Impeller Blade Flow Elements for Cost-Effective Diameter Variation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high investment costs for tools required to produce impellers of different diameters, as existing methods necessitate separate tools for each size, leading to inefficiencies and increased expenses.
Innovation Solution
Designing impellers with additional flow elements that allow for the production of smaller diameters by shortening fan blades along a specific flow element, maintaining excellent noise reduction and airflow properties without the need for separate tools, using flow elements that are similar in design and extend along an imaginary parting line of the fan blade.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If separate tools are used for each impeller diameter, then manufacturing precision is maintained, but device complexity and investment costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing a single mold that can produce fan blades for multiple impeller diameters. The mold includes a first flow element for the outer edge and a second flow element for an intermediate radius, allowing the same mold to create blades that can be used for different impeller sizes by varying the cutting position, thereby eliminating the need for separate tools for each diameter while maintaining manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the fan blade design by incorporating multiple flow elements at different radial positions within the same blade structure. This segmentation allows the blade to be cut at different positions to create different effective diameters, enabling one mold to serve multiple diameter requirements without compromising the precision of each specific diameter production.
2Ease of manufacture
If fan blades are shortened to produce smaller diameter impellers, then investment costs are reduced, but noise reduction properties may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring multiple flow elements within the fan blade during the molding process. The second flow element is positioned at an intermediate radius and designed in advance to become the new outer edge flow element when the blade is cut to a shorter length. This preliminary setup ensures that even when blades are shortened for smaller impellers, the resulting flow element geometry maintains the noise reduction properties.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple flow elements are added to fan blades, then versatility for different diameters is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the nested doll principle by placing the second flow element within the same fan blade structure as the first flow element, at a different radial position. The second flow element is essentially nested within the blade's cross-section, allowing it to serve as the functional outer edge flow element when the blade is cut to a shorter radius. This nesting approach increases versatility for different diameters while minimizing the addition of external structural complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
The impeller is designed for a fan and is rotatably mounted about an axis. Fan blades (3) extend from a hub (1) of the impeller and are provided with at least one projecting flow element (12) at their radially outer edge. At a radial distance from this flow element (12), the fan blade (3) is provided with at least one further flow element (12') located on a diameter suitable for cutting the fan blades (3) to length. The fan blades (3) can thus be cut along the further flow element (12'), allowing for the cost-effective production of impellers with smaller diameters. When a smaller diameter fan blade is required, the fan blades (3) are cut along the further flow element (12') so that it lies at the outer edge of the shortened fan blade (3).The smaller diameter fan wheel exhibits excellent properties, such as low noise generation, as a result of the additional flow element (12') located on the radially outer edge of the shortened fan blades (3).