Fan and housing
AssigneeAirflow Research and Manufacturing Corporation
InventorLeslie M. Gray, III
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A circumferentially banded fan that forces air through an adjacent heat exchanger and that has an air-guide housing positioned radially outside the band and extending downstream therefrom is disclosed. A plurality of elongated stationary members extend radially inwardly from the housing downstream from the fan blades, and the stationary members have a flow-control surface which removes the rotational component imparted to the airflow by the rotating fan blades. A tangent to the flow control surfaces at their radial center line forms an angle with the airflow exiting the blades which is substantially equal to the tangent-to-axis angle.
Claims13
In combination, a fan and air-guide housing adapted to support a motor and move air through a heat exchanger, said combination comprising:
- a fan hub connectable to said motor for rotation on a central axis;
- a plurality of elongated blades extending radially outwardly from said hub, each of said blades comprising a surface that is pitched with respect to said axis, so that rotation of said hub causes airflow in a direction generally oblique to said axis;
- a circumferential band which connects the tips of said blades and extends about said axis concentrically with said hub;
- a housing extending downstream from a region radially outward of said band, and
- a plurality of plastic elongated stationary members positioned downstream of said fan blades and extending from said housing radially inwardly to a means for supporting said fan motor, each of said members comprising a flow-control surface oblique to said airflow direction, and said member surfaces being positioned and configured so that, at least at the region of greatest air-flow velocity, the nose-tail line of said surfaces intersects said airflow direction at an angle substantially equal to the angle between said nose-tail line and a line parallel to the fan axis, said member surfaces having a total area of at least 30% of the area of said fan blade surface area,
- whereby said flow control surfaces deflect said airflow axially.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.