US2972358A - Vane runner fitting for ducts and the like - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 21, 1961 M. HINDEN 2,972,358

VANE RUNNER FITTING FOR DUCTS AND THE LIKE Filed May 15, 1956 s Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 21, 196 1 M. HlNDEN 2,972,358

VANE RUNNER FITTING FOR DUCTS AND THE. LIKE Filed Iviay l5, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 \INVENTOR Mid-0n HIM/ MTTORNEY Feb. 21, 1961 M. HINDEN 2,972,358

I VANE RUNNER FITTING FOR DUCTS AND THE LIKE Filed May 15, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR Mlon Edna em Unite States PatentfO VANE RUNNER FITTING FOR DUCTS AND THE LIKE Milton Hinden, 701 Blackstone Ave., East Meadows, N.Y.

Filed May 15, 1956, Ser. No. 585,002

8 Claims. (Cl. 138-39) This invention relates to vane supporting fittings for ducts, and more particularly for fittings for adjustably attaching to supporting rails, blades or vanes to direct the flow of air through ducts.

Known to me is the provision of correlated vanes or blades for the fitting of the same in relation to ducts whereby the flow of heating or cooling media may be efficiently distributed.

The economical installation of either single blades or curved hollow blades or air turning contrivances, in a great many instances, requires so-called custom adjustment or fitting to meet variable conditions which may be encountered. Prefabrication of fittings for the production of air turning vanes, air scoops, louvres, air extractors or multi-vane shutters may become costly and economically unwieldy because of such variability in the required installation.

Accordingly, it is an object of my invention to provide a vane or blade fitting and cooperative installation of vane or blade and rail which will permit-any sheet metal worker to make the desired installation, with minimum factory prefabrication, permitting the use of surplus stock sheet metal and to be employed in a variety of installations, and making possible assembly with simple tools on the job.

Still more particularly, it is an object of this invention to provide a vane or blade fitting and assembly with a supporting rail whereby a single and adjustable vane or blade air turning device may be provided and which requires merely readily available sheet metal tools, such as a chisel or snips, to make assembly and installation possible.

Still more particularly, it is an object of my invention to provide a vane or blade fitting for holding vanes or blades to rails wherein adjustable air scoops or extractors accordance with my invention;

Figure 3 is a plan view thereof;

Figure 5 is a sectional view corresponding to Figure 4, with the fitting in attached position;

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5, with a vane or blade end shown in position;

Figure 6a is a plan view thereof; Figure 7 is a plan view illustrating an air scoop or extractor made in accordance with my invention;

, Figure 8 is an exemplification of my invention as ap- 2,972,358 Patented Feb. 21, 1961 plied to an air scoop of curved single and double blade construction; I

Figure 9 is a perspectiveview of an adjustable air scoop or extractor employing the vane runner fitting in accordance with my invention;

Figure 10 is an end elevational view showing the application of my invention to hold vanes or blades to a single rail by the use of a plurality of rows of fittings;

Figure 11 is a view similar to Figure 10 as applied to both single and hollow blades;

Figure 12 shows a single rail in accordance with my invention 'as adjustable to blades of a variety of radii;

Figure 13 is a sectional view illustrating the use of my invention in connection withthe assembly of a louvre.

Making reference to the drawing, I illustrate my invention in connection with a rail or runner member 10, having one or more bearing apertures 11 cut therein. It is contemplated by my invention to assemble With the rail a vane or blade supporting fitting and reference is made to Figures 2 to 5 for this purpose, wherein the fitting comprises generally a stamping 12 of tubularly formed sheet metal having at one end a socket portion 13 formed with an inwardly directed closure of flange 14,.

'The trunnion portion is slitted axially to define a plurality of segments 20. The segments 20 are bent to provide stop portions 21, radially extending circumferentially about the socket portion, leaving to one side of the stop portions the tongues 22, separated by the slits 23 longitudinally along the axis of the fitting.

