US3926537A - Air blower - Google Patents

Abstract

An air blower for use in building heating systems which is designed to isolate noise and vibration from the building structure. The blower is further designed to allow for easy assembly and replacement of parts while installed in the building structure. The blower includes a housing which is mounted directly to the frame of the building. A fan wheel and motor assembly is positioned into the housing as a unit. The motor and fan assembly is supported by means of a flexible support system on the housing which isolates vibration and noise transmission. A Venturi plate is also suspended from the flexible support system and is otherwise isolated from the housing.

Description

[ Dec. 16, 1975 AIR BLOWER [76] Inventor: James Piper, 1159 Fountain Way,

Anaheim, Calif. 92806 [22] Filed: May 14, 1973 [21] Appl. N0.: 359,705

3,785,167 1/1974 Sahs 417/363 FOREIGN PATENTS ORAPPLICATIONS 6/1963 United Kingdom 417/363 Primary Examine/ C. J. Husar Assistant ExaminerO. T. Sessions Attorney, Agent, or FirmLyon & Lyon [52] US. Cl. 417/353; 417/360; 417/363 [51] Int. Cl. F04B 17/00 T [58] Field of Search 417/353, 360, 363; 62/292, [57] 2/293 An a1r blower for use 1n building heatmg systems which is designed to isolate noise and vibration from 5 References Cited the building structure. The blower is further designed UN to allow for easy assembly and replacement of parts STATES PATENTS while installed in the building structure. The blower a z includes a housing which is mounted directly to the 293O556 3/1960 68 frame of the building. A fan wheel and motor assemorlacher.... 417/363 2,936,947 5 1960 Staak 417/353 bly Posmoned the housmg as a The motor 2,976,352 3/1961 Atalla 417/353 and fan assembly is Supported y means of a flexible 3,127,092 3/1964 Shenberger 417/353 pp y m on the housing which isolates vibration 3,185,389 5/1965 Loberg 417/363 and noise transmission. A Venturi plate is also sus- 3,250,461 5/1966 Parker 417/363 pended from the flexible support system and is other- Crowe wise isolat d from the housing 3,401,871 9/1968 Crowe... 417/353 3,698,833 10/1972 Cann 417/363 8 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures 7f 21 3/ M W 46 j 1 f 1 1 7% in 72 12:5: /4 1 1- 3 655a 76 24 US. Patent Dec. 16, 1975 shw 2 of2 3,926,537

AIR BLOWER This invention relates to air blowers. More specifically, this invention is directed to an improved air blower assembly for installation in building heating sys tems.

Heating systems have been developed for buildings which incorporate blowers separately mounted from the heating elements within the building structure. One such system is disclosed in Piper, US. Pat. No. 3,256,361. In the Piper system, the housing of the air blower is mounted directly to the building structure where it directs air through heat transfer coils. This mounting of the air blower directly to the building structure may tend to promote the transmission of noise and vibration throughout the building structure. An objectionable 6O cycle hum may result from such mountings in certain applications. Sixty cycles is the standard frequency for power companies. This frequency has been found objectionable by many people. As a result, the advantageous mounting of the blower assembly directly into the building structure has been compromised in certain installations by the resulting noise and vibration which may be transmitted through the building.

A further feature of blower assemblies which are mounted directly to building structures that detracts from the simplicity of such devices is the relatively detailed assembly procedure necessary to install or replace such air blower systems. This complication is further aggravatated by ceiling installations where it is necessary for the workman to position the blower assembly above his head.

The present invention contemplates an easily mounted blower which can be conveniently disassembled by separating three fasteners. Further, the moving components of the blower assembly are isolated from the remainder of the system to reduce noise and vibration.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an air blower which reduces the transmission of noise and vibration from the system.

A second object of the present invention is to provide an air blower having a housing rigidly fixed to a building structure and an impellar and motor flexibly mounted to the housing to reduce noise and vibration.

Another object of the present invention is to flexibly mount the impellar and motor relative to a rigidly mounted volute to reduce noise and vibration.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a mounting system which flexibly supports a motor and impellar within a fixed housing on coil springs and provides lateral control of the impellar within the housing.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a Venturi plate which is flexibly mounted to the housing with the motor and impellar to reduce noise and vibration and allow easy assembly and removal of the motor and impellar from the installation.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an air blower system which may be easily assembled or disassembled by the placement or removal of three flexible mounts thereby allowing the placement or removal of the fan impellar, the motor, and the Venturi plate.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a flexible mounting system for a blower which can be used in both floor and ceiling installations.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an air blower which allows the disassembly of the impellar and motor from the housing without removing the housing from the building structure.

