US2681708A

US2681708A - Fan construction

Info

Publication number: US2681708A
Application number: US182757A
Authority: US
Inventors: Gail E Mix
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1950-09-01
Filing date: 1950-09-01
Publication date: 1954-06-22
Anticipated expiration: 1971-06-22

Description

June 22, 1954 E. E. MIX

FAN CONSTRUCTION Filed Sept. 1, 1950 INVENTOR. Edward E Mix iz MM Afforney .UNITED STATES FAN CONSTRUCTION Edward E. Mix, Los Angeles, Calif.; Gail E. Mix, executor of said Edward E. Mix, deceased Application September 1, 1950, Serial No. 182,757

T 2:- OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention has to do with a fan construction and it is particularly concerned with a fan involving a spider of improved formation or construction. It is a general object of the present outer end of the shank portion provided to carry a blade. The blades carried by the arms may vary in form or design as circumstances require, and they may be fastened to the heads of the invention to provide a simple, practical, effective, arms in any suitable manner, as by riveting or structure that is light and inexpensive and which the like. In accordance with the present invenis strong, durable and rigid. tion the sheet metal spider hereinabove referred It is common and in many instances comto is so formed or shaped that it may be advanmercially desirable to form fans primarily of tageously made of a thin body of sheet metal sheet metal, and this type of fan is commonly with the heads of the arms pitched or angularly formed with a hub, a spider on the huband blades related to support the blades in the desired manon the arms of the spider. When a sheet metal ner. In accordance with the invention a central spider is employed the entire fan construction stiffener is provided in the form of an annular may be more or less flexible and not as rigid as rib on the central portion of the spider, condesired, in that the sheet metal arms of the spider centric with the axis of the fan, which ri'b can be are subject to flexure. advantageously pressed or formed in the sheet It is a general object of the present invention metal in the course of performing other operato provide a fan construction employing a sheet tions on the spider. Further, in accordance with metal blade-carrying spider, which spider is so the present invention the various edges or edge formed as to be light, stro g, and rigid. portions of the spider not covered or occupied Another object of the invention is to provide by blades, are deflected somewhat from the gena fan spider Of the general character referred to eral plane of the spider or from the plane of the which is such that it can be easily and accurately Sp d portions adjacent the edges- The fl d manufactured without resort to special manufacor turned edge portions which, in a typical case, turing operations or processes. 95 extend along the edges of the arms and heads,

A further object of the present invention is and along the curved parts that connect the edges to provide a stiff, light, strong fan spider which of the arms, serve to materially stiffen and rein can be attached to a hub through conventional fo e t e t e Spider 50 t e p d upconstruction and which may have blades attached Ports e a s om he hub Without undesirto its arms in any desired manner. able flexibility. By providing the turned edge The fan construction provided by the present invention involves a hub which may be of conventional formation, a spider carried by the hub, and blades carried by the spider. The hub is preferably a simple, elongate member with a n central shaft receiving opening, and it may have a reduced end portion concentric with the shaft opening and receiving the center of the spider. When this construction is employed a flange is formed on the outer end of the reduced part of the hub to retain the spider on the hub. The spider is preferably of simple construction or formation and may be formed entirely of a single body of sheet metal so that it has a center portion carried by the hub and arms radiating from the center portion. The center portion of the spider is preferably a fiat plate-like body with a central opening that receives the reduced part of the hub. The arms that project from the center portion are preferably radially disposed and are suitably spaced around the axis of the structure. In a typical case each arm has a shank portion that adjoins the center portion and projects radially therefrom and has a head which is in the nature of an enlargement on the portions at opposite edges of the blade where it attaches to the head, the blade is efficiently braced and held in position on the head.

The various objects and features of my invention will be fully understood from the following detailed description of a typical preferred form and application of the invention, throughout which description reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an end or face view of a fan embodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is an edge or side view of the fan, being a View taken. as indicated by line 2-2 on Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detailed sectional View taken as indicated by line 3-3 on Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is a detailed transverse sectional view taken as indicated by line 4-4 on Fig. 3.

The fan construction as illustrated in the drawings involves, generally, a hub A, a spider B, and blades C connected to the spider by fastening means E.

The hub A illustrated in the drawings is of simple form, being an elongate block round in cross section and provided with a central longitudinal shaft openin it. The hub is provided with a set screw I I that serves to retain the hub on the shaft when it is applied thereto.

The spider B is applied to or carried by the hub A and in turn supports the blades C. In any particular case the specific formation of the spider may be varied, depending upon the nature of the blades or the number of blades. In a typical case, as is shown in the drawings, there are three equally spaced blades C, in which case the spider B is formed with a central portion it which is applied to the hub A and with arms having shanks l6 that project from the portion l and have enlargements or heads ll at their outer ends to carry the blades. The spider in its referred form is a single or unitary body'of sheet metal and the central portion of the 'sp'ideris a fiat plate-like part suitably joined to the hub A, for

instance, to one end thereof. In the case illustrated the hub has a reduced spider receiving part or neck [8 at one end and the. portion 15 of the spider has an opening it into which the hub neck it is entered. A flange so formed on the outer end of neck 25 overlies the portion i5 of the spider to retain the spider on the end of the hub.

