AN IMPROVED FAN FOR VENTILATING AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1884

page_text: I, MARIE ANTOINE LOUIS SER of Paris, in the Republic of France, Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of my invention for AN IMPROVED FAN FOR VENTILATING
AND OTHER PURPOSES to be as follows:-
The present invention relates to improvements in the construction of rotary.
fans, the objects in view being to increase their efficiency, to enable their capacity,
to be readily varied, and to render them adaptable to a variety of purposes.
To these ends the invention consists in an improved arrangement of blades
forming part of the fan proper, and of the casing within which the said blades
rotate, whereby the tendency for the air to move in eddies at the inlet or outlet*
orifices, or between the blades will be reduced to a minimum, and a larger yield be
obtained.
The invention also consists in an improved method of mounting the casing:
containing the inlet and delivery orifices whereby the said casing may be inverted
or swung through various angles and be secured with the air delivery orifice
pointing in the required direction.
The invention further relates to means for longitudinally adjusting the shaft of
the fan within its bearings.
A fan constructed and arranged according to this invention is particularly,
adapted to the ventilation of mine shafts for which purpose it may be used as an
exhaust or blast fan, and is fitted with a collecting or discharge orifice of peculiar
form connected by a detachable elbow joint permitting the direction or position of
the said orifice to be readily changed.
The vanes or blades of the fan proper consist of plates of metal or other suitable
material curved or bent in a double sense, that is, they are curved or bent in the
plane of the disc or plate of metal on which they are mounted, and also in a plane
perpendicular thereto, an arrangement which permits of the movable channels
having a constant section and a form always in proper relation to the yield and
air pressure.
These vanes or blades are free or unsupported by side plates on their outer
edges, and thus escapes of air are avoided such as usually occur round about the
inlet orifices between such side plates and fixed walls, owing to the play necessarily
left between them.
The inlet orifices are of peculiar construction and consist of hollow annular
castings of torus form and a pair of conoidal centres or bosses whose axes coincide

page_text: with the centre of rotation.This construction and arrangement of the parts
forming the air inlets ensures the air being drawn in at a gradually accelerated
speed without eddies.
These hollow annular castings form the central portions of the casing which
encloses the fan, and they are grooved for, the reception of screw bolts which pass
through lugs on the standards or frame of the machine.
On loosening the nuts on these bolts the entire casing may be swung through
the desired augle, and 'the air discharge orifice be pointed in the required direction,
when the nuts may be screwed tight, and the fan secured in position.
The air outlet which is of the usual spiral form is formed by the sides of the
casing above described and by a sheet or strip of metal bent to the required curve
and uniting the sides or edges of the said casing.
Means are provided for varying the sectional area of the inlet and outlet orifices
or channels by approximating or separating more or less the two side portions, and
the outlet orifice may be further varied in area by drawing or fixing the sheet or
strip of metal nearer to or further from the periphery of the rotating fan.
A convenient means of effecting this variation in size is to forin grooves suitably
curved in the internal walls of the casing, line them with rubber and grip the edges
of the curved strip or sheet of metal between the rubber lined grooves.
1.
The ratio of enlargement of the discharge orifice is such that each stream of air
⚫from the fan passes to right and left as it emerges from the machine, and yields
place to the succeeding streams. Thus the currents of air are caused to issue in
nearly parallel lines.
In fans which are required to act simultaneously as exhaust and blast fans the.
ventilating pipes or conduits may be turned independently in different or opposite
directions by an arrangement analogous to that above described.
In this case the plummer blocks or standards which carry the shaft bearings
may be arranged outside a pair of castings or frames, of which one is reversible
and is entirely closed in, except on that side which is to be connected with the
space to be exhausted; while the other is fixed and open to the air, the fan and its
casing, between them, being reversible as above described, so that a blast may be
delivered or the exhaust effected in the required direction.
Means are provided for adjusting the shaft of the fan end wise, by screwing up a
hollow threaded nut upon one bearing block, and correspondingly slackening a
similar nut on the other bearing block, the said nuts having a notched edge by
which they may be locked in place.