Thus, a flexible air blower assembly is provided which isolates vibration and noise and is easily assembled and disassembled in subassemblies for inspection and repair of moving parts.

Further objects and advantages will become apparent from the description herein.

FIG. 1 is a top view of the present invention with a portion of the Venturi plate broken out to expose the impellar.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the present invention taken in cross section along line 2-21 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional front view illustrating the positioning of the elements in a ceiling installation.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional detail of the mount and spring shown installed on a housing post.

FIG. 5 is a detail of the extended support bracket on the mount taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a detail of the spring as it is mounted on the housing post taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a detail of the mount and spring assembly shown in the ceiling configuration.

Turning specifically to the drawings, a housing assembly generally designated 10 is illustrated. Thehousing assembly 10 includes a generallyrectangular housing 12, acover 14 and avolute 16. Therectangular housing 12 is conveniently made from sheet metal and hasflanges 18, 20, and 22 for easy mounting to a building structure. Further, it is advantageous that therectangular housing 12 be sized to fit between the standard floor or ceiling joists of a building. One contemplated application of the present invention is in a system such as disclosed in the Piper, US. Pat. No. 3,526,36l. In such an application, a plenum is formed between joists with a blower at one end of the plenum, an outlet to the room at the other end of the plenum and a heat exchanger somewhere between these two ends. With the present embodiment, the blower may actually provide the end of the plenum if it is spaced to fit between the building joists. Building joists are typically spaced 14% inches apart. Consequently, a convenient width for therectangular housing 12 is 14% inches. Theflanges 18 and 20 may then be positioned over the adjacent joists.

Thetop 14 is recessed from the upper edge of the rectangular housing 12 a convenient distance to allow for mounting brackets and the like, discussed below. A filter (not shown) may also be placed above thecover 14 and still remain within the top edge of therectangular housing 12. Thecover 14 has alarge hole 24 extending therethrough. Thehole 24 is large enough to accommodate the impellar and associated devices. Because thehole 24 is large enough to receive the moving parts of the blower, the blower can be disassembled without the less convenient removal of the entire housing assembly. Thehole 24 is also displaced from the center of thecover 14 in order that thevolute 16 may extend across the entire width of thehousing 12. Because thevolute 16 is intended to separate from the impellar as it reaches the outlet, the moving parts of the blower must be displaced away from the outlet end of thevolute 16 as best seen in FIG. 1. Consequently, thehole 24 in thecover 14 is displaced to one side of thehousing 12.

Thevolute 16 may form an Archimedes spiral for efficient blower performance. Thevolute 16 is conveniently formed from a piece of sheet metal which extends from the bottom 26 of therectangular housing 12 to thecover 14. For proper blower efficiency, it is advantageous to have the volute l6 fit against both the bottom 26 and thecover 14 in order that substantial air flow is not lost between these elements. The volute l6 terminates at a first end in aflat section 28 which extends to the front edge of thehousing 12. The second end of the volute approaches one side of thehousing 12 so that thehousing 12 and thevolute 16 intersect tangentially. The side of thehousing 12 then extends parallel of theflat section 28 of thevolute 16 to the edge of therectangular housing 12. Thus, the air is directed out of thehousing 12 between one wall thereof and theflat section 28.

Thefront wall 30 of therectangular housing 12 need only extend-to thecover 14. Thewall 30 is not to be placed in front of the outlet formed by the side of thehousing 12 and thestraight section 28. Further, it is not necessary to cover the remainder of the front face because the remaining sides of thehousing 12, thevolute 16, and thecover 14 prevent pressure leakage from the pressurized space. A second front flange corresponding to front flange 22 may be positioned at the bottom of thefront side 30 of thehousing 12. By including both a first flange 22 and a second flange at the bottom of thehousing 12, the first end of the plenum associated with this blower can be quickly and easily sealed by overlapping these front flanges with the top and bottom sides of the plenum.

The motive portion of the blower includes amotor 34 operably connected to animpellar 36. Themotor 34 is of conventional design and is sized to fit within theimpellar 36 so that a large annular space remains between the impellar 36 and themotor 34 for the flow of air into the central portion of theimpellar 36. Theoutput shaft 38 of themotor 34 extends from one end of the motor to engage theimpellar 36.

