Methods and apparatus for balancing ceiling fan blades to improve their aerodynamic performance
OwnerJohn V. Felterinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Method and apparatus for use in balancing the blades of ceiling fans, wherein the pitch angles of the blades and the dihedral angles of the blades are measured and corrected, if necessary, by use of a beam of light reflected from a mirror temporarily flushly affixed to each blade, and wherein indexes are provided for measuring and correcting, if necessary, the circular angularities between the blades. Blades may be tested both individually or in sets connected to a hub.
Claims15
Method for aligning fan blades to improve the rotational balance thereof, each fan blade comprising a flat blade plate affixed to a blade iron at its inner end, and each blade iron having plural openings therethrough for use in connecting the blade iron to a hub and having an intermediate shank portion, comprising supporting the fan blade having a mirror fixed flushly to its blade plate in a predetermined position by engaging said plural openings with support means, directing a beam of light against said mirror, determining the direction of the reflected beam of light from said mirror to determine the pitch angle and dihedral angle of said blade plate, and adjusting said pitch angle and said dihedral angle of said blade plate as necessary to bring said reflected beam of light to a predetermined direction by bending said shank portion of the blade iron.
Apparatus for aligning fan blades to improve the rotational balance thereof, each fan blade comprising a flat blade plate affixed to one end portion of a blade iron at its inner end, and each blade iron having plural openings therethrough at its opposite end for use in connecting the blade iron to a hub and having an intermediate shank portion, comprising a light source supported to emit a beam of light in a predetermined direction, means for supporting a said fan blade in a predetermined position with its flat blade plate intersecting said predetermined direction, and a flat mirror flushly fixed to the blade plate whereby said beam of light will be reflected in an angular direction indicating the angular position of said blade plate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.