Engine cooling fan casing shroud with unobstructed outlet

An axial fan assembly comprising:

• an axial fan including
• a hub;
• a plurality of blades extending outwardly from the hub;
• and
• a band interconnecting tip portions of the plurality of the blades, the band having a radially-inner surface, a radially-outer surface, and an end surface adjacent to and extending between the radially-inner surface and the radially-outer surface;
• a motor drivingly connected to the axial fan;
• and
• a fan shroud including
• a motor mount supporting the motor;
• a plurality of motor stators coupling the motor mount to a radially outer portion of the shroud;
• an annular barrel extending axially away from the radially outer portion of the shroud, the annular barrel including a cylindrical segment and a conical segment downstream of the cylindrical segment, the conical segment being angled radially inwardly from the cylindrical segment at an angle of between 15 degrees and 35 degrees;
• and
• an annular outlet bell coupled to the conical segment of the annular barrel at an apex defining a transition between the conical segment and the outlet bell, the outlet bell and barrel containing a plurality of circumferentially-spaced leakage stators therein for disrupting or decreasing a tangential component of airflow within the outlet bell and barrel;
• wherein each of the plurality of motor stators is coupled to the outlet bell by a stator pedestal extending from a radially-inner surface of the outlet bell to a stator pedestal tip, and wherein a depth (a) of the outlet bell measured from an end surface of the outlet bell to the apex in a direction of axial airflow through the fan shroud is less than one-half a depth (b) measured from the end surface of the outlet bell to the stator tip in the direction of axial airflow through the fan shroud;
• and
• wherein an axial gap G1 is provided between the end surface of the band and the end surface of the outlet bell, and wherein the end surface of the band and the end surface of the outlet bell are aligned in a radial direction.