In a typical axial fan, air slips around the tips of the blades. This creates what's known as a tip vortex – a swirling, low-pressure zone that reduces efficiency and generates unwanted turbulence. In high-pressure applications, these losses become more pronounced, meaning the fan must work harder to move the same volume of air.

Bristles reduce this pressure leakage by partially sealing the gap between the blade tips and the housing. It's a technique borrowed from turbomachinery and adapted for industrial and automotive use. By disrupting the vortex and smoothing the airflow, the bristles help the fan maintain higher pressure and flow with less energy loss.

In this recent build, designed for a fleet of heavy-duty trucks, the result was a Multi-Wing Z Series fan coupled with a custom tuned bi-metal clutch from Cojali capable of operating at high static pressure while maintaining excellent cooling efficiency – without increasing the size or weight of the system.

At IAD, we’re always looking for ways to optimise airflow at a component level, not just system-wide. Smart additions like bristled blade tips can make a measurable difference in performance, especially in environments where space, power, and thermal load are tightly constrained.

Sometimes, better airflow comes down to the smallest details.