US2563011A

US2563011A - Two-part hub adjustable pitch fan

Info

Publication number: US2563011A
Application number: US35882A
Authority: US
Inventors: Arthur E Dehnicke
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1948-06-29
Filing date: 1948-06-29
Publication date: 1951-08-07
Anticipated expiration: 1968-08-07

Description

A. E. DEHNICKE TWO-PART HUB- ADJUSTABLE PITCH FAN Aug. 7, 1951 Filed June 29. 1948 [17 Men 2771" E Arthur E Dehnz'ake by .2;

Patented Aug. 7, i951 J1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TWO-PART HUB ADJUSTABLE rrrcn: FAN Arthur E. Dehnicke, Lyons, 111. Application June 29, 1948, Serial No. 35,882

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to a fan and more particularly to a fan having variable pitch blades.

The fan of the present invention may be adapted for use under any circumstances in which a fan having variable pitch blades may be desired, such as for use with condensers, airconditioning units and like devices. The fan of the present invention is particularly desirable for use in the cooling of internal combustion engines, such as automotive engines, Diesel engines, and'the like. In the operation of internal combustion engines, the necessity of operating the engine within a rather limited temperature range is generally appreciated inasmuch as excessive temperatures may cause predetonation, knock and other operation difficulties, while operation at temperatures below the preferred range may result in condensation of gaseous combustion products within the combustion chamber, excessive combustion chamber deposits and other difficulties. Accordingly, the operation of any given engine within a relatively narrow temperature range is to be greatly desired for most economical and eflicient operation. In air cooled engines, or in liquid cooled engines inwhich the engine is cooled by means of liquid flowing through a conventional radiator and circulation system, the operating temperature of the engine is largely governed by a fan mounted on the forepart of the engine and adapted to create a flow of air over the engine surfaces and/or through the radiator. The amount of air flowing past the engine and/or through the radiator may be regulated by varying the pitch of the fan blade or by varying the rotational speed of the fan.

The present invention provides a fan having variable pitch blades, the fan being adaptable for use with internal combustion engines of either aircooled or liquid cooled type. In the fan of the present invention, the pitch of each of the blades may be simultaneously changed by a very simple adjustment which may be easily and quickly accomplished when the fanis at rest. Positive means are provided for maintaining the pitch of the blades at any given pitch from zero to 360. The fan of the present invention may be rotated by means of a belt-drive or by means of a shaft axially received by the fan hub.

In general, the fan of the present invention comprises a hub portion, a bevelled ring gear freely rotatable within the hub portion and a plurality of blades carried by the hub portion and extending therebeyond to provide air agitating (Cl. (I-160.6)

means and carrying at that end received by the hub bevelled pinions in mesh with the bevelled ring gear carried by the hub. A removable cap portion is provided for the hub and so arranged that it may be clamped against the hub ends of the blades to maintain the blades at any given pitch. The pitch of the blades may be varied by merely loosening the cap portion of the hub, grasping one of the fan blades and rotating the same to change the pitch thereof. The movement of the blade is transmitted through the bevelled pinion carried by the blade to the ring gear freely mounted in the hub and through said ring gear to the bevelled pinions carried by the rest of the blades, so that all of the blades are rotated in the same direction and by the same amount. Thus the pitch of each of the blades may be simultaneously changed with the relative pitch of the blades remaining constant. Following the changing of the pitch of the blades, the blades are clamped in their new position by means of the cap portion of the hub.

It is an important object of the present invention to provide a fan having a plurality of variable pitch blades wherein the pitch of each of the blades may be varied uniformly and in unison by changing the pitch of any one of the blades.

It is a further important object of the present invention to provide a fan comprising a hub, a plurality of blades extending from the hub, intermeshing gears carried by said hub and by said blades for simultaneously adjusting the pitch of all of said blades when the pitch of any one of said blades is changed, and means associated with the hub for clamping the blades in adjusted position.

Other and further important objects of this invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the specification and the accompanying drawings.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of an internal combustion engine having mounted thereon a fan of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view, with parts shown in elevation, taken. along the line II-II of Fi ure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view, with parts shown in elevation, taken along the line IIIIII of Figure 2.

As shown on the drawings:

In Figure 1, reference character E refers generally to an internal combustion engine equipped with a fan of the present invention indicated generally by reference numeral It. As illustrated, the fan I is secured to the engine E by means of a stub-shaft ll journalecl in the bearing I2 and clamped to the engine E by means of a suitable clamp I3. The fan 50 is driven by means of a V-belt I 4 looped. about the hub 15 of the fan l0 and about the pulley H3 carried by the crankshaft H of the engine E. The fan Is! is thus driven by the engine E, the fan being so positioned that the flow of air induced by the fan is directed over the outer surfaces of the engine E to effectively cool the same. It should be understood that the fan Hi may be employed with a liquid cooled engine to draw air through a; radlator and then blow the air across the surfaces of the engine and also that the fan It may be mounted upon a shaft connected to the water pump of the engine E rather than to a stubshaft such as illustrated at l I.

