Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Electro-motive Diesel, Inc.

Eric J Duve

Gary Robert Svihla

James William Heilenbach

John Michael Carr

Jean B Panos

James W Heilenbach

A turbocharger rotor has a turbine wheel and shaft, a compressor wheel and adapter and a separate thrust runner clamped together by a fastener rod. The adapter is piloted on the shaft and the thrust runner is piloted on the adapter, which has annular ends engaging the shaft and adapter for torque transmission between the turbine and compressor wheels. An anti-rotation coupling relates the phase angles of the shaft with the adapter and the thrust runner during assembly. Opposed radial thrust faces on the thrust runner and adapter are disposed at opposite ends of a compressor bearing journal on the adapter to allow placement of mating bearings on a single element of a turbocharger housing. Advantages include simplification of manufacture and assembly of the rotor in a turbocharger housing.

Turbocharger rotor

A gas dynamic machine, such as a turbocharger, compressor or turbine, includes a housing and a rotor mounted in the housing and rotatable on an axis. A bearing and seal member or assembly includes a bearing mounted in an axial bore of the housing and having an inner bearing surface radially supporting a bearing journal of the rotor An axial oil seal is aligned with and fixed to the bearing for radially positioning the seal in axial alignment with the journal bearing surface of the bearing/seal assembly. The seal may further include a generally radial flange fixed to the housing for axially positioning the bearing/seal assembly relative to the rotor. The bearing and seal may have separate bodies attached together or be combined in an integral body. Mounting with a single radial pilot for radial location and a single radial flange for axial location, which may be combined, is featured. An optional thrust flange may be integral with the bearing portion or attached as a separate body.

Bearing/seal member/assembly and mounting

An improved turbocharger for railway locomotive sized engines includes, in a preferred embodiment, first and second axially spaced ball bearings supporting a rotor with the first bearing being a hybrid ceramic ball bearing mounted to accept both radial and axial loads acting on the shaft at the compressor end. The first bearing is mounted on a reduced diameter portion of the shaft, providing reduced bearing diameter to acceptably limit centrifugal loading of ceramic balls in the bearing against a surrounding bearing race. The first bearing has dual rows of ceramic ball bearings mounted to share all axial thrust loads on the shaft. The second bearing is also a ball bearing. Lubrication of the bearings is preferably by direct impingement on the inner race to minimize oil churning causing heating and power loss. Additional features and advantages are disclosed.

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Riverside, IL, United States of America

Eric J Duve