Improvements in Apparatus for Ventilating and analogous Purposes.
Year: 1896

page_text: .Date of Application, 8.h Apr., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 8th Jan., 1897-Accepted, 20th Feb.. 1897
C
[Communicated from abroad by THERON A. RICHARDS, of 75 Fulton Street,
New York, United States of America, Engineer.]
Improvements in Apparatus for Ventilating and analogous
Purposes.
I, PHINEAS LAWRENCE, of 63 Farringdon Road, in the County of London,
Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to ventilating apparatus comprising a self-contained
arrangement of fan and engine (or other means) for driving the same, and said
apparatus is adapted for general ventilation, for cooling buildings, for drying
purposes in such departments of manufacture as make use of drying rooms, and for
removing dust, gases, and the like, from rooms devoted to manufacturing purposes,
as well as from exhibition rooms, halls, and public buildings.
The objects of the present invention are to improve the frame of the fan and
to reduce its bulk and cost; to remove the bearings of the driven-shaft from the
fan-frame, so that disturbances of the frame will not interfere with the alignment
of said bearings; to secure the hub of the fan to the driven shaft loosely, so that
while it is prevented from turning on the shaft it may have a lateral movement.
thereon, thus transferring the thrust of the hub from the shaft to the bearing on
the engine or bracket, and thereby prevent the engine cylinder from being crowded;
to improve the fan blades so that they will operate in their highest efficiency; to
devise improved means of securing the blades in the hub; and to so organise the
entire apparatus that it may be packed for shipment in a comparatively small
compass, and the parts may be assembled easily and quickly in placing the apparatus
in position.
The frame of the fan consists of a suitable number of segments, preferably three,
which may form parts of a single casting, or be braced together by inclined or
diagonal connecting rods or braces, of which those on each side of the frame
converge to a common point where they support the engine or pulley-bracket,
and the bearings for the fan shaft, without their coming into direct contact
with the frame, the converging points being connected together by a horizontal tie
or brace.
Inside the segments of the frame, is fitted a cylindrical casing or rim, within
which the blades of the fan revolve, and to which the air pipe, or pipes, may be
connected.
The feet of the frame are so disposed as to secure a substantial support for the
apparatus.
The hub of the fan is connected with its shaft by means of a feather and groove,
so that it can move laterally, and transmits the thrust, not to the shaft, but to a
thrust-bearing formed of rings or washers interposed between it and the head of a
Babbitt box. The movement of the hub is limited by a collar secured on the shaft
by a screw.
The blades of the fan are carried by rods whose ends are embraced and held
securely by split nuts which are screwed into radial tapped holes in the hub, the
outer parts of the nuts being conical and the holes being correspondingly counter-
sunk, so that when the said split nuts are screwed home, their sections are forced
D

page_text: tightly together and clamp the fan rods securely. The proper angle for each
blade can be easily obtained by adjusting its position, just before the nut is actually
tightened up.
The blades of the fan are broader at their anterior portions than at their posterior
portions, and are wider at their outer periphery or tips than at their inner or root
portions. They are flat or straight in transverse section, and the pitch at all points
is such that the air will be moved at the same speed at the inner as at the outer
periphery.
Obviously, instead of mounting an engine or motor directly on the frame, a band
pulley, or the like, may be employed to drive the fan.
Dated this 8th day of April 1896.
ERNEST DE PASS,
Chartered Patent Agent,
78, Fleet Street, London, and 5^ Market Street, Nottingham,
Agent for the Applicant.
Improvements in Apparatus for Ventilating and analogous
Purposes.
I, PHINEAS LAWRENCE, of 63 Farringdon Road, in the County of London,
Merchant, 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, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and
to the letters and figures marked thereon that is to say:
This invention relates to ventilating apparatus comprising a self-contained
arrangement of fan and engine (or other means) for driving the same, and said
apparatus is adapted for general ventilation, for cooling buildings, for drying
purposes in such departments of manufacture as make use of drying rooms, and for
removing dust, gases, and the like, from rooms devoted to manufacturing purposes,
as well as from exhibition rooms halls and public buildings.
