GB2279114A - Fan impeller blade - Google Patents
Fan impeller blade Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2279114A GB2279114A GB9312285A GB9312285A GB2279114A GB 2279114 A GB2279114 A GB 2279114A GB 9312285 A GB9312285 A GB 9312285A GB 9312285 A GB9312285 A GB 9312285A GB 2279114 A GB2279114 A GB 2279114A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- impeller blade
- blade
- impeller
- hollow body
- mounting member
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 27
- 229920003023 plastic Polymers 0.000 claims abstract description 27
- 239000004033 plastic Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 27
- 239000004411 aluminium Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 11
- 229910052782 aluminium Inorganic materials 0.000 claims abstract description 11
- XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N aluminium Chemical compound [Al] XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims abstract description 11
- 239000011888 foil Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 4
- 239000000853 adhesive Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 230000001070 adhesive effect Effects 0.000 claims description 3
- 238000011065 in-situ storage Methods 0.000 abstract description 2
- 238000005187 foaming Methods 0.000 abstract 1
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 abstract 1
- 238000009423 ventilation Methods 0.000 description 3
- 239000006260 foam Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000001746 injection moulding Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229910052751 metal Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000003856 thermoforming Methods 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
- F04D—NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
- F04D29/00—Details, component parts, or accessories
- F04D29/26—Rotors specially for elastic fluids
- F04D29/32—Rotors specially for elastic fluids for axial flow pumps
- F04D29/38—Blades
- F04D29/384—Blades characterised by form
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C44/00—Shaping by internal pressure generated in the material, e.g. swelling or foaming ; Producing porous or cellular expanded plastics articles
- B29C44/02—Shaping by internal pressure generated in the material, e.g. swelling or foaming ; Producing porous or cellular expanded plastics articles for articles of definite length, i.e. discrete articles
- B29C44/12—Incorporating or moulding on preformed parts, e.g. inserts or reinforcements
- B29C44/18—Filling preformed cavities
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C70/00—Shaping composites, i.e. plastics material comprising reinforcements, fillers or preformed parts, e.g. inserts
- B29C70/68—Shaping composites, i.e. plastics material comprising reinforcements, fillers or preformed parts, e.g. inserts by incorporating or moulding on preformed parts, e.g. inserts or layers, e.g. foam blocks
- B29C70/72—Encapsulating inserts having non-encapsulated projections, e.g. extremities or terminal portions of electrical components
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29L—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES
- B29L2031/00—Other particular articles
- B29L2031/08—Blades for rotors, stators, fans, turbines or the like, e.g. screw propellers
- B29L2031/082—Blades, e.g. for helicopters
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Structures Of Non-Positive Displacement Pumps (AREA)
Abstract
An impeller blade for a fan comprises a foamed plastics body (10) (figure 2), covered by an outer skin (12) and means 14 embedded in the body (10), incorporating a screw-threaded portion which projects from the end of the blade for mounting the blade to an impeller boss. In order to ensure firm anchorage within the body (10), the mounting means 14 may not be straight and/or may have a number of enlargements at spaced points along its length. The outer skin 12 of the impeller blade may be formed from sheet material, for example aluminium sheet or foil or plastics sheet. A method of making the blade involves foaming plastics material within the outer skin with the mounting means in situ. <IMAGE>
Description
Fan Impeller
This invention relates to an impeller for a ventilation fan unit and more particularly to a blade for such a fan impeller.
The impellers of the fan units of ventilation systems typically comprise a plurality of individual impeller blades mounted to a central boss fixed to the drive shaft of an electric motor. The individual impeller blades are usually either cast of aluminium, or formed of plastics material by injection moulding. However, the material costs of the cast aluminium blades are high, whilst the costs of the tools or moulds for the plastics blades are also high (especially as blades of a variety of different sizes are needed for different applications).
We have now devised an impeller blade having relatively low material costs and not requiring expensive tooling.
In accordance with this invention, there is provided an impeller blade which comprises a body of foamed plastics material covered by an outer skin and having a member embedded therein projecting or accessible from one end of the blade, for mounting the blade to an impeller boss.
The embedded mounting member is preferably elongate and extends a substantial proportion of the length of the blade.
Preferably the elongate mounting member departs from a straight line between its opposite ends, to aid firm anchorage within the body of foamed plastics material. Preferably the elongate mounting member has a number of enlargements at spaced points along its length, to aid firm anchorage within the body of foamed plastics material. Preferably the mounting member has a screw-threaded portion projecting from the end of the blade, for use in mounting the blade to the central boss of the impeller.