A fitting thus provided may be projected into the bearing apertures 11 so that the stop portions 21 abut the inner face 24 of the runner. Thereupon, the tongues 22 are struck or otherwise bent to form enveloping fingers 25 in a radially extended position with respect to the axis of the fitting, as more clearly shown in Figure 5. A relatively loose clinching action of the tongues 22 will serve to pivotally mount the fitting within the aperture 11 so that the diametrically extended slot 15 maylie in any position in relation to the rail 10.

A fat fold adjacent the corners 26 is illustrated to provide a frictional engagement of the fitting 12 in re spect of the rail 10 by the resiliency with which the tongues 22 make engagement with the rail 10, it being understood that the deformation of the tongues 22 to provide a more intimate fit, within limits holding the fitting into seizing engagement against rotation, may be carried out where a predetermined setting of the $10 15 to the rail 10 may be found desirable.

Witha construction as described, a vane 27 may have its edge 28 extended into the slot 15, whereupon the inwardly protruding edge 28 may be deformed by peening or slitting to warp the edge or bend the slit edges,

Figure4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 3, in

the intermediate stage of attachment; 7

- limits of frictional contact of the trunnion portion 19 of the fitting within the bearing apertures 11.

Where the socket portion 14 is not only slitted vbut also formed with the axial clearance aperture 18 previously described, the slit outlining the bent portions awasss and 30 may extend substantially through the plane of the shoulders 16 and 17, assuring a take-up of end play to the fullest extent with minimum operations. Likewise, the points of a pair of shears may be extended past the shoulders 16 and 17 by reason of the aperture .18, :to assure the extension of the-slit to define the bent portions 29 and 30 most efiectively.

While I have illustrated the slit'lS as made by a cut outlining the walls of theslit in parallelism, it will be understood that the slit may taper initially frictionally to engage the vane 27 to accommodate the slot to sheet metal of different thickness and, in a measure, to carry out some of the features of the invention described in the application of Martin M. Gracer, Serial No. 363,640, filed June 23, 1953 now Patent No. 2,861,- 597, entitled Duct Construction for Ventilating and Air Conditioning and Method of Assembling the Same.

While I have shown and described the fitting in which the trunnion portion 19 is defined by a plurality of segments2ti, itwill be understood that the trunnion por tion may be retained tubularly formed continuously and the holding tongues may be shaped into rail engaging position at the time of engaging the fitting with the blade 27 or like member. Thus, the relative angular portion of a blade 27 to the rail iii may be fixedly or adjustably determined by peening the vane edge 27, and at the same time bending the overhang of the trunnion 19 into rail engaging position.

Illustrative of one embodiment of my invention employing the rail as shown in Figure l, with the vane fitting as shown in Figures 2 to 6:1, is the embodiment shown in Figure 7. Here a pair of rails 10 may have formed therein a plurality of bearing apertures 11, into which are mounted the trunnion fittings 12, previously described, to hold therebetween, pivotally mounted, the vanes 27a. An assembly of this character may be employed in relation to ,a duct to provide an air scoop or extractor. Individual adjustability of the blades 27a may thereby be efiected, as regards the extension of the blades and their angular position.

While the assembly shown in Figure 7 may be employed to have the vanes adjustably related to the rail, employing fiat blades, the device may be employed to support curved blades or vanes, either of single or double walled construction. In Figure 8, a pair of rails 10 has formed therein bearing apertures as in the prior embodiment. Within the bearing apertures, one or more fittings 12 are positioned. Between the pair of rails 10 so prepared there may be afiixed for adjustable lateral as well as pivotal mounting, vanes 2712. One or more of these blades or vanes may carry a superimposed wall 270. The protuberance comprising the portion 13 in no way interferes with the use of a single fitting to hold the double wall 27c in position, the construction thereby having utility to hold single, individually adjustable blades, or hollow vanes of double wall construction, as well as the straight, fiat blade described in Figure 7.

