Blade load analysis of the turbine blades is generally very crucial for hydraulic machine designs, especially in a case of axial turbines, where the shroud is missing. The torque in this case is transmitted only by the blade pivots or fixed support to hub. Blade loading can be especially significant for off-design operating regimes. Modulation of the excitation frequencies and pressure pulsations is enabled by application of so called nonuniform blade cascades, which leads to different force magnitudes on each of the turbine blades. Therefore, it is necessary to analyse the force acting on each blade by CFD and FEM analysis to adjust thickness of the fixed support or the diameters of the pivots. These analyses are especially important in case of 3D printed plastic runners like in the case of the presented swirl turbine runner.
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