The Ford Barn - View Single Post - Another Original 2-Blade Fan Takes Its Toll

Earle · 05-06-2012, 07:35 PM

"...I've only argued against the supposition that the original design was a failure from day one and should have lasted forever."

In my opinion, it's not a supposition; The original design was flawed (which led to "failure" and unpredictable limited life) from day one. It would never have been designed that way by today's engineering standards. But this is 20/20 hindsight. Given the engineering information, materials and manufacturing paractices they had back then, it was the best they could do. I don't argue that it should have lasted forever but it can't be denied that the design started out in life with several strikes against it (by today's standards) that guaranteed a forshortened service life.

It was brilliant in all other aspects (except for fatigue, manufacturing technique and corrosion prevention) because of its relatively light weight and its "airplane propeller" airfoil shape that beats out even modern fans in its aerodynamic effectiveness and efficiency.

All the best as you continue to run your original fan. You seem to have one of the few remaining statistical flukes but you can be assured that you're running on "borrowed fatigue cycles." I'm sure you inspect it very often!

05-06-2012, 07:35 PM	#142
Earle Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Wilmington, Delaware Posts: 240	Re: Another Original 2-Blade Fan Takes Its Toll "...I've only argued against the supposition that the original design was a failure from day one and should have lasted forever." In my opinion, it's not a supposition; The original design was flawed (which led to "failure" and unpredictable limited life) from day one. It would never have been designed that way by today's engineering standards. But this is 20/20 hindsight. Given the engineering information, materials and manufacturing paractices they had back then, it was the best they could do. I don't argue that it should have lasted forever but it can't be denied that the design started out in life with several strikes against it (by today's standards) that guaranteed a forshortened service life. It was brilliant in all other aspects (except for fatigue, manufacturing technique and corrosion prevention) because of its relatively light weight and its "airplane propeller" airfoil shape that beats out even modern fans in its aerodynamic effectiveness and efficiency. All the best as you continue to run your original fan. You seem to have one of the few remaining statistical flukes but you can be assured that you're running on "borrowed fatigue cycles." I'm sure you inspect it very often!