For ventilating mines and similar purposes I fit the fan with a funnel-shaped
pipe and elbow piece, constructed of sheet iron, which pipe by means of the elbow
joint may be readily directed as required.
From the foregoing it will be seen that the position and capacity of the fan may
be varied to suit different circumstances without altering the principal portions of
the machine.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I MARIE ANTOINE LOUIS SER of Paris in the Republic of France Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "AN IMPROVED FAN FOR
VENTILATING AND OTHER PURPOSES," and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
The object of this invention is to provide a centrifugal blower which, by
avoiding the usual causes of eddies in the inflowing and outflowing currents,
and in the spaces between the wings of the fan, will ensure a better result than
heretofore obtainable from blowers of like capacity.
Furthermore, the construction of the blower, amongst other advantages, admits
of the ready adjustment of the sectional area of the helical, air conduit, so as to
adjust it to the requirements of the blower.
In the accompanying Drawings,—.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of the blower;
Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same;
Fig. 3 is a side elevation ;
Fig: 4 is a transverse vertical section of an exhaust or blowing fan;
Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the induction side of the same;
Fig. 6 is a sectional plan view of the same;
Figs. 7are detailed figures; on an enlarged scale, shewing the special arrangement
of bearing for adjusting the position of the axle.
Fig. 8 is a detail, on an enlarged scale, of the means employed for contracting
the air channel of the fan.
Figs. 9 and 10 shew in vertical longitudinal section, and in sectional plan, the
arrangement of exhaust and blowing fan for ventilating mines.
The improved blower may be described as composed of a disc furnished with
vanes R, mounted upon an axle a a, of two fixed cheeks F F, the distance apart
of which can be so varied as to permit the width of the zone of vanes to be
modified, and of an envelope E E, which closes the helical conduit. The sectional
area of the conduit may admit of reduction by making the envelope follow the
line E E E in Fig. 1.
It is thus possible to modify, within, considerable limits, the amount of blast,
without changing the principal parts of the blower.
The rotary fan R is composed of a disc of sheet iron, on either side of which are
fixed numerous vanes disposed near the outer edge of the disc.
The vanes are curved, as shewn at Figs. 1 and 4, and their edges are cut in
order to follow the curved profile of the induction openings, as shewn in Fig. 2,
and thereby to ensure a smooth indraft of air. These vanes, it will be seen, are
characterised by a curvature having the form of an arc, presenting at the entrance
and at the exit of the air channels (e and s, Fig. 1), variable angles of deflection
according to circumstances.
The form of vane, as above described, is essential, as it permits of the movable
canal always taking a form in accordance with the delivery and the pressure of
the air..

page_text: The vanes, it will be seen, are not boxed in laterally by walls, attached to them;
thus, disturbing currents of air, which would otherwise be produced between the
fan and the case, from the rotation of the fan, are prevented.-The induction
openings of the fan case are circular, their lips having a rounded or torus form in
cross section.
Fitted to the fan axle, and butting against the disc at either side thereof, is an
air guiding cone, which, together with the rounded lips of the induction openings,
guides the air without eddies to the vanes.
The two cheeks F F, forming the fan case, are bolted together, the strip E of
sheet iron being interposed between them to give the case its proper capacity.
The width of this strip, and its position, it is proposed to vary, so as to give the
helical air conduit different sectional areas according to the purpose for which the
fan is required (Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 6).
3
Thus, the sectional area of this helical conduit or air chamber admits of variation,
not only by varying the distance apart of the vertical walls, but also by modifying
the form and position of the sheet iron strip E forming the perimeter of the case.
At Fig. 1 I have shewn a second position for a strip of sheet iron E E E¹.
intended to form a new periphery.
This last arrangement would be very valuable in many cases, as it allows of
the power absorbed by. the fan being reduced and proportioned to the results
.obtained.
"
:
One method of obtaining this result consists in fixing, by means of screws,
within the fan case, a length of channel iron (see Fig. 8) suitably curved to suit
the perimeter of the blower. These lengths of channel iron are filled with a
cushion of caoutchouc to receive the edges of the sheet iron strip E, which will bod
into the caoutchouc and form an air-tight joint therewith, as the coupling bolts of
the blower case are tightened up.