The impellar 36 forms a cage consisting of aplate 40 at one end and anannular plate 42 at the second end. Vertically disposedblades 44 extend from theplate 40 to theannular ring 42 about the circumference of theimpellar 36. Theblades 44 are angled to give the desired pressure and volume relationship. The overall diameter of theimpellar 36 is smaller than the diameter of thehole 24 in order that the impellar may be positioned within the housing assembly after thevolute 16 and cover 14 have been assembled. The height of theimpellar 36 is such that it will fit between the bottom 26 and the top 14 of thehousing assembly 10. It is advantageous to position theannular ring 42 of theblower 36 near the top 14 of thehousing assembly 10 to prevent pressurized air from flowing from the pressurized area within thevolute 16. Theplate 40 of theimpellar 36 structurally supports theimpellar 36 on themotor output shaft 38. A collar 46 is keyed to theoutput shaft 38 and is held thereon byfastener 48. The collar 46 is centrally positioned on theplate 40.Support webs 50 may be employed to strengthen the unit.

Extended support means are provided for supporting the motor and impellar assembly within thehousing assembly 10. One structural arrangement for providing such a support means is shown in the present embodiment as including a mountingplate 52 which fits onto the top of themotor 34. The mountingplate 52 is conveniently circular and has a central hole for accommodating the end of theshaft 38. Mountingstuds 54 extend from themotor housing 34 through the mountingplate 52.Fasteners 56 retain the mountingplate 52 on thestuds 54. Welded to the mountingplate 52 arearms 58. Eacharm 58 consists of a formed rod having alower section 60 extending from a position near the center of the mountingplate 52 to the outer periphery of the mountingplate 52. Thelower section 60 is welded along its length to the mountingplate 52. Eacharm 58 then extends upward alongvertical section 62 in order that each arm may then extend outwardly and clear thecover 14 of the housing. Thearm 58 extends out alongsection 64 to a mounting position on thecover 14. At the mounting position on thecover 14, thearm 58 forms aloop 66. Theloop 66 has a fixed radius of curvature to accommodate the mounts which are discussed below. Aring 68 is welded to the rods of eacharm 58. Thering 68 helps retain theouter extensions 64 of thearms 58 in the proper position to intersect the mounting points located about the housing assembly. Threearms 58 are shown in the drawings. Naturally, any number of arms may be employed. However, three arms are shown because this configuration has been found to be convenient and efficient. It is not essential to the present invention that rods be employed to form thearms 58. The extended support means may be formed from a single piece of material if such is found to be convenient.

AVenturi plate 70 is provided to advantageously direct air into theimpellar 36. The Venturi plate is positioned on thearms 58 of the extended support means bybrackets 72.Brackets 72 are welded or otherwise fixed toarms 58 and have a mounting hole therethrough. Afastener 74 may be employed with eachbracket 72 to position theVenturi plate 70 against eachbracket 72. Holes are provided in theVenturi plate 70 for accommodating thefasteners 74. The Venturi plate is positioned to clear thecover 14 of thehousing assembly 10. This spacing between thecover 14 and theVenturi plate 70 is provided in order that noise and vibration is not transmitted from the Venturi plate 70 (which is associated with the impellar and motor assembly) to thehousing assembly 10 through thecover 14. In blower assemblies of the present invention which are of a size that fits within the joists of a building, it has been found that the spacing between theVenturi plates 70 and thecover 14 can be as much as one-fourth inch without resulting in undesirable air flow therethrough. Larger spaces may also be equally as effective. However, one-fourth inch is sufficient in such blower sizes to insure that contact will not occur between theVenturi plate 70 and thecover 14 during operation of the unit.

By positioning theVenturi plate 70 on thearms 58, the entire motive subassembly of the blower may be removed with the extended support means. If theVenturi plate 70 were positioned on thecover 14, theimpellar 36 could not be extracted from the housing without first removing theVenturi plate 70. The present embodiment is advantageous because insulations are often made in ceilings where the workman must work above his head to either install or replace the motor and impellar. Further, the housing and volute can remain in the installation during replacement of the motor and impellar. Consequently, the housing can be initially installed by simple, permanent means.

At each mounting point on thehousing assembly 10, a mountingpost 76 extends perpendicularly from thecover 14 to a center position in theloop 66 of eacharm 58. The mountingpost 76 may be conveniently threaded at one end to accommodate a retaining nut. Theseposts 76 act to secure the extended mounting structure relative to thehousing assembly 10.