While I have shown an adjustable air scoop or extractor employing a pair of rails for holding either fiat,

curved or double walled vanes adjustably, the construction provided by me may be employed for use in'making adjustable air scoops or extractors of use inair turns. This I may do as shown in Figure 9 by providing two pairs of end rails ltla in parallelism, eachmember of the pair having a series of bearing apertures, with a corresponding number of vanes 27d. The vanes'27d may be of the single or hollow type previously described. By using the spaced rails, between pairs of which the blades or vanes are mounted, all of the blades may be changed simultaneously by moving one rail in a plane along the length of a rail, While holding the other rail in a relatively fixed position. Thus, highly adjustable air scoops or extractors may thereby be assembled quickly, without any special tools other than a chisel or pair of tinsmiths snips for bending the abutting edge of the vanes entering into the slots of the fitting, in the manner previously described. Thus, also, single straight or curved blades, or curved hollow blades may be assembled between the parallel pairs of rails to secure an air turning assembly or louvre assembly.

While I have shown rails in which a single row of trunnion fittings may be mounted for turnably and trans versely adjusting vanes with relation thereto, rails may be provided where a pluralityof rows of the trunnion fittings may be employed to assemble air turuings in any angular portion of a duct. Such assembly is shown in Figure 10 where each of a pair of rails liib is formed with two rows of bearing apertures Ila, into which are fitted, in opposed relation, the trunnion fittings 12, as described in Figures 2 to 5. Between a pair of rails 1%, a plurality of curved vanes or blades 27c may be mounted. These vanes may be adjusted transversely to position the leading and trailing edges symmetrical with the center line of the rails 10b, where the branches of the elbow in which'the duct turn assembly is positioned are equal and symmetrical, or to have the leading and trailing edges of the vanes27e nonsymmetrical,-where there is a difference in cross section between the branches of the elbow in which the turning vane assembly is mounted.

Likewise, any pair of the trunnion fittings may support a single or'hollow blade. This is illustrated in Fi ure 11, where the auxiliary vanes or blades 27'e are shown mounted to back the main blade 27c. The auxiliary vane 27'e may be straight-edged at its ends to lie in butt-joint contact with the rail 1% on each of the inner faces, without running into any interference in encountering the socketportion or extension 13 to one side of the trunnion fitting, and where the auxiliary vanes 27's engage the protuberances, dampening them against fluttering is additionally secured.

In Figure 12 the versatility of the trunnion fitting is further emphasized with relation to a rail 10b, as in the previous embodiment, where vanes 27 27g, 27h and 27i may be mounted on the double row of trunnion fittings previously described, while employing a variety of radii for the vanes.

Accordingly, it will be observed that rails such as 1012, having rows of trunnion fittings attached, may be supplied as a standard element, with which vanes of different widths or curvature may be assembled, without distorting the vanes, to secure an efficient air turning, deflecting, scoop or like action.

While I have shown and described the use of vane runners formed with bearing apertures carrying thetnlnnion fittings in the production of a variety .of widths and locations of vanes, such construction is readily adaptable to the production of louvres. For this purpose, as shown in Figure -13, rails may be provided with a plurality of rows of bearingapertures fitted with trunnion fittings, as in Figures 10 to 12. Here, however, louvres 31 may extend diagonally and be afiixed in position across diagonally positioned trunnion fittings.

Thus, the simple rail 10, with a plurality of rows of the trunnion fittings, may be utilized pivotally aswell as fixedly to support blade or louvre elements, forming either a fixed relationship of the vanes to the rails or a pivotal arrangement of the blades to the rails, all of which parts may be assembled from fiat stock sheet metal, to secure adjustability, rigidity, simplicity, by the use of tools, such as tinsmiths snips or cold chisel, to tie the butt edge of a vane member to the rail member carrying the trunnion fitting.

Thus, also, in accordance with my invention, strips of fiat sheet metal for the rails may be employed without prefabrication other than involved in punching, drilling or otherwise cutting the bearing apertures 11 previously described.

