However, I am consistently hitting "Rebuild Errors" (such as "Cannot patch face", "Empty model", or geometric intersection errors). It seems the complex curvature makes it impossible to perform clean boolean operations on this imported solid.

My Question: What is the standard industry workflow for isolating a periodic sector from a complex, non-native turbine rotor model?

• Should I be using Surface modeling instead of Solid modeling for these boundaries?
• Is there a way to define the sector boundary without intersecting the twisted blade geometry?

I have attached a screenshot of the geometry for reference. Any advice on the methodology or "best practice" for this type of cleanup would be extremely helpful.

Thank you!