Between the mountingposts 76 and theextended arms 58 are located flexible means for mounting the motor andimpellar assembly 10. A mountingblock 78 is provided with acoil spring 80 at each mountingpost 76. The mountingblock 78 is preferably of soft material such as soft rubber to better attenuate noise and vibration. Themount 78 has acollar 82 which extends about the middle of theblock 78 and anaxial hole 84 extends through theblock 78. Thehole 84 accommo dates the mountingpost 76 which is long enough to extend through the flexible means. The diameterof thehole 84 is larger than the diameter of the mountingpost 76 in order that theblock 78 will have room to move on the mountingpost 76 to help attenuate noise and vibration. Theblock 78 includes a roundedupper end 86 extending upward from thecollar 82 and alower end 88 extending downward from thecollar 82. The block is also of sufficient length to allow control over the orientation of theblock 78 on the mountingpost 76. Theloop 66 on eacharm 58 is sized to fit onto theupper end 86 at acircular groove 90. Thecircular groove 90 is adjacent thecollar 82 in order that theloop 66 will rest on thecollar 82 and be prevented from slipping downwardly on theblock 78. Thegroove 90 is further provided in the roundedupper end 86 to prevent thearm 58 from slipping upward under large vibratory loads or outside stresses such as might occur during transportation and installation.

Thecoil spring 80 most conveniently includes a central section which is cylindrical. The inner diameter of the cylindrical section of thecoil spring 80 is designed to fit snugly onto thelower end 88 of the mountingblock 78. Agroove 92 is provided for receipt of the uppermost turn of thespring 80. Thegroove 92 is positioned adjacent thecollar 82 to prevent thespring 80 from slipping upwardly on the block 7 8. Thegroove 92 also prevents theblock 78 from slipping away from thespring 80 under extraordinary load conditions. Thelower end 88 is then tapered inward below thegroove 92 to avoid interference with thespring 80. At the other end of thecoil spring 80 the spring spirals to aneye 94. Thiseye 94 is sized to fit about the mounting posts 76. Thecoil spring 80 preferably has a low spring constant to further inhibit the transmission of vibration and noise.

Thus, a mountingblock 78 is employed in conjunction with theloop 66 on thearm 58 and with thecoil spring 80 to provide a flexible mounting on each mountingpost 76. In a floor installation as specifically illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4, thecoil spring 80 rests on thecover 14. The mountingblock 78 is supported by thecoil spring 80 and thearm 58 is supported at theloop 66 on the mountingblock 78.Collar 82 acts to separate theloop 66 from thecoil spring 80 to prevent noise transmission there between and provide a larger base for both theloop 66 and thecoil spring 80. Afastener 96 may be employed to insure that each mountingblock 78 remains on each mountingpost 76. In the floor installation, theeye 94 is not essential. In the ceiling installation as best seen in FIGS. 3 and 7, the flexible mounting assembly is again assembled as in the cylindrical coil spring without theeye 94, an oversized washer may be employed. Thefastener 96 is shown as a blind end wing nut. The use of such a fastener causes the position of the fastener to be fixed relative to thepost 76. In this manner the spacing between thefastener 96 and thecover 14 can be maintained. This spacing may be established so that theblock 78 just touches either the cover 114 or thefastener 96 to prevent excessive travel of the unit which could damage the motor or impellar.

The flexible mounting assembly is described above as having snug fittings between thecoil spring 80 and the mountingblock 78 and between the mountingblock 78 and theloop 66. These fittings are advantageous in that the assembly will not easily separate. This makes the placement of the motive subassembly of the blower less difficult because the various components will not fall off while the installation is being made. It is not essential that these components of the flexible mounting assembly tightly fit onto one another if large vibratory forces or changes in position are not anticipated.

Thus, a device is disclosed for flexibly mounting a motor and impellar assembly into a housing assembly for a blower which is rigidly placed in a building structure. The device permits easy installation and replacement of the motor and impellar components and provides a means for preventing the transmission of noise and vibration to the housing which is rigidly fixed within the building structure.