The objects of the present invention are to improve the frame of the fan and to
reduce its bulk and cost; to remove the bearings of the driven shaft from
the fan frame so that disturbances of the frame will not interfere with the
alignment of said bearings; to secure the hub of the fan to the driven shaft
loosely, so that while it is prevented from turning on the shaft it may have a
lateral movement thereon, thus transferring the thrust of the hub from the shaft to
the bearing on the engine or bracket, and thereby prevent the engine cylinder
from being crowded; to improve the fan blades so that they will operate in their
highest efficiency; to devise improved means for securing the blades in the hub;
and to so organise the entire apparatus that it may be packed for shipment in a
comparatively small compass and the parts be put together easily and quickly in
placing the apparatus in position.
And in order that the invention may be readily understood I will describe the
same fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
Fig. 1 is an elevation of an apparatus embodying the invention, with the engine
which drives the fan secured in position on the fan frame.
Fig. 2 is a plan, with the frame only in section, taken on the line v, v, of
Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the fan frame and its rim.
Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section taken through the hub of the fan and the driven
shift, a part of the shaft and its Babbitt box being in elevation.

page_text: gis a cross section on the line y, y, or rig. 4.
Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view on the line, z, of Fig. 2.
Fig. 7 is an elevation of one of the Babbitt boxes.
Fig. 8 is a detail of a part of the fan frame hereinafter referred to.
Fig. 9 is a front elevation of the hub and attached fan-blades.
Fig. 10 is a side elevation of the hub àud driven shaft, the hub being partly in
section to show the mode of securing the fan blades therein.
Fig. 11 is a plan of one of the blades.
Fig. 12 is a longitudinal section.of one of the split nuts by which the blades are
adjustably held in the hub, and
Fig. 13 is a plan of the hub partly in section.
As usually constructed, the fan frames of apparatus of this description are made
in two or more independent parts with separate sets of legs, thus making a number
of distinct parts to be bolted together. The cost of such a frame is necessarily
high, and it is bulky, and occupies considerable space when being transported, and
also requires much time in putting the parts together when placing the apparatus
in position.
The fan frame 15, according to this invention, consists of single metal fraine
in one casting, and of the required dimensions, which vary according to the size of
the fan blades employed. This frame comprises a narrow ring, made preferably
in three parts or sections 16, 17 and 18, for sake of lightness, the largest section 16
being at bottom and furnishing the main support of the apparatus, and the
vertically and horizontally diagonal supporting and connecting braces or rods,
marked respectively 19 and 20, which converge centrally to one common point in
the said ring where they are connected by a horizontal connecting brace 21. These
several parts are advantageously formed integral, and the frame thus constructed is
supported by a single set of legs 22 which may be formed separately and bolted to
the section 16, or may be cast integral therewith as shewn, which is preferable as
being more economical. Each leg 22 is cut away centrally, as shewn in Fig. 3, to
lighten the casting and to steady the frame, thus providing two feet on each leg,
two at the front and two at the back of the frame.
To the frame 15 is bolted, or otherwise secured, in the position indicated in the
drawings, the plain wrought iron rim 23 within which the fan blades revolve, aud
the dimensions of which depend upon the size of the fan blades. This rim 23 is
adapted to receive a pipe (not shewn) for conveying the air to any desired point,
and such a pipe may also be slipped over or into the frame 15, if it be found
desirable to do so. The frame 15, in addition to its serving to receive and support
the engine in the manner shewn in the drawings, also furnishes the necessary
stability to the structure when the fan is in operation, and it may be secured to
the floor by passing screws through the feet. The front part of the legs 22
extend outward underneath and beyond the line of the fan frame, as shewn more
particularly in Fig. 3, sufficiently to bring their supporting bases substantially in
a plane corresponding with a longitudinal, vertical, and central plane passing
through the body of the engine 24, or of such substitute as may be provided for
the same; thus a firm support is provided underneath that part of the apparatus
where not only considerable weight is concentrated but where also reciprocating
motion and varying strains will occur. As the rear parts of the legs extend
towards and underneath that part of the apparatus comprising the fan blades, a
very firm support of great stability, arranged in accordance with the distribution
of the weights of the different parts of the structure, and with the nature of the
strains occurring therein, is provided. A fan frame of this construction is very
light, is more slender, is cheaper and more easily erected than the frames heretofore
employed for this type of apparatus. A frame constructed as above described is
equally well adapted for supporting either the driving engine and its shaft, or
a pulley bracket when the power for driving the fan is transmitted through
belt.
