Axial flow ring fan

Claim 1

In an axial flow ring fan that has a plurality of forwardly skewed blades extending between a central hub and an outer ring, the improvement which comprises each blade having a characteristic wherein the pitch ratio to average pitch ratio as a function of the blade's non-dimensional radius is substantially constant for non-dimensional radii between 0.4 plus or minus 0.03 and 0.495 plus or minus 0.03, is decreasing for non-dimensional radii between 0.495 plus or minus 0.03 and 0.55 plus or minus 0.03, is substantially constant for non-dimensional radii between 0.55 plus or minus 0.03 and 0.675 plus or minus 0.03, is increasing for non-dimensional radii between 0.675 plus or minus 0.03 and 0.850 plus or minus 0.03 and is decreasing for non-dimensional radii greater than 0.850 plus or minus 0.03, wherein the pitch ratio at any particular non-dimensional radius is 6.28 times the non-dimensional radius times tangent Q where Q is the acute angle between a first line extending between the leading and trailing edge points of a planar projection of the cross section of the blade along the particular non-dimensional radius and a second line that extends through the trailing edge point and is perpendicular to the direction of projection, and wherein the average pitch ratio of the blade is an average of the pitch ratios at a number of non-dimensional radii of the blade sufficient to at least approximate the actual average.