High efficiency ducted fan

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10054131-B2
Application number	US-73052110-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 24, 2010
Priority date	Mar 25, 2009
Publication date	Aug 21, 2018
Grant date	Aug 21, 2018

Abstract

A fan assembly comprises a hub and fan blades. The hub includes a plurality of sockets configured to receive complementary mounting blocks of the fan blades. The mounting blocks each include at least one tapered shoulder portion. The mounting blocks are each tapered along three dimensions. Each mounting block comprises a rear face seated against a complementary rear face of the corresponding socket and a front face that is exposed relative to the hub. A cap secures the fan blades to the hub. The fan assembly may also include one or more shrouds positioned about the fan blades. The one or more shrouds may be substantially straight cylinders, may be flared or bell-shaped, may comprise a cage, may have any other suitable configuration, or may be omitted altogether.

First claim

We claim:

1. A fan assembly, comprising: (a) a hub, wherein the hub includes a plurality of sockets, wherein each socket has at least one tapered sidewall, wherein the hub is rotatable about a hub axis, wherein each socket extends along a direction that is substantially parallel to the hub axis; and (b) a plurality of fan blades, wherein each fan blade includes a block, wherein each block is inserted in a corresponding socket of the plurality of sockets, wherein each block has at least one tapered portion, wherein each fan blade extends along a respective fan blade axis, wherein the fan blade axes extend outwardly from the hub axis; wherein the at least one tapered sidewall of each socket complements the at least one tapered portion of each corresponding block, wherein at least one of the sockets is adapted for receiving the corresponding block upon insertion along the tapered sidewall in a direction that is substantially parallel to the hub axis wherein each block has a front face, a rear face, two top faces, a bottom face, and two side faces, wherein each side face extends from the bottom face to a corresponding top face of the two top faces, wherein each of the side faces are tapered toward each other from the front face to the rear face, and each of the side faces are further tapered to provide a tilted orientation of the top faces of each block such that the side faces tilt toward the bottom face from the front face to the rear face of each block.

2. The fan of claim 1 , wherein each block further comprises a rigid shoulder, wherein the shoulder of each block extends outwardly from the fan blade axis of the corresponding fan blade in a circumferential direction.

3. The fan of claim 2 , wherein the at least one tapered portion of each block is provided on the shoulder of the block.

4. The fan of claim 1 , wherein the hub presents a front face, wherein each socket has a rear face, each socket rear face being recessed relative to the front face of the hub.

5. The fan of claim 4 , wherein the rear face of each of the blocks are configured to fully insert and contact a corresponding socket rear face.

6. The fan of claim 4 , wherein the front face of each of the blocks are spaced from the rear face in the direction that is substantially parallel to the hub axis, wherein the front face of each block is substantially flush with an opening of the corresponding socket when the blocks are fully inserted in the corresponding sockets.

7. The fan of claim 1 , wherein the front face has a larger footprint than the rear face.

8. The fan of claim 7 , wherein the front face has a larger surface area than the rear face.

9. The fan of claim 1 , wherein the bottom face has a trapezoidal shape.

10. The fan of claim 9 , wherein the side faces are further tapered such that the top faces are non-parallel with the bottom face.

11. The fan of claim 1 , further comprising at least one shroud positioned about the fan blades.

12. The fan of claim 1 , further comprising at least two shrouds positioned about the fan blades.

13. The fan of claim 1 , further comprising a frame, wherein the hub is pivotable relative to the frame to re-orient the hub axis.

14. The fan of claim 1 , wherein each fan blade is twisted about the corresponding fan blade axis.

15. The fan of claim 14 , wherein each fan blade has a tip portion defining a tip portion pitch and a root portion defining a root portion pitch, wherein the root portion pitch is greater than the tip portion pitch.

16. A fan blade, the fan blade comprising: (a) a blade portion; and (b) a rigid block portion having two side faces, wherein the block portion is configured to removably secure the blade portion to a fan hub, wherein the blade portion and the block portion together define a fan blade axis, wherein each of the two side faces include three distinct tapers.

17. A method of assembling a fan, wherein the fan comprises a hub having sockets and a plurality of fan blades having mounting blocks, wherein the hub is rotatable about a hub axis, wherein each mounting block has a front face, a rear face, two top faces, a bottom face, and two side faces, wherein each top face extends outwardly forming a tapered shoulder portion, wherein each side face extends from the bottom face to a corresponding top face of the two top faces, wherein each of the side faces are tapered toward each other from the front face to the rear face and wherein each of the side faces are further tapered to provide a tilted orientation of the top faces of each block such that the side faces tilt toward the bottom face from the front face to the rear face of each block, the method comprising: (a) inserting each mounting block into a corresponding socket of the hub wherein the act of inserting comprises moving each block along a direction that is substantially parallel to the hub axis into a socket having an opening and along a tapered sidewall of the socket for receiving the block in the direction.

18. The method of claim 17 further including the step of securing a cap to the hub to substantially secure the fan blades to the hub along the direction that is substantially parallel to the hub axis.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the fan includes a shroud generally concentric with and substantially surrounding the hub, and the inserting step comprises passing the fan blade axially within the shroud.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the inserting step comprises inserting a narrow end of the block into the opening of the corresponding socket before a wider end of the block.

21. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the block is rigid.

22. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the block is wider at the front face than at the rear face.

23. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one tapered portion of the block tapers in the direction substantially parallel to the hub axis.

24. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the block is tapered along three dimensions.

25. The apparatus of claim 22 , wherein the hub includes a rear wall for engaging the rear face of the block, and the rear wall having an opening formed therein for receiving a portion of the fan blade.

26. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each socket is T-shaped.

27. The apparatus of claim 26 , wherein each mounting block is T-shaped.

28. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the side faces are further tapered such that a height of each of the side faces at the front face of each block is greater than the height of each of the side faces at the rear face of each block.

29. The fan blade of claim 16 , wherein each block portion further has a front face, a rear face, two top faces and a bottom face.

30. The fan blade of claim 29 , wherein the three distinct tapers of each of the side faces include the side faces being: (i) tapered toward each other from the front face of each block to a rear face of each block; (ii) tapered such that a height of each of the side faces at the front face of each block is greater than the height of each of the side faces at the rear face of each block; and (iii) tapered to provide a tilted orientation of the two top faces of each block such that the side faces tilt toward the bottom face from the front face to the rear face of each block.

Assignees

• Aynsley Richard M
• Oleson Richard A
• Delta T Llc

Inventors

• Aynsley Richard M
• Oleson Richard A

Classifications

• F04D29/34 Primary

  Blade mountings {(for axial flow compressors F04D29/322)} · CPC title

• F04D29/329

  Details of the hub · CPC title

• F04D29/263

  mounting fan or blower rotors on shafts · CPC title

• F04D29/20

  Mounting rotors on shafts · CPC title