In the preferred form of the invention the shanks it of the spider arms are equally spaced around the central part it and project radially therefrom, the several shanks bein alike and of substantially uniformwvidth from the point where they join the portion 55 to the points where the heads i? occur. The heads ll provided on or projecting from the outer ends of the shanks it are like and in the case illustrated each is in the nature of an enlargement on the outer end of the shank conforming in general shape to the inner end or base portion 253 of blade C. The shanks it of the spider arms, and possibly all or portions of the heads ii, are twisted or pitched relative to a plane or planes normal to the longitudinal axis of the structure so that the blades C are supported in the desired manner to give them a suitable pitch. In a typical situation the heads ll maybe fiat to receive fiat base portions of the blades, in which case the entire pitch is gained by shaping or twisting the shanks between the points where they join the central portion l5 and where the heads i? connect to them.

The fastening means E is provided for securing the base portions 2c of the blades to the heads ll may vary widely. In the case illustrated a plurality of simple rivets 25 are shown securing each base portion til to its supporting head ll and in the particular case illustrated each base portion has an inwardly projecting extension 2% that overlies a part of the shank that carries the blade sup-porting head and a rivet joins this, extension to the said shank.

The present invention provides a construction or formation which serves to effectively strengthen and lend rigidity to the spider, as above described, to the end that the spider may be made of light sheet metal and yet have maximum strength and rigidity. In the preferred form of the invention the central portion A5 of the spider is materially strengthened and is made rigid by providing an annular rib 38 on the portionit concentric with the axis of the fan. In the case illustrated the rib is pressed or stamped into the central portion is so that it provides an indentation at one side of the portion :5 and a boss-like hump at the opposite side. In addition to the central embossed rib 3c the spider is stiffened and reinforced by turned edge portions 35 that occur at the several exposed edges of the sheet out of which the spider is formed and make the shanks and heads substantially concavo-convex in cross sectional configuration. In

' the particular case illustrated there are opposite edge portions 35 at either side of each shank l6 and headL ll of the spider and these side edge portions are joined by curved edge portions 35 that connect the side ed e portions where the side edge portions adjoin the centra1 portion [5. The edge portions 35 and'35 are turned or deflected to extend at an angle relative to the plane or planes of the spider parts from which the edge portions project, and in the particular case illustrated the edge portions are bent or deflected along lines 56 that parallel the extreme edges of the'spider and are spaced inwardly a suitable distance therefrom. In the preferred form of the invention the turned or deflected edge portions of the spider are continuous and uniform, as shown throughout the drawings, and they terminate at the outer ends of the heads. Where the shanks it are twisted or pitched to give the desired angle to the blades C as shown throughout the drawings the turned or deflected edge portions of the spider continue and follow the contour of the The reinforcements that I have provided canbe' provided or incorporated in the spider in the course of flanking or forming operations such as are required to form a sheet metal spider with a central portion and projecting arms.

Having described only a typical preferred form and application of my invention, I do not wish to be limited or restricted to the specific details herein set forth, but Wish to reserve to myself any variations or modifications that may appear to those skilled in the art and fall'vvithin the scope of the following claims.-

l-laving described my invention, I claim:

1. A fan including, a rigid hub, a sheet metal spider carried by the hub and having a substantially flat center portion fixed to the hub, substantially fiat circumferentially spaced shanks radiating from the center portion and heads'on the outer ends of the shanks and projecting beyond the edges thereof, and like separate blades attached to and projecting from the heads, the center portion of the spider having an annular stiffening rib projecting from one side thereof and the shanks having substantially flat middle portions and substantially flat edge portions in planes inclined relative to the planes of the middle portions, the edge portions at adjacent edges of adjoining shanks being joined together.

2. A fan including, a rigid tubular hub, a sheet metal spider carried by the hub and having a substantially flat center. portion fixed to the hub, circumferentially spaced shanks radiating from the center portion and substantially flat heads on the outer ends of the shanks and projecting therefrom, and like separate blades attached to and projecting from. theheads, the center por tion of the spider having an annular stiffening rib concentric therewithand projecting from-one side thereof and the shanks having substantially fiat middle portions and substantially flat edge portions in planes inclined relative to the planes of the middle portions, the edge portions at adjacent edges of adjoining shanks being joined together, the blades having extensions overlapping and attached to the shanks and confined between the edge portions thereof and each of the heads having edge portions projecting from one side thereof and the blade carried by the head being attached to that side thereof and being guided by and between the said edge portions thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Number 15 419,867

Name Date Pickett Oct. 17, 1916 Schultz June 21, 1921 Cram May 19, 1931 Campbell Aug. 11, 1931 Zaiger Feb. 1, 1938 Johnson Oct. 11, 1938 Koch Dec. 13, 1938 Lefiar Aug. 5, 1941 Upson Apr. 27, 1943 Odor Feb. 8, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date France Nov. 7, 1910