siiveke

Siiveke is a Finnish noun meaning a small wing, blade, or vane used to direct or modify the flow of air or liquid within a device. In engineering contexts, a siiveke is a flow-directing element that approximates an airfoil shape, scaled to the application, and installed to control direction, reduce swirl, or improve efficiency.

The term derives from siipi, meaning wing, with the diminutive suffix -ke, and is primarily found in Finnish manuals, textbooks, and design documents. It is used across fields such as turbomachinery, heating and ventilation (HVAC), and fluid handling systems.

Common applications include guide vanes in turbines and compressors, diffuser vanes in ducts, and flow-deflecting blades in valves or pumps. By directing the approach flow onto rotor blades or through a diffuser, siivekkeet help achieve smoother flow, more uniform velocity profiles, and optimized pressure distribution.

In Finnish technical writing, siiveke may be translated as “vane,” “guide vane,” or “blade,” depending on context. The term is specialized and mainly used in engineering literature dealing with fluid dynamics and turbomachinery.