The paper presents a historical overview of the developments of aerodynamic design methods for low-speed axial-flow fans. This historical overview starts from the first fan applications, dating back to the 16th century, and arrives to the modern times of computer-based design techniques, passing through the pioneering times of aerodynamic theories and the times of designing before computers. The overview shows that the major achievements in the axial fan design discipline have actually been related to other technological fields, such as marine and aeronautical propulsion, as well as to the development of wind tunnels. At the end of the paper, the reader will have acquired a complete panorama of how the historical developments of the discipline have brought us to the current state of the art.
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