While embodiments and applications of this invention have been shown and described, it would be apparent to those skilled in the art that many more modifications are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein described. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except as is necessary by the prior art and by the spirit of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An air blower comprising a housing assembly; mounting posts extending from said housing assembly; an impeller positioned within said housing assembly; a motor operably coupled with said impeller; extended support means for supporting said motor, said extended support means extending outwardly from said motor to said mounting posts;

mounting blocks slidably positioned on said mounting posts and supporting said extended support means;

springs positioned about said mounting posts and supporting said mounting blocks; and

a Venturi plate suspended from said support means.

2. The air blower of claim 1 wherein said Ventun' plate is displaced from said housing assembly.

3. The air blower of claim 1 wherein said mounting blocks are made of soft resilient material.

4. The air blower of claim 1 wherein said springs are coil springs.

5. An air blower comprising a housing assembly; mounting posts extending from said housing assembly; an impeller positioned within said housing assembly; a motor operably coupled with said impeller; extended support means for supporting said motor, said extended support means extending outwardly from said motor to said mounting posts; mounting blocks slidably positioned on said mounting posts and supporting said extended support means; said mounting blocks each including a collar, an upper end and a lower end, said extended support means being positioned about said upper end on one side of said collar and said springs being positioned about said lower end on a second side of said collar; and springs positioned about said mounting posts and supporting said mounting blocks.

6. The air blower of claim wherein said mounting blocks include holes through which said mounting posts extend, said holes having larger diameters than said mounting posts.

7. An air blower comprising a housing assembly including a volute, a cover and a hole extending through said cover into said volute; mounting posts positioned about said hole; an impeller positioned within and spaced from said housing assembly; a motor coupled with and supporting said impeller; extended supports attached to said motor and extending outwardly to said mounting posts;

mounting blocks slidably positioned on said mounting posts and supporting said extended supports, said mounting blocks being of soft resilient material;

coil springs positioned about said mounting posts and supporting said mounting blocks; and

said mounting blocks each including a collar, an upper end and a lower end, said extended support being positioned about said upper ends on one side of said collars and said coil springs being positioned about said lower ends on a second side of said collars, said mounting blocks further including holes through which said mounting posts extend, said holes having larger diameters than said mounting posts.

8. The air blower of claim 7 further comprising a Venturi plate suspended from said extended supports, said Venturi plate being displaced from said housing assembly and extending to define an inlet to the center of said impeller.

Claims (8)

1. An air blower comprising a housing assembly; mounting posts extending from said housing assembly; an impeller positioned within said housing assembly; a motor operably coupled with said impeller; extended support means for supporting said motor, said extended support means extending outwardly from said motor to said mounting posts; mounting blocks slidably positioned on said mounting posts and supporting said extended support means; springs positioned about said mounting posts and supporting said mounting blocks; and a Venturi plate suspended from said support means.

2. The air blower of claim 1 wherein said Venturi plate is displaced from said housing assembly.

3. The air blower of claim 1 wherein said mounting blocks are made of soft resilient material.

4. The air blower of claim 1 wherein said springs are coil springs.

5. An air blower comprising a housing assembly; mounting posts extending from said housing assembly; an impeller positioned within said housing assembly; a motor operably coupled with said impeller; extended support means for supporting said motor, said extended support means extending outwardly from said motor to said mounting posts; mounting blocks slidably positioned on said mounting posts and supporting said extended support means; said mounting blocks each including a collar, an upper end and a lower end, said extended support means being positioned about said upper end on one side of said collar and said springs being positioned about said lower end on a second side of said collar; and springs positioned about said mounting posts and supporting said mounting blocks.

6. The air blower of claim 5 wherein said mounting blocks include holes through which said mounting posts extend, said holes having larger diameters than said mounting posts.

7. An air blower comprising a housing assembly including a volute, a cover and a hole extending through said cover into said volute; mounting posts positioned about said hole; an impeller positioned within and spaced from said housing assembly; a motor coupled with and supporting said impeller; extended supports attached to said motor and extending outwardly to said mounting posts; mounting blocks slidably positioned on said mounting posts and supporting said extended supports, said mounting blocks being of soft resilient material; coil springs positioned about said mounting posts and supporting said mounting blocks; and said mounting blocks each including a collar, an upper end and a lower end, said extended support being positioned about said upper ends on one side of said collars and said coil springs being positioned about said lower ends on a second side of said collars, said mounting blocks further including holes through which said mounting posts extend, said holes having larger diameters than said mounting posts.

8. The air blower of claim 7 further comprising a Venturi pLate suspended from said extended supports, said Venturi plate being displaced from said housing assembly and extending to define an inlet to the center of said impeller.

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