US1978459A - Fan or blower housing - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 30, 1934. c. P. HEGAN 1,978,459

FAN 0R. BLOWER HOUSING Filed May 51, 1932 INVENTOR. I "Chester 1? Hegan BY Omeuw a. W

A TTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 30, 1934 FAN OR BLOWER HOUSING Chester P. HeganJLouisville, Ky., assignor to American Air Filter Company, Inc., Louisville, Ky., a corporation of Delaware Application May 31, 1932, Serial No. 614,493

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in fan or blower housings. The invention is directed to that class of housings wherein air is drawn through an axial opening and blown outwardly by a rotor against the walls of the housing whence it is directed to the outlet opening.

Housings of the axial inlet type are usually provided with an axial opening large enough to permit the insertion or removal of the rotor.

19 Since such opening is too large to function properly as an inlet opening it is customary to place over it a reducing member which is provided with an inlet opening of proper size, this member being secured by bolts or other fastening devices. The present invention is directed to an improved form of reducing member and has for an object the provision of a simply-formed, inexpensive member of this character which does not require the use of fastening devices, which can be more easily and quickly applied to or removed from the housing and which when applied will be firmly held. I

Another object is to arrange such member so that the axial center of its air inlet opening can be easily and quickly adjusted along a fixed path relatively to the axial center of the rotor whereby the most accurate center alignment obtainable along this path can be secured at will.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the casing with the reducer member removed;

Figure 2 is a transverse section through the casing with the reducer member removed, the rotor being shown in dotted lines;

Figure 3 is a section along line 3-3 of Figure 2 with one reducer in place and with another reducer, shown in dotted lines, to one side of the housing as a whole, and the rotor also being shown in dotted lines; and

Figure 4 is a plan view of the reducer.

In the embodiment illustrated the parts of the housing proper consist of a pair of spaced cross walls or end members 1 forming the end plates of the housing, and a wrapper sheet 2 extending between and over the end plates 1 and forming 45 'the intermediate housing walls. These parts may be of any suitable material but preferably are made from flat, flexible material, such as sheet metal. The cross walls or end plates. 1 are marginally shaped to conform to the desired 5 cross section of the housing proper, such shape,

in the construction shown, consisting of a some what circular rotor portion with an extension leading therefrom and forming a side wall of the outlet passage. Either or both of the..end. plates are provided with a circular axial opening 3 which is offset from the center ,o,f,.the circular or rotor portion of the end plates so as to be in axial alignment with the rotor B. This opening 3 is of a size slightly larger than the outside diameter of the rotor R, so'as to permit the passing of the rotor therethrough. The marginal edges of the plate which define its axial opening 3 and its outer marginal edges, are bent laterally to provide a seating flange 4 and a securing flange 5 respectively. The wrapper sh et 2 fits over and is secured to the flanges 5. This sheet may be secured to the flanges 5 in any suitable manner, but it is preferably spot-welded thereto. To the end of rendering the spot-welding areas freely accessible from the exterior of the housing, thereby enabling the spot-welding operation to be conducted with maximum facility, the flanges 5 are made to extend laterally outward from the housing proper.

As apreliminary operation to the securing of 7,5 the wrapper sheet 2 to the flanges 5, the sheet may, if desired, be accurately shaped at the outset so that it will conform accurately to the marginal outline of the plates 1 and thereby fit closely against the flange 5 throughout its extent. Such procedure, however, is expensive because of the difficulty of securing such a fit with a flexible member, particularly where such member has its opposite ends free or unengaged. To avoid this expense it is proposed herein to utilize a sheet of sufiicient flexibility as will permit its being progressively fitted to the flanges 5 during the welding operation. Thus, if the intended use of the ultimate structure permits, a straight or unbent sheet may be utilized of such flexibility as will enable the welding attendant to wrap it progressively over the flanges 5 and to weld it progressively as it is being wrapped. For the sturdier constructions a heavier or thicker and less flexible sheet can be utilized, such sheet being roughly preformed by suitable dies to the approximate shape desired, and then placed over the flanges 5 after which it is progressively fitted and welded thereto. These methods of securing the wrapper sheet 2 to the flanges 5 is illustrated in a general way in Figure 2 wherein the unwelded portion of a straight sheet 2 is indicated by the dotted lines 2-01 and of a preformed sheet 2 by the dotted lines 2-b, the sheet as completely welded being shown in solid lines. By securing the wrapper sheet in this manner it is made to fit over the flanges 5 as accurately as could be accomplished under the most exact conditions, but at considerably less expense, due to reduction in time, labor and equipment.

' size is provided for each of the openings 3. In

accordance with my invention, this plate 6 is made to fit into the seat provided by the flanges 4 and preferably to beheld frictionally or resiliently therein. To this end the reducer includes (see Fig. 3) a seat providing portion or band 8 which is shaped to conform to the opening 3 and dimensioned to fit resiliently within and against the seat provided by the flange 4. The band 8 terminates on the one side in an outwardly directed angular flange 9 and on the other side in an inwardly directed flange 10, the inner marginal edge of which defines the opening 7. When the reducer 6 is thrust in the opening 3, the flange 9 engages the end of the outwardly turned seating flange 4, and thus functions as a stop limiting the inward movement of the reducer. more the flange 9 is made to project outwardly beyond the flange 4, so as toprovide an easy means of gripping the reducer when its removal is desired. In order to provide the seat-engaging portion 8 of the reducer with a high degree of resilience, the inwardly directed flange 10 is made to curve reentrantly between the opening 7 and band 8.

While it is not necessary in constructions of this character that the opening 3 be aligned with the rotor, its position should be such that the opening '7 can be substantially aligned with the rotor.

purposes, impossible perfectly to obtain. Conse-- Further quently, in actual practice the center of the rotor will fall on one side or another of the center of the opening 3.

There is less variation between the centers of the openings 3 and 7 and these openings can, therefore, be arranged substantially in any desired space relationship. Consequently, to meet the variations in the position of the centers of opening 3 and the rotor, the opening 3 is made circular and the center C of the opening 7 slightly offset from the center D of the opening 3 (see Figures 2 and 4). This permits the reducer 6 to be turned angularly with respect to the opening 3, whereby the center of the reducer opening '7 can be made to fall at any point along the circular path passing through C and around D. Thus the center of the opening 7 can be set at a point along the path C nearest to the actual center of the rotor, thereby enabling the securement of better alignment between the centers of the inlet opening '7 and the rotor.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that this construction by virtue of the limited number of parts and the simplicity of their design and arrangement can be inexpensively manufactured and easily assembled and welded in proper position. Furthermore the use of a spring pressed reducer enables the regular axial opening 3 to be reduced quickly, and by virtue of the fact that the reducer can be quickly removed, this feature provides easy and quick access to the interior of the casing. This latter feature is highly advantageous because when the motor is mounted in place it need not be disturbed when the rotor is to be removed, inasmuch as the rotor can be very readily removed through the opposite opening.

Having described my invention I claim:

A blower housing of the class described having an axial opening through which the rotor may be passed, a reducer member arranged to be removably fitted in said opening in any of a number of angular positions, said member having an air inlet opening, the center of which is offset from the center of said axial opening.

CHESTER P. HEGAN.

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