The outer skin of the impeller blade is preferably formed from sheet material, for example aluminium sheet or foil or plastics sheet.
In forming an impeller blade in accordance with this invention, preferably a hollow body is formed, defined by the outer skin, then the mounting member is inserted into an end of the hollow body, and then plastics material is introduced into the hollow body and caused or allowed to foam in-situ to fill the hollow body.
The initial hollow body may be formed by cutting a blank of appropriate shape from sheet material, then forming the blank to the required profile (e.g. by pressing in the case of aluminium sheet, or thermoforming in the case of plastics sheet), then folding the blank over to bring opposite edges thereof together. Alternatively the hollow body may be made up of two profiled blanks brought together along their opposite edges to form opposite sides of the blank. The joined edges may be bonded together e.g. using adhesive, or instead reliance may be placed on the bond between the foamed plastics and the sheet blank or blanks.
An embodiment of this invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIGURE 1 is a schematic elevational view of an impeller blade for a ventilation fan;
FIGURE 2 is a cross-section through the blade shown in
Figure 1; and
FIGURE 3 is a section through a boss of a impeller, showing the attachment of a fan blade.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, there is shown an impeller blade which comprises a body 10 of foamed plastics material covered by an outer skin 12 and having a mounting member 14 embedded in the foamed plastics body 10 and projecting from one end of the blade, to enable attachment of the blade to a central boss of an impeller. In the example shown, the mounting member 14 comprises a rod which extends a substantial proportion of the length of the blade, and is bent to follow a non-linear path along its length. Also, the rod 14 has elements 16 fixed to it at spaced positions, to form enlargements to aid firm anchorage of the rod within the body 10 of foamed plastics material. The projecting end of the rod 14 is screw-threaded, to receive a nut 17 when attached to the central boss 18 of the impeller, as shown in Figure 3. The complete impeller comprises the boss 18 and a plurality of the blades fixed to it in a similar manner at spaced intervals around the circumference of the boss 18.
The outer skin of the impeller blade may be formed from aluminium sheet. Firstly, a blank of appropriate shape is cut from aluminium sheet, then pressed to the required profile, then folded over to define a hollow body. The edges of the bland are brought together face-to-face and may be bonded together with adhesive, or alternatively reliance may be placed on the bond between the aluminium sheet and the subsequentlyintroduced foamed plastics. At this stage the hollow body may be left open at both ends: the mounting rod 14 is then inserted into the hollow body from one end, and then appropriate plastics material is introduced into the hollow body and allowed or caused to foam and expand and fill the hollow body. After the plastics material has cured, any such plastics material projecting from either end of the blade is cut back flush with that end of the blade. The foamed plastics material bonds the inner surface of the aluminium skin
As mentioned previously, the outer skin may instead be formed from plastics sheet, thermoformed to the required profile. As another option, the skin may be formed of a foil of aluminium or other metal.
The impeller blade which has been described is mechanically strong and light in weight. Furthermore, its material costs are low and so also are its tooling costs.
Claims (15)
1) An impeller blade, comprising a body of foamed plastics material covered by an outer skin and having a member embedded therein projecting or accessible from one end of the blade for mounting the blade to an impeller boss.
2) An impeller blade according to claim 1, wherein said embedded mounting member is elongate.
3) An impeller blade according to claim 2, wherein said embedded mounting member extends a substantial proportion of the length of the blade.
4) An impeller blade according to claims 2 or 3, wherein said elongate mounting member departs from a straight line between its opposite ends for firm anchorage within said body of foamed plastics material.
5) An impeller blade according to any of claims 2 to 4, wherein said elongate mounting member has a number of enlargements at spaced points along its length for firm anchorage within said body of foamed plastics material.
6) An impeller blade according to any preceding claim, wherein said mounting member has a screw-threaded portion projecting from the end of said blade for mounting said blade to said central boss of said impeller.
7) An impeller blade according to any preceding claim, wherein said outer skin is formed from sheet material.
8) An impeller blade according to claim 7, wherein said sheet material comprises aluminium sheet or foil.
9) An impeller blade according to claim 7, wherein said sheet material comprises plastics sheet.
10) An impeller blade substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
11) A method of forming an impeller blade as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising forming a hollow body defined by an outer skin, inserting a mounting member into an end of said hollow body, introducing a plastics material into said hollow body and causing or allowing said plastics material to form insitu such that it fills said hollow body.
