[TR] TR3 metal fan

[Mike Denman]

Hi group,
    I wanted to alert the members that I found a serious manufacturing 
defect with a four bladed metal fan I just received. The steel rivets, on 
the fan I received, are not "set" properly. There are gaps under the 
manufactured head of the rivets that hold the fan together that range up to 
.080". The manufacture head and the shop head should both sit flat to the 
surface being riveted. With a gap under the head of the rivet there is no 
strength to the riveted joint. This means, over time, that there is a very 
real possibility that the rivets will work loose. In this application, given 
enough time, it is almost a certainty that the rivets will work loose. The 
problem, in my opinion, is really serious. The fan I received happened to 
come from Moss and they are taking the steps to correct the problem. I 
checked with TRF to see if they had any fans that were riveted properly. 
They were out of metal fans and said that they buy them from Moss in any 
event. The manufactures problem is probably  related to the thickness of the 
powder coating on the center portion of the fan hub. The powdercoating needs 
to be removed from the rivet hole before the fan is riveted. I used to be an 
aircraft mechanic and I have done a lot of riveting and I understand how it 
is supposed to be done.
Mike Denman
TR3