SPINNER FOR ELECTRICALLY GROUNDING FAN BLADES

摘要

A fan assembly includes a rotor (24) that is coupled to at least one fan blade (12). The fan assembly also includes a spinner (41) that extends towards the rotor (24) and the fan blades (12) so that an edge (45) of the spinner (41) engages the fan blades (12). The edge (45) of the spinner (41) thereby serves as a grounding element for the fan blade (12). If the spinner (41) is fabricated from a composite or a plastic material that is not sufficiently conductive for grounding purposes, the edge (45) may be coated with a conductive material. Alternatively, the spinner (41) may be fabricated from a metallic material, which would eliminate the need for a conductive coating on the edge (45) that engages the fan blades (12).