Honeywell International Inc.

Alliedsignal Inc.

Other

Gerald Duane Larue

Walter Lee Meacham

Mohsiul Alam

Kostandin Gjika

Angus Lemon

John M Wilson

Jose Cabrales

Daniel A Gutknecht

John Frederick Allen

Jean-Luc P Fleury

Gerhard E Delf

Sun Goo Kang

Werner Wick

Donald Ervin Baker

Ronren Gu

Elias E Barrios

Jose Antonio Cabrales, Ii

Kusumal J Silva

Martin D Garcia

A rotating assembly for a turbocharger can include a center housing that includes a through bore having a central axis; a bearing cartridge positioned in the through bore where the bearing cartridge includes an outer race, an inner race and rolling elements disposed between the inner race and the outer race; an anisotropic member positioned in the through bore between the outer race of the bearing cartridge and a surface of the center housing where the surface defines at least part of the through bore of the center housing; and a shaft rotatably supported in the center housing by the bearing cartridge where the inner race is mounted on the shaft and the shaft is connected at one end to a compressor wheel and at another end to a turbine wheel.

Anisotropic bearing supports for turbochargers

An exemplary anisotropic member supports a semi-floating bearing in a bore and can reduce non-synchronous vibration of the bearing in the bore. An anisotropic member can include an annular body configured to receive a semi-floating bearing and to space the bearing a distance from a bore surface and can be configured to impart anisotropic stiffness and damping terms to the semi-floating bearing when positioned in the bore. Such a member is suitable for use in a rotating assembly for a turbocharger where the bearing may be a semi-floating bearing. Various exemplary members, bearings, housings, assemblies, etc., are disclosed.

An exemplary anisotropic member () supports a bearing in a bore and can reduce non-synchronous vibration (NSV) of the bