Improvements in Fans for Ventilating Mines, Tunnels, or for analogous purposes.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Oct., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 13th Jan., 1891-Accepted, 14th Feb., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Fans for Ventilating Mines, Tunnels, or for
analogous purposes.
I HUGH WILLIAM WADDLE of Bryn Tesog Llanelly in the County of
Carmarthen Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to open running fans and consists in providing such fans
with an improved form and arrangement of the blades whereby a larger proportion
of the air is less suddenly forced into centrifugal motion and consequently less
power is required to drive the fan than is the case with such fans as at present
constructed.
According to my invention I make the eye or opening through which the air
enters the fan larger than usual and instead of discontinuing the fan blades at the
edge of or at a short distance beyond the edge of this opening I continue them up
to or near to the hub or boss of the fan and if desired they may be connected to the
said hub. The portion of the blades opposite the eye or inlet are gradually reduced
I make the blades of
in width 'from the edge of the eye towards the boss.
uniform sweep from the periphery to the edge of the eye or inlet of the fan but the
part which extends from the hub or boss to the edge of the inlet I make to radiate
from the centre of the boss so that a greater portion of the air entering the fan by
the eye is caught or taken up first by the inner parts of these radiating portions of
the blades and is forced onto the enclosed portions of the said blades a less quantity
of the air being taken up by the parts of the radiating portions of the blades that
are nearest the edge of the eye of the fan whereby the force of the first contact of
the blades with the air as it enters the fan is greatly reduced and consequently the
efficiency of the fan is increased and less power is required to drive the fan. In
combination with this arrangement of the blades I may provide the periphery of
the fan with an expanded outlet as described in the Specification to Letters Patent
granted to.me and bearing date as of 19th March 1889 No. 4826.
Dated this 18th day of October 1890.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Fans for Ventilating Mines, Tunnels, or for
analogous purposes.
I. HUGH WILLIAM WADDLE of Bryn Tesog Llanelly in the County of
Carmarthen Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to open running fans and consists in providing such fans
with an improved form or arrangement of the blades whereby a larger proportion
of the air is less suddenly forced into centrifugal motion and consequently less
power is required to drive the fan than is the case with such fans as at present
constructed.
I will describe my invention with reference to the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 of which represents in side elevation (with one half of one side of the
outer casing removed) of a fan constructed according to my invention and
Figure 2 is an edge view (shewing one half in section) of the said fan.

page_text: The eye A² or opening through which the air enters the fan I prefer to make
larger in proportion to the diameter of the fan than is usual and, according to my
invention, instead of discontinuing the fan blades or vanes B at the edge C of the
eye or at a short distance within the eye as usual I extend them up to the hub or
boss D of the fan and, if desired, they may be connected to the said hub. The parts
from C to D of the blades opposite the eye or inlet A² are gradually reduced in
width from the edge C of the eye towards the boss D as shewn (from 6 to 6²) in
Figure 2. The other portions of the vanes or blades B enclosed between the
sides A of the fan are tapered gradually from the edge C of the eye to the
periphery of the fan as also shewn in Figure 2 and these enclosed parts have a
uniform curve from the periphery to the edge C of the eye whilst the parts which
extend from the hub or boss D to the edge C of the eye or air inlet I make to
radiate from the centre of the boss in straight lines or approximately straight lines
as shewn. By this arrangement a greater portion of the air entering the fan by
the eye is caught or taken up first, by the inner parts near the boss D of these
radiating portions of the blades and is conducted thereby onto the enclosed
portions B of the said blades a less quantity of the air being taken up by the
parts of the radiating portions of the blades that are nearest the edge C of the
eye of the fan whereby the force of the first contact of the blades with the air
as it enters the fan is greatly reduced and the efficiency of the fan is increased
less power being required to drive the fan. 132 are short blades arranged between
the plates B as usual. In combination with this arrangement of the blades I may
provide the periphery of the fan with splayed out rings F so as to form an expanded
outlet for the air as described in the Specification of Letters Patent No. 4826
granted to me and dated the 19th day of March 1889.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is.
1. The general construction combination and arrangement of parts constituting an
improved fan for ventilating mines and analogous purposes substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
2. In fans for ventilating mines or for analogous purposes vanes or blades
radiating from the axis of the fan and extending in straight lines or approximately
straight lines from the hub or boss to, or near to, the edge of the eye or air inlet,
where they join the ordinary enclosed blades or vanes of uniform sweep substantially
as and for the purpose hereinbefore described.
or blades
3. In fans for ventilating mines or for analogous purposes vanes
extending from the periphery to the boss or hub of the fan the portions of the
bladesvanes which are opposite the eye or air inlet being gradually reduced in
width from or near the edge of the eye to the boss or hub and radiating from the
axis substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 3rd day of January 1891.
HUGH WILLIAM WADDLE.