When the engine 24, which may be of the usual type, is to be mounted on the

page_text: frame 15, it is provided with an engine-bracket 25 which is secured in place by
bolts 26. At the outer end of this bracket is an additional bearing 27 for the
driven shaft 28, the main bearing 29 being secured directly to the base of the
engine. By this arrangement neither of the bearings 27 nor 29 has any direct
connection with the fan frame, being merely intermediately connected thereto
through the engine. This feature of relieving the fan frame of the bearings of
the driven shaft is an important part of this invention, and its chief advantage is
that the alignment of said bearings is not interfered with by movements or
distortion of the fan frame. The engine 24 is secured to the fan frame in the
position indicated in Fig. 1 by means of the screws 30 which pass through holes 31
(see Fig. 8) made in the braces of the fan frame 15, the said screws taking into
screw threads formed at appropriate points in the frame of the engine. The
driven shaft 28 is extended beyond the additional bearing 27 and carries the hub
to which the fan blades are secured.
The bearing 27, which is preferably made integral with the engine bracket 25,
is formed with a slit extending through it in a horizontal plane, and into the arms
of the bracket to about the points indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2, and also
in the sectional view Fig. 6. This bearing 27 is bored and provided with a
Babbitt metal box 32, such as shewn separately in Fig. 7. The Babbitt box 32
is cast with a longitudinal slit 33 to permit it to contract so as to enable the wear
to be taken up as hereinafter explained, and also with a hole 34 to receive a
lubricator 35 as shown in Fig. 6. This view, which is an enlarged section through
the outer end of the engine bracket 25, serves to illustrate the construction of the
bearing 27, the lubricator 35 being here shewn seated in the hole 36 in the top of
the bearing 27, and extending into the hole 34 made in the Babbitt box 32 so as
to prevent said box from turning in the bearing. The hox 32 is also cast with a
head 37. (Figs. 4 and 7) against which bear the thrust rings presently referred to.
The slit in the engine-bracket 25 is indicated at 38 (Fig. 6) and is provided in
order that when the Babbitt box 32 becomes worn the wear may be taken up
(since the box is slit longitudinally) by means of the adjusting screws 39, and
thus proper relation between the driven shaft 28 and said Babbitt box is main-
tained. The split Babbitt boxes are cast of a uniform size and are therefore
interchangeable, so that when one becomes so far worn as to be unserviceable a
perfect box may be substituted for it with the saving of trouble and delay incident
to the method now practised of providing bearings with Babbitt-metal boxes.
The driven shaft 28 is supported upon, and driven directly by, the engine.
Apart from the advantages of this construction, whereby perfect alignment of the
driven shaft is ensured, the easy mode of fixing the engine enables one to economise
space when shipping the apparatus, as the engine may be mounted on the frame
when setting up the apparatus at its destination, and need not be mounted when
making the shipment, which, if required to be done would greatly increase the
bulk of the packing case.
