US2638761A

US2638761A - Fan hub

Info

Publication number: US2638761A
Application number: US140055A
Authority: US
Inventors: Arthur L Henry
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1950-01-23
Filing date: 1950-01-23
Publication date: 1953-05-19
Anticipated expiration: 1970-05-19

Description

y '9, 1953 I A. L. HENRY 2,638,761

FAN HUB Filed Jan. 25, 1950 ARTHUR L. HENRY INVENTOR A TORNEY Patented May 19, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FAN HUB Arthur L. Henry, Fort Worth, Tex.

Application January 23, 1950, Serial No. 140,055

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to tool improvements in hubs for electric fans and the like. Particularly, the invention has reference to fans mountedon the ends of motor shafts in evaporative coolers and wherein the motor is substantially enclosed in a housing. Ordinarily, the hubs of the fans are secured on the shafts by means of set screws which are inwardly positioned relative to the fan opening in the cooler housing, and which screws are difficult to reach when removing the fan from its shaft.

An object of the invention is to provide a construction and arrangement whereby fans mounted on the ends of motor shafts may be readily installed or removed from a position outwardly of the outer face of the fan and without the use of tools.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simplified construction for retaining a resilient tubular sleeve or shock absorber between the hub and the shaft.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simplified means for firmly attaching a fan hub of a given size on different sizes of motor shafts.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a broken front elevation of a fan and fan hub embodying the features of the present invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged broken side elevation of a motor and motor shaft, and showing the present hub, in vertical section, mounted there- Figure 3 is a side elevation of an evaporative cooler housing having one side broken away to illustrate the relative positions of the motor and fan in a typical cooler assembly.

In the drawings, the numeral l indicates an evaporative cooler housing having a motor I l suspended therein by means of a bracket l2. An annular opening I3 is formed .in one side of the housing I0 and opposite the face of a fan [4 which is mounted on the motor shaft 15. The fan I4 is comprised of overlapping angularly disposed blades I6 riveted or otherwise secured to the spider H which includes a tubular hub I8 integral and perpendicular with the legs thereof.

Ordinarily, the hub I8 is secured to the motor shaft l by means of a set screw (not shown) threadedly engaged in said hub and bearing against a key-way or flat area l9 on the outer end of said shaft. In the present invention, the bore 20 of the hub I8 is substantially larger than the diameter of the shaft [5, and is provided with an inwardly directed annular flange 2| at its inner end adjacent the motor I I. The outer end of the hub I8 is threaded, as at 22, for threadedly receiving the threaded end of a relatively large conical spinner 23. The base periphery of the spinner 23 is knurled, as at 24. Within the bore 20 of the hub [8 there is a tubular sleeve 25 of resilient material, such as rubber, and the length of which extends from the flange 2| outwardly and beyond the inner end of the threads 22. Preferably, the resilient sleeve 25 is a slip fit within the hub bore 20 prior to mounting the hub I8 on the shaft I5.

In operation, the hub 18 and fan 14 are mounted on the shaft l5 by placing the former over the latter and with the resilient sleeve 25 therebetween. By reason of the relatively large diameter of the knurled base 24, the threaded end of the spinner 23 may be rotated by hand to compress the length of the tubular sleeve 25, thus causing the same to be compressed and thereby reducing its inner diameter. The action causes the material of the sleeve 25 to bear against the flat surface IS on the shaft 15, and thereby securely mount the hub l8 and fan I4 on the motor shaft. In view of the foregoing description of assembly, it will be apparent that the reduction in the inner diameter of the sleeve 25 provides a means for fitting the hub assembly on motor shafts 15 of different diameters. Within the scope and intention of the invention, the flat surface IS on the shaft 15 may be eliminated by reason of the binding effect on the compressed sleeve 25. However, the fiat surface 19 is to be preferred when relatively high torque loads are involved.

The described form of the invention is not restrictive, but may be made in many ways within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

Means for mounting a fan hub on the end of a shaft projecting from a motor, and wherein said means includes a fiat surface on the projecting end of said shaft, a tubular hub body having its inside diameter greater than the outside diameter of said shaft and including an inwardly directed flange on the end thereof adjacent said motor when said body is mounted on said shaft, threads in said tubular body in the end thereof opposite said flange, a tubular sleeve of resilient material received within said body and having one end thereof positioned against said flange and having the other end thereof positioned between the ends of said threads, a threaded spinner received within said threads in said body and adapted to bear against the end of said tubular sleeve opposite the said end thereof in contact with said flange.

ARTHUR L. HENRY.

References Cited in the file 01' this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,261,391 Koch Nov. 4, 1941 2,290,011 Bahr July 14, 1942 2,390,168 Piot Dec. 4, 1945 2,558,589 Skolfleld June 26, 1951