The proportions of the vanes, and their curvature, should be made with precision,
according to the results it is desired to obtain, and the arrangements above described
admit of these being varied, at will, to a very large extent, without any substantial
change in the construction of the fan, it only being necessary to change the fan to
suit the blower case.
At the exit from the vanes the shape of the air conduit shewn in the drawing is
such, that the streams of air, as they leave the vanes, move nearly parallel to each
other without, interference, the helical chamber being characterised by its pre-
senting, immediately at the exit from the vanes, a rectangular form, see Figs. 2, 4
and 6. The blower is constructed in such a way that the eduction orifice may take
any desired direction, for the blower case is provided, on either side thereof, with
an annular groove, rr, to receive the heads of T headed bolts, which serve to fix
the blower to the plummer blocks, with its eduction orifice in any direction that
may be found most convenient.
.:
In the case of fans which are to be used. both as blowers and exhaust fans, a
somewhat similar arrangement (see Figs. 4, 5, 6) permits of the nozzles of
eduction B and of induction B' of the blower (which nozzles are secured by means
of T-headed bolts) being turned independently of each other in any direction, the
T headed bolts sliding in the annular grooves R R in the case, while the plummer
blocks C, themselves, may be fixed to the shell of the induction nozzle in any
position. This admits of the eduction and induction nozzles being turned inde-
pendently of each other in any desired direction, according to the requirements of
the installation, thus affording the double advantage of rendering the installation
simpler and more economical, and of diminishing the changes of direction in the
movements of the air.
A special arrangement connected with the construction of the blower, and which
constitutes one of its advantages, consists in the employment of special plummer
. blocks, with swivel bearings, with adjustment by means of an adjustable collar b
threaded upon the end of the bearing brass C and permitting of the adjustment of
the spindle of the blower longitudinally as shown in Fig. 7.

page_text: In the particular case of an exhaust fan, a special funnel shaped nozzle D D may
be adapted to the eduction orifice (Figs. 9 and 10), for the purpose of transforming
the live force retained by the air at the eduction orifice, and utilizing it to
augment the vacuum.
Besides this, in the case of mine ventilators, the connecting elbow of the blower
is arranged with the blast nozzle in such a way that it is possible, by simply
turning the elbow upside down, to act by blowing down a mine shaft. or gallery
communicating with the mine. In this case, the exhaust openings of the blower
are put in free communication with the atmosphere, the object being to tako in
fresh air from the atmosphere, and drive it into the mine, as may be useful in some
cases.
I reserve to myself the power of varying, at will, the forms and dimensions of
the system of blower according to the requirements of particular cases.
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
.
The system of improved blowers described above, and characterised principally:
1st By the arrangement of the induction orifices having each the form of a sort
of annular torus, boxing in the vanes of the disc, and aiding to direct the
air without eddies, concurrently with a rounded generating cone placed on the
spindle.
2nd By the arrangement of rectangular helical air conduit of greater breadth
than the fan, and increasing regularity in depth from its inner to its outer end, to
permit of the streams of fluid as they issue from the fan spreading and conserving
their speed, their course being nearly parallel, and without opposition to each other,
as above described.
3rd By the arrangements which permit of modifying, at will, the dimensions of
the helical air conduit, according to the applications of the blower, and the effect
it is desired to produce, as above shewn and described.
4th By the arrangements which permit of any direction being given to the blast
and exhaust nozzles as above shewn and described.
5th By the special arrangements of swivel bearings with adjustable collar for
regulating the spindle, as above shewn and described, with reference to Figs. 2
and 7.
6th In the particular case of the application of the system of blower to mine
shafts or analogous cases, independently of the preceding advantages, by the arrange-
ment which permits, in case of need, the reversal of the blower, in such a manner
as to take fresh air from the atmosphere, and blow it into the mine, as above shewn
and described.
Besides this, I reserve the right of constructing my blowers single or double,
that is to say, with one or with two induction orifices.
I also claim the right to the application of any one of the points above mentioned,
taken separately, or in combination with the other points.
D
1
0711
1
CT
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.