The mode of securing the fan hub 50 on the driven shaft 28 is illustrated by
Fig. 4. Before placing the hub 50 on the shaft, the rings 51 (preferably three)
are slipped thercon and bear against the head 37 of the Babbitt-box 32, thus
furnishing four bearing surfaces. This constitutes what I term the thrust
bearing. To relieve the driven shaft 28 from the bad effects of the thrust of
the fan hub 50 in the revolution of the fan, said hub, instead of being fixed fast
to the shaft, is arranged thereon so that it may have a slight lateral play, or
exert pressure on the rings 51. This is provided for by making a longitudinal
groove 52 in the outer end of the shaft and securing a feather 53 in the hub in
such manner that it will co-operate with the groove 52 so as to perinit the hub tɔ
move laterally against the thrust bearing while preventing said hub from turning
on the shaft. By this arrangement it is plain that the fan hub will exert its
thrust against the head 37 of the Babbitt box 32, and not in such a manner as to
crowd the engine shaft laterally and injure the engine cylinder, as is sometimes
the case in other constructions. As will be observed, the hub is held on the shaft

page_text: by means of a collar 54 secured by a set screw 55. The rings 51 of the thrust
bearing also assist in lubricating the bearing.
From Figs. 4 and 13 it will be seen that the fan hub is bored centrally to receive
the driving shaft, and also through the edge at 56 at right angles to the central
bore, in order to receive the stems of a number of fan blades which are to be
secured in the hub.
The mode of fixing the blades to the hub is shewn in Figs. 10 and 13. The
edge borings 56 have smooth walls coned inwardly for about half of their depth
and practically straight walls the rest of the distance, the straight portion being
below the coned portion and being tapped as shewn. The hollow nut 57, shewn in
section in Figs. 10 and 12, is split lougitudinally and has its exterior surface made
to conform to the edge boring 56, and its interior surface adapted to co-operate
with the stem 58 of the rod to which the fan blade is secured. The hollow nut 57
is headed as shewn to facilitate its being turned by a wrench. When said hollow
nut, with the stem 58 inserted therein, is placed in the boring 56 of the hub, it is
easily secured in place by giving it the desired number of turns. In the act of
thus turning it, the rod 58, by reason of the compression of the split nut 57-
caused by the sinking of the nut in the boring 56-is firmly secured in place and
is not liable to become loosened while the fan is in operation.
The angle at which the blades 59 are to be set depends upon the size of
the fan, and also upon the nature of the work to be performed by the fan. The
means just described for securing the blades to the hub permit the adjustment of
the blades to any required angle to be effected with the utmost ease and precision.
This is done as follows: The split uut 57 is inserted into the boring 56 and
screwed down till its coned surface comes into contact with the coned part of the
horing; then the stem of the rod 58 is inserted into the nut and held at such an
angle that when the nut with the inserted stem is screwed down the angle of the
blade will be fixed and, at the same time, the blade will be held rigidly in
position.
The blade which it is preferred to employ is indicated in Figs. 9, 10, and 11.
It is broader at its anterior portion than at its posterior portion, and flat or straight
transversely, and is so shaped that it will have a regular pitch throughout its
entire surface from the inner periphery 60 to the outer periphery 61, that is, the
pitch will be uniform at all points of its section, so as to cause the air to be moved
at the same speed at the inner as at the outside periphery. By this construction,
the air will not be agitated upon the surface of the blade, and a vacuum is pre-
vented in the vicinity of the hub, disadvantages incident to the operation of an
ordinary flat blade and materially impairing the efficiency of apparatus in which
they are employed.