12) A method according to claim 11, comprising forming said hollow body by cutting a blank of appropriate shape from sheet material, forming said blank to the required profile and folding said blank over to bring opposite edges thereof together.
13) A method according to claim 11, comprising forming said hollow body by bringing two profiled blanks together along their opposite edges such that they form opposite sides of the blank.
14) A method according to claim 13, wherein said joined edges of said two profiled blanks are bonded together using adhesive.
15) A method of forming an impeller blade, the method being as claimed in claim 11 and substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9312285A GB2279114A (en) | 1993-06-15 | 1993-06-15 | Fan impeller blade |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9312285A GB2279114A (en) | 1993-06-15 | 1993-06-15 | Fan impeller blade |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB9312285D0 GB9312285D0 (en) | 1993-07-28 |
| GB2279114A true GB2279114A (en) | 1994-12-21 |
Family
ID=10737165
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9312285A Withdrawn GB2279114A (en) | 1993-06-15 | 1993-06-15 | Fan impeller blade |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (1) | GB2279114A (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP1035330A3 (en) * | 1999-03-08 | 2002-05-08 | Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. | Impeller for blower, its manufacturing method, and blower |
Citations (10)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB659344A (en) * | 1948-05-04 | 1951-10-24 | United Aircraft Corp | Improvements in or relating to hollow aircraft propeller blades |
| GB1048479A (en) * | 1959-10-17 | 1966-11-16 | Rolls Royce | Improvements in or relating to blades, vanes or struts for gas turbine engine axial flow compressors |
| GB1311806A (en) * | 1969-05-24 | 1973-03-28 | Siemens Ag | Fan blades |
| GB1319235A (en) * | 1969-07-18 | 1973-06-06 | Dowty Rotol Ltd | Devices of fibrous-reinforced plastics material |
| GB1330565A (en) * | 1970-03-19 | 1973-09-19 | Fluor Prod Co Inc | Fan assemblies and blades therefor |
| GB2087981A (en) * | 1980-11-24 | 1982-06-03 | United Technologies Corp | Propeller blade root structure |
| EP0062737A1 (en) * | 1981-04-10 | 1982-10-20 | Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung | Rotor blade or rotor blade component and process for the production thereof |
| US4470862A (en) * | 1982-05-27 | 1984-09-11 | United Technologies Corporation | Manufacture of fiber reinforced articles |
| GB2237532A (en) * | 1989-11-02 | 1991-05-08 | United Technologies Corp | Moulding composite articles |
| GB2254382A (en) * | 1991-02-07 | 1992-10-07 | Lawson Tancred Sir Henry Bert | Wind turbine blades |
-
1993
- 1993-06-15 GB GB9312285A patent/GB2279114A/en not_active Withdrawn
Patent Citations (10)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB659344A (en) * | 1948-05-04 | 1951-10-24 | United Aircraft Corp | Improvements in or relating to hollow aircraft propeller blades |
| GB1048479A (en) * | 1959-10-17 | 1966-11-16 | Rolls Royce | Improvements in or relating to blades, vanes or struts for gas turbine engine axial flow compressors |
| GB1311806A (en) * | 1969-05-24 | 1973-03-28 | Siemens Ag | Fan blades |
| GB1319235A (en) * | 1969-07-18 | 1973-06-06 | Dowty Rotol Ltd | Devices of fibrous-reinforced plastics material |
| GB1330565A (en) * | 1970-03-19 | 1973-09-19 | Fluor Prod Co Inc | Fan assemblies and blades therefor |
| GB2087981A (en) * | 1980-11-24 | 1982-06-03 | United Technologies Corp | Propeller blade root structure |
| EP0062737A1 (en) * | 1981-04-10 | 1982-10-20 | Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung | Rotor blade or rotor blade component and process for the production thereof |
| US4470862A (en) * | 1982-05-27 | 1984-09-11 | United Technologies Corporation | Manufacture of fiber reinforced articles |
| GB2237532A (en) * | 1989-11-02 | 1991-05-08 | United Technologies Corp | Moulding composite articles |
| GB2254382A (en) * | 1991-02-07 | 1992-10-07 | Lawson Tancred Sir Henry Bert | Wind turbine blades |
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP1035330A3 (en) * | 1999-03-08 | 2002-05-08 | Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. | Impeller for blower, its manufacturing method, and blower |
| CN1116522C (en) * | 1999-03-08 | 2003-07-30 | 松下电器产业株式会社 | Impeller of blower and its making method, and the blower |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB9312285D0 (en) | 1993-07-28 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| WAP | Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1) |