Situation:

A fan manufacturer and distributor was finding that imported aluminum fan blades were breaking off under the intense torque forces of normal fan operation. They were looking for a solution to augment the strength of the blade to hub connection and reduce warranty costs.

Challenges:

Bolting of aluminum blades to fan hub led to:

• Singular stress point, vibration and stress of torque eventually causingthe blades to break away from the hub
• High service costs in terms of both time and labor for a proposed welding repair solution

Solution:

The manufacturer tested LOCTITE H8000 acrylic structural bonder to augment the blade strength. A bead of LOCTITE H8000 was dispensed through a dual cartridge dispenser fitted with a mixer nozzle along the length of the fan blade to hub. This strengthened the connection point by eliminating the source of blade breakage.

Results:

Bonding with LOCTITE H8000:

• Distributed load over wider area by bonding to 2 different planes
• Warranty costs were reduced with elimination of blade breakage
• Elimination of welding repair solutions led to cost and labor savings