It is evident from the foregoing description that an apparatus constructed in the
manner herein set forth will be of comparatively little weight and cheaper to
manufacture. Moreover, the small number of parts comprising the fan frame
enables the apparatus to be easily and quickly put together, and by supporting the
shaft bearings in the manner shewn, without bringing them in direct contact with
the fan frame, the liability of having the aligument deranged by disturbances of
the frame is entirely obviated. Furthermore, the meaus described for relieving the
driven shaft from the thrust of the fan hub not only prevents injury to the
parts usually affected by such thrust, but causes the apparatus to run more
smoothly and with less friction; the fan blades arranged and operating in the
manner described will, by removing the difficulty incident to the commonly
constructed blades, increase the efficiency of the apparatus, while the mode
described for adjusting the fan blades within the hub enables the operation to be
done with little labour and without removing the blades from the hub, aud finally,
the few parts comprising the apparatus, their simplicity of construction, and ease
with which they may be put together, enables the apparatus to be readily
transported and the purchaser to erect the same with the minimum amount of
expense and labour.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same may be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In ventilating apparatus, a supporting frame consisting of a ring (15) provided
with a set of legs (as 22) and with diagonally arranged engine or pulley bracket
supporting braces (19 and 20) which converge to a common point where they are
connected by a horizontal brace (21), said legs being provided with supporting
bases extending forward of the supporting surfaces of said brackets, and also with
supporting bases extending rearward from the fan frame, substantially as set
forth.
2. In a ventilating apparatus, a supporting frame consisting of a ring (15)
composed of sections (16. 17. 18) joined together by diagonal engine or pulley
bracket, supporting braces (19 and 20) which converge to a common point in the
ring where they are connected by a horizontal brace (21), the largest section (16)
of said ring forming the base of the frame and provided with legs having supporting
bases extending forward of the supporting surfaces of said brackets, and also with
supporting bases extending rearward from the fan frame, substantially as set
forth.
3. In ventilating apparatus, a supporting frame consisting of a ring (15) com-
posed of sections (16. 17. 18) joined together by diagonal engine or pulley bracket
-supporting braces (19 and 20) which converge centrally to a common point in the
ring where they are connected by a horizontal brace (21), in combination with
a fan rim (23) bolted to the ring, and legs having their supporting bases forward
..and rearward of said ring, substantially as set forth.
4. In a ventilating apparatus, the combination with the supporting frame and
fan, of an engine mounted on said frame, and a bracket mounted on said engine to
support the bearing of the driven shaft, thus relieving said bearing from direct
contact with the fan frame, substantially as set forth.
5. In a ventilating apparatus, the combination with the fan, a supporting frame
provided with diagonally arranged braces which converge centrally at one side of
the frame, and a wheel rim secured to the frame at its opposite side, of an engine
mounted on said braces and a bracket mounted on said engine and supporting the
bearing of the driven shaft from direct contact with the supporting frame,
substantially as set forth.
6. In a ventilating apparatus, the combination with the fan and its shaft, a
supporting frame provided with braces at one of its sides and a wheel rim secured
to its opposite side, of an engine mounted on said braces and carrying the main
bearing of the driven shaft, and a bracket mounted on said engine which supports
the additional bearing of said shaft from contact with the supporting frame,
substantially as set forth.
7. In a ventilating apparatus, the combination with the supporting frame and
fan, of an engine mounted on said frame and carrying the main bearing of the
driven or fan shaft, a bracket bolted to the engine and carrying at its outer end
the additional bearing of said shaft, and a series of metallic rings encircling said
shaft and in contact with said bearing, and co-operating therewith to transfer the
thrust of the hub of the fan from the driven shaft to said bearing and thus
prevent crowding of the shaft toward or against the engine, substantially as set
forth.
8. In a ventilating apparatus, a fan blade broader at its anterior portion than at
its posterior portion and flat or straight transversely, and having a regular pitch
throughout its entire length from its inner periphery to its outer periphery (that
is a uniform pitch at all points of its section), whereby the air is caused to move
at the same velocity at the inner as at the outer periphery, substantially as set
forth.
9. A ventilating fan having blades broader at their outer than at their inner
ends and flat or straight transversely, and having a regular pitch from their inner

page_text: to their outer periphery, in combination with means whereby said blades may be-
adjustably secured to the hub of the fan, substantially as set forth.
10. The improvements in apparatus for ventilating and analogous purposes..
substantially as hereinbefore described and shewn with reference to the annexed
drawings.
Dated this 8th day of January 1897.
ERNEST DE PASS,
Chartered Patent Agent,
78 Fleet Street, London, and 5 Market Street, Nottingham,
Agent for the Applicant.