Volute housing for a centrifugal fan, blower or the like

Claim 1

A volute housing for a centrifugal fan, blower or the like comprising a housing body defined by opposite spaced sidewalls, a generally circular fluid inlet opening in each sidewall, said generally circular fluid inlet openings having a coincident axis, a volute peripheral wall disposed between said sidewalls and defining therewith a volute chamber, said sidewalls each having a generally minimum radial dimension located at a first zone adjacent a tongue of said volute chamber and progressively increasing to a maximum radial dimension located at a second zone adjacent a throat of said volute chamber, said housing body being defined by a pair of housing parts joined to each other along opposing peripheral edges at a radial plane generally normal to said coincident axis and between said sidewalls, at least one male fastener carried by one of said housing parts and at least one female fastener carried by the other of said housing parts, said female fastener being defined by a pair of generally radially outwardly projecting legs and a bridge therebetween defining a female opening, a ledge adjacent said opening, said male fastener including a generally axially projecting tongue aligned for entry into and removal from said female opening, a generally radially inwardly directed lip carried by said tongue which is adapted to lock against said ledge, said lip and ledge having locking surfaces in contact with each other in a locked condition of said lip and ledge, said locking surfaces when in contact with each other lie in a common plane defining an acute angle with at least one of the directions of entry and removal of said tongue relative to said opening, and said acute angle opens in the direction of tongue removal movement.