As illustrated in Figure 1, the hub l5 of the fan I0 comprises a body portion liiand a clamping cap portion 26 secured to the face .24 of the body portion, as by means of cap screws 2 i, which may be inserted from the front or the back. As

illustrated in Figure 3, the hub body portion 1-9 is generally cylindrical and is axially bored asat 2 2to receive the stubshaft ll secured to the internal combustion engine E. The hub body portion [9 is also provided with an annulargroove 23 formed in its outer peripheral face to receive the V-belt I4. Thehub l5 may be secured to the shaft H for rotation therewith by means of ,set

ripheral face is positioned Within the hub body portion I9, to fit into the recess 25 and against theshoulder 21.

The clamping cap 26 is provided with a centrally located recess 29 in that face which abuts the face 24 of the body portion It, the recess 25 being concentric with and of the same radius as the recess 23 of the body portion IS. The cap 20 is apertured at spaced points about its periphery to receive the cap screws 2! by means of which the cap .29 is clamped to the body p91:- tion l9 to form the completed hub structure I5.

The mating faces of the hub body portion 19 and the cap 2t are provided with equally spaced semi-cylindrical apertures 3d and '3! respectively which extend radially outwardly from the

recessed portions

25 and 29. As illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 the sets of semi-cylindrical recesses 3i) and 3| cooperate to define cylindrical apertures extending from the outer curved surface of the hub [5 into the

recesses

25 and 29 to receive the shanks 32 of a plurality of blade carrying supports 33. The blade-carrying supports 33 are generally cylindrical in form and are slotted at their outer ends as at 3d to receive the fan blades 35. The fan blades 35 are held in the slots 3.4 by means of rivets 36 or other suitable fastening means which extend through the blade supports 33 and the blades 35.

The inner end of the blade support 33 which extends into the

apertures

29 and 26 carries a beveled P111 01 31, either formed integrally with or secured to the shank portion The teeth '15 cylindrical bores into said hub recess, and a of the bevelled pinion 31 are in mesh with the bevelled ring gear teeth of gear 28 and are spaced at equal intervals about the ring gear 28. Although four blades 35, blade supports 34 and bevelled pinion gears 37 are shown, it should be realized that a greater or less number of blades may be employed although the blades should be uniformly spaced about the hub 19.

The ring gear 28 is rotatably seated in the re cess 25 and is held therein by means of the bevelled pinions 3'! bearing thereagainst. The ring 28 is thus rotatable within the hub I 5 and it is obvious that when one of the bevelled pinion gears .3! is rotated, a corresponding rotation is caused in the ring gear 28, and that the rotation of the ring gear 28 causes a corresponding rotation of each of the other bevelled pinions 31. Thus, the rotation of any of the blades 35 will cause a corresponding rotation in each of the other blades 35, the amount of rotation and the direction thereof being equal in each instance.

The cap 20 serves as a means for preventing any accidental change in the pitch of the blades 35 when clamped securely against the face 24 of the hub body portion I9. Thus, when-the blades are set a tthe proper pitch, the capZO is clamped tightly against the shanks 32 of the blade support members 33 to prevent further rotation of the blades, the clamping of the cap 20 being accomplished by means of the screws 2|. If it is later desired to change the pitch of the blades 35, it is m erely necessary to loosen the cap 28 a d urn any one of he blad s to cause a correpondin an equal r tati n in all of the blades 35. If des red, some or all of the recesses 30 and 3i may be cut to define slightly less than a true semi-cylindrical contour, so that proper clamping action of the cap 20 upon the blade shanks 32 may be attained.

Therefore, the present invention provides means whereby the pitch of a number of variable pitch blades in a fan assembly may be changed simultaneously and in equal degree by merely changing the pitch of one of the blades and further provides means whereby the blades may be clamped within the hub assembly to prevent the changing of the pitch of the blades following the setting of the same.

'It will, of course, be understood that various details of construction maybe varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention and it is, therefore, not the purpose to limit the-patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the scope of the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

A fan comprising a hub having generally cylindrical body and cap portions removably recured together, each of said portions having a concentric generally cylindrical recess formed in one end face thereof, said cylindrical recesses being brought into registry when said portions are assembled to define an interior hub recess, said body and cap each having a plurality of additional semi-cylindrical recesses formed in its concentrically recessed end face and extending radially outwardly from said concentric recess,

said semi-cylindrical recesses also being brought into registry upon assembly of said body and cap portions to form a plurality of radially extending cylindrical bores, a beveled ring gear bottomed Within the concentric recess of said body portion, a plurality of blades having shaft portions extending through said radially extending beveled pinion on each shank portion in mesh with said ring gear, said ring gear being maintained in rotatable seated engagement within said body portion by the damping of said shaft portions, said radially extending bores between said body and cap portions to prevent the shifting of pitch of the blades, whereby upon loosening said cap portion a change of pitch of any one of said blades is transmitted through said I beveled pinions and said ring gear to each of 10 8EL 83 the other of said blades to accomplish a simultaneous and equal change of pitch in each of said blades.

ARTHUR E. DEHNICKE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 546,630 Tuerk Sept. 1'7, 1895 1,496,776 Fuller June 10, 1924 1,509,286 Colby Sept. 23, 1924 Ringel Oct. 23, 1928 2 382535 Bauer Aug. 14, 1945