Fan blade retention system and related methods

A fan, comprising:

• a motor;
• a hub adapted to be rotated about an axis by the motor, the hub comprising first and second hub parts adapted to mate, each of the first and second hub parts being annular in shape and defining a central aperture, the first hub part including an alignment projection generally aligned with the axis, and the second hub part including an alignment receiver adapted to mate with the alignment projection to limit relative movement between the first and second hub parts;
• and
• a plurality of fan blades, at least one of the plurality of fan blades having an end portion with a blade receiver adapted to receive the alignment projection.

A fan, comprising:

• a motor;
• a hub adapted to be rotated about an axis by the motor, the hub comprising first and second hub parts, each of the first and second hub parts being annular in shape and defining a central aperture;
• a plurality of fan blades adapted to be connected to the hub;
• and
• an adapter configured to remain stationary during use while the hub and fan blades rotate, wherein one of the first and second hub parts is adapted to be selectively deployed to engage the adapter to prevent rotation of the hub;
• wherein each of the fan blades includes an end portion located in a gap formed between the first and second hub parts, each end portion includes a blade receiver, the first hub part includes at least one alignment projection, and the second hub part includes at least one alignment receiver;
• and
• wherein the blade receiver and the alignment receiver are both adapted to receive the alignment projection when the first and second hub part are mated to form the hub, so as to limit movement of the blade with respect to the hub.

A method of assembling a fan, comprising:

• providing first and second annular parts of a hub, each defining a central aperture, the first and second annular parts of the hub adapted to be rotated by a motor, the first part of the hub including at least one alignment projection and the second part of the hub including at least one alignment receiver;
• providing a plurality of fan blades, each of the plurality of fan blades including an end portion with a blade receiver;
• and
• capturing the end portion of each of the plurality of fan blades between the first and second annular parts of a hub such that the blade receiver of at least one of the plurality of fan blades and the at least one alignment receiver both receive the at least one alignment projection so as to limit relative movement between the first and second annular parts of the hub and the at least one of the plurality of fan blades.