Fans have been used for many centuries for keeping cool by increasing air flow. They are cheap and available in a wide variety to suit varying needs and wants. This article gives a brief overview of how fans evolved from their original design to what we see today.
Initially there were hand-held fans that were moved by motion of wrist to cause air to flow at a higher right bringing a cooling effect. They were considered as symbol of respect, peace and adoration. In China, Korea and Japan fans were used for various purposes like in dance performances and in fights while today they are used as souvenirs by tourist visiting China and Japan in particular. The electric fans rendered hand-held fans useless as these fans required no human effort and operated simply on electricity. The first electric fans, in 1882, were used for industrial purposes only and were made of metal with large motors and fan blades.
Electric fans operate on a motor, shaft and fan blades. Fan blades are attached to one end of the shaft while the other end of shaft is connected to the motor. When electric current is supplied it tends to actuate the motor which rotates the shaft causing fans blades on the other end to rotate.
Fans are available in a wide variety and all follow the same basic principle of operation while some technologic additions may be observed in a few types. Most common types of fan variety include ceiling fans, pedestal fans, wall mountable fans and exhaust fans.
The ceiling fans are hanged from roof and suffice for an average sized room. The pedestal and wall mountable fans cover a smaller area and can rotate left to right. Exhaust fans, however, are only used where there are heat sources within an area like in kitchen or factory production area. So exhaust fans are used to remove hot air and allow fresh air to move in.
With slight changes in ceiling fan connections they can be used in summer as well as winters. For summers ceiling fans must rotate anti-clockwise causing air to flow downwards while in winters they must move in clockwise direction which makes air to flow upwards and as it moves up it pushes warm air downwards.
To sum up, fans are low on budget, effective in all seasons and have variety of uses. They have moved from traditional hand-held fans to the ones we see today. Even portable fans have been invented that run on batteries and are sufficient for an individual.
Initially there were hand-held fans that were moved by motion of wrist to cause air to flow at a higher right bringing a cooling effect. They were considered as symbol of respect, peace and adoration. In China, Korea and Japan fans were used for various purposes like in dance performances and in fights while today they are used as souvenirs by tourist visiting China and Japan in particular. The electric fans rendered hand-held fans useless as these fans required no human effort and operated simply on electricity. The first electric fans, in 1882, were used for industrial purposes only and were made of metal with large motors and fan blades.
Electric fans operate on a motor, shaft and fan blades. Fan blades are attached to one end of the shaft while the other end of shaft is connected to the motor. When electric current is supplied it tends to actuate the motor which rotates the shaft causing fans blades on the other end to rotate.
Fans are available in a wide variety and all follow the same basic principle of operation while some technologic additions may be observed in a few types. Most common types of fan variety include ceiling fans, pedestal fans, wall mountable fans and exhaust fans.
The ceiling fans are hanged from roof and suffice for an average sized room. The pedestal and wall mountable fans cover a smaller area and can rotate left to right. Exhaust fans, however, are only used where there are heat sources within an area like in kitchen or factory production area. So exhaust fans are used to remove hot air and allow fresh air to move in.
With slight changes in ceiling fan connections they can be used in summer as well as winters. For summers ceiling fans must rotate anti-clockwise causing air to flow downwards while in winters they must move in clockwise direction which makes air to flow upwards and as it moves up it pushes warm air downwards.
To sum up, fans are low on budget, effective in all seasons and have variety of uses. They have moved from traditional hand-held fans to the ones we see today. Even portable fans have been invented that run on batteries and are sufficient for an individual.
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