By my invention, also thicker or thinner stock sheet members, as no deep drawing operation is involved in tolerance in fitting the vanes or blades between rails,

thereby effecting economies in the choice of strips of material which may be employed.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A vane supporting fitting for rotatably securing a vane to a vane runner having a bearing aperture in said runner comprising a stamping of sheet material formed to outline a tubular member of a diameter to be inserted and rotated within said aperture, said member having an open end and an end with a closed wall portion and including a pair of bent segments forming spaced-apart 'stop extension means positioned between said ends of said tubular member and extending radially outwardly in a plane substantially normal to the longitudinal axis of said member, a slot extending across the closed wall portion and part way up the adjacent sides of the tubular member,. said closed Wall portion also being provided with an enlarged clearance aperture communicating with said slot, thereby permitting the points of a shears to be inserted through said open end of said tubular member and said clearance aperture to a position beyond said closed Wall portion when a vane is inserted in said slot to permit slitting and bending of said vane at a depth beneath said closed wall portion while said vane fitting and runner are maintained in engaged position.

2. A fitting in accordance with claim 1 wherein one of said pair of stop extension means comprises a plurality of tongues arranged to be bent into engagement against one side of said runner when said tubular member is inserted into said aperture and said other of said pair of stop extension means is engaged against the other side of said runner.

3. A fitting in accordance with claim 1 wherein said vane is maintained in proximate spaced relation from butt joint contact with said runner, said other of said pair of stop extension means acting as a spacer to prevent frictional contact between said runner and said vane.

4. In an air turning device wherein one of apair of spaced-apart, parallel, juxtaposed vane runners and curved blades is positioned at right angles with respect to the other and said blades are single sheeted, and of rectangular outline and predetermined curvature, and are fixedly secured to each of said runners at longitudinally spaced points positioned adjacent side margins of said runners, said runner having circular bearing apertures at each of said spaced points and having a plurality of flanged, cup-shaped members having a sidewardly extending flange bent therefrom and overlapping one face of said runner, said cup-shaped members rotatably extending through said bearing aperture to the other face of said runner, at which face stop extension means abut the inner face of the runner to hold said cup-shaped members against displacement, said cup-shaped members extending through said runner, said extending portion having a slot diametrically across the same, said slot being arranged to receive a blade fixedly secured to said runner by having a side marginal edge portion of said blade projecting through said slot and into the interior of said cup-shaped members, the portions of said blade projecting into said cup-shaped members being deformable to lock said blade to said cup-shaped members and hence to said runner, said runner being constituted by elongated strips having parallel side edges and a row of longitudinally spaced, generally circular bearing apertures formed therein,

whereby rotatably to adjust therein the juxtaposed, cupshaped members along the plane of the blade projected 'into the said slot as the shape and curvature of the blade may require.

5; In an air turning device wherein one of a pair of spaced apart, parallel, juxtaposed vane runners and curved blades is positioned at right angles with respect to the other and said blades are single sheeted, and of rectangular outline and predetermined curvature, and are fixedly secured to each of said runners at a pair of longitudinally spaced points positioned adjacent opposite side margins of said runners, said runners having circular bearing apertures at each of said spaced points, and having a plurality of flanged, cup-shaped members having a sidewardly extending-flange bent therefrom and overlapping one face of said runner, said cup-shaped members rotatably extending through saidtbearing aperture to the other face of said runner, at which 'face stop extension means abut the inner face of the runner to'hold said cup-shaped members against displacement, said cupshaped members extending through said runner, said extending portion having a slot diametrically across the same, said slot being arranged to receive a blade fixedly secured to said runner by having a side marginal edge portion of said blade projecting through said slot and into the interior of said cup-shaped members, the por- 'tions of said blade projecting into said cup-shaped members being deformable to lock said blade to said cupshaped members and hence to said runner, said runner 30 being constitutedby elongated strips having parallel side edges and parallel, longitudinally spaced rows of longitudinally spaced, laterally juxtaposed, generally circular bearing apertures formed therein, whereby rotatably to adjust therein the juxtaposed, cup-shaped members along the plane of the blade projected into the said slot as the shape and curvature of the blade may require.

6. In an air turning device, a pair of spaced apart parallel juxtaposed side plates and curved blades positioned at a right angle with respect to said side plates, said blades being single rectangular blades of difierent curvature and being fixedly secured to each of said side plates at a pair of laterally spaced points positioned at opposite side margins of said plates, said side plates having generally circular openings at each of said spaced points, a plurality of flanged cup-shaped members having a sidewardly extending flange and a cup-shaped portion depending from said flange, said cup-shaped portion having a slot extending across the same, said flanged cup-shaped members being mounted for rotation in the plane of said side plates in the openings thereof with the said cup-shaped portions all projecting through said openings toward said blades, said blades being fixedly secured to each of said side plates by having a side marginal portion of said blades projecting through said slots and into the interior of said cup-shaped portions, the portions of said blades projecting into said cup-shaped portions being deformed to lock said blades to said flanged cup-shaped members and hence to said side plates, said side plates being constituted by elongated strips having parallel side edges and parallel laterally spaced rows of longitudinal spaced laterally juxtaposed generally circular openings formed therein.

7. In an air turning device, a pair of spaced apart parallel juxtaposed side plates and curved blades positioned at a right angle with respect to said side plates, said blades being fixedly secured to each of said side plates at a pair of laterally spaced points positioned at opposite side margins of said plates, said blades being single rectangular blades, the blades at one end of said air turning device belng short and sharply curved, the blades at the other end of said device being long and slightly curved and the blades in the midle of said device being of intermediate width and curvature, said side plates having generally circular openings at each of said spaced points, a plurality of flanged cup-shaped members "having a sidewardly extending flange and a cup-shaped portion-depending from said flange, said cup-shaped portion-having a slot extending across the same, said flanged cup-shaped members being mounted for rotation in the plane-of said side plates in the openings thereof with the said cup-shaped portionsall projecting through said openings toward said blades, said blades being fixedly secured to each of saidside plates by having a side marginal portion of said blades projecting through said slots and into the interior of said cup-shaped portions, the portions of said blades projecting into said cup-shaped portions being deformed to lock said blades to said flanged cupshaped members and hence to said side plates, said side plates being constituted by elongated strips having parallel side edges and parallel laterally spaced rows of longitudinal spaced laterally juxtaposed generally circular open- .ings formed therein.

8. In an air turning device, a pair of spaced apart parallel juxtaposed side plates and curved blades positioned at a right angle with respect to said side plates, said blades being fixedly secured to each of said side plates at a pair of laterally spaced points positioned at opposite side margins of said plates, said side plates having generally circular openings at each of said spaced points, a plurality of flanged cup-shaped members having a sidewardly extending flange and a cup-shaped portion depending from said flange, said cup-shaped portion having a slot extending across the same, said flanged cup-shaped members being mounted for rotation in the plane of said side plates in the openings thereof with the said cupshaped portions all projecting through said openings toward said blades, said blades beingfixedly secured to each of said side plates by having a side marginal portion of said blades projecting through said slots and into the interior of said cup-shaped portions, the portions of said blades projecting into said cup-shaped portions being deformed to lock said blades to said flanged cupshaped members and hence to said side plates, said side plates being constituted by elongated strips having parallel side edges and two parallel, laterally spaced straight rows of longitudinally spaced laterally juxtaposed generally circular openings formed therein, said blades being mounted in non-laterally juxtaposed slots. of the flanged cup-shaped members.

References Cited in the file of this .patent UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES Publication by Duro Vane Rail, page 28 of the Sheet Metal Worker, October 1953. (Copy. in Div. 11, class 138-39.)

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