Patent ID: 9581171
Date: 2017-02-28
CPC Classifications: F01D,F04D,F16C

Claim:
1. An axial air movement fan having: a plurality of variable pitch fan blades, each fan blade extending radially from a hub rotatable about a main axis, each blade further being pivotable about its radial axis to vary the blade pitch, the blades each being mounted on an associated bearing mounted on said hub, the bearing comprising a ball bearing having a first inner race rotationally fast on one of the hub or the fan blade and a second outer race rotationally fast to the other of the hub or fan blade, the balls in the bearing being separated by separators, each separator being generally cylindrical and having its cylindrical axis coaxial with the orbital axis of the orbit of the balls and being adapted to rotate about the said orbital axis, the side faces of the separator each having a part spherical recess adapted to receive a ball, wherein rotation of the separator about the orbital axis is such as to entrain lubricant in the bearing and to bias the lubricant from adjacent the outer race over the balls towards the inner race, and wherein the separators each have a circumferential recess in its exterior circumference forming an annular reservoir for lubricant, at least one passage extending from the reservoir into the part spherical recesses to enable lubricant to flow to and from the reservoir on to the surface of the recesses.