Variable pitch fan for a gas turbine engine

A turbofan gas turbine engine adapted for use in an aircraft, the turbofan gas turbine engine comprising

• a compressor configured to compress air,
• a combustor configured to burn fuel mixed with compressed air from the compressor,
• a turbine configured to receive products of combustion from the combustor and to produce work used to drive the compressor, and
• a variable pitch fan configured to be driven about a centerline by work produced by the turbine, wherein the variable pitch fan includes a plurality of fan blades each having a hub end and a tip end, wherein each of the plurality of fan blades is mounted to pivot about a pitch axis that extends from the hub end to the tip end of each of the plurality of fan blades, wherein the tip end of each fan blade has a spherical shape, and wherein each fan blade has a leading edge and a trailing edge and the pitch axis of each fan blade is located toward the leading edge at the hub end forward of a midpoint between the leading edge and the trailing edge at the hub end.

A variable pitch fan for a gas turbine engine, the variable pitch fan comprising

• a plurality of fan blades mounted for rotation about a centerline, each of the plurality of fan blades has a hub end and a tip end, the tip end being cantilevered and arranged radially outward from the hub end relative to the centerline,
• wherein each of the plurality of fan blades is pivotable about a pitch axis that extends from the hub end to the tip end,
• wherein the tip end of each fan blade has a spherical shape, and the spherical shape includes an apex located at the pitch axis about which each fan blade is mounted to pivot,
• wherein each of the plurality of fan blades has a center of gravity, a rearward sweep at the hub end and, as each fan blade extends radially outward from the hub end toward the tip end, a forward sweep that transitions to a second rearward sweep radially inward of the center of gravity followed by a second forward sweep at the tip end.