US 4,245,960 AGranted

Connecting structure for a hub and fan blade

AssigneeAir Drive, Inc.

InventorDavid G. Matthews

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A structure for interlocking relatively thin sheet material with a relatively heavy member, such as, for example a hub member with a sheet metal fan blade structure and the like to provide a rigid durable interlocking connection therebetween, in which, in the example given, the hub member is provided with an annular sleeve which extends through a bore in the central portion of the fan blade or other member, the hub member having an upstanding flange in the form of an annular shoulder spaced rearwardly from the free end of the sleeve and of greater diameter than the latter, with the shoulder being radially spaced from the sleeve by a groove having a radial width approximately equal to the thickness of the sheet member. The sleeve is divided into a plurality of segments, alternate segments flaring outwardly into engagement with the material of the blade member forming the periphery of the bore therein, and the free ends of the intermediate segments being bent over and forced into the material of the sheet member, moving the adjacent material thereof into the groove and forming, in effect, a spline-like connection between the two members.

Claims6

Dependent claims

A structure for connecting two members at a line of connection, a first of said two members being in the form of a relatively thin sheet-like formation at the line of connection and having an abutting edge, the second of said two members being relatively heavier in the direction transverse to the sheet-like formation of the first member, said second member having a groove therein extending along the line of connection, said groove having a width approximately equal to the thickness of said sheet-like formation of the first member and forming two spaced upstanding shoulders, one of said two shoulders extending beyond the other shoulder by a dimension greater than the thickness of said first member, said one shoulder being divided into a plurality of segments with alternate segments being in one group and the intermediate segments being in a second group, said first member being seated on an upper edge of the other shoulder with said abutting edge in contact against the segments of the one shoulder, each of the intermediate segments having a free end extending beyond the abutting edge and being deformed toward and into engagement with the first member, said first member at each point of engagement with the intermediate segments having a portion extending into said groove to prevent relative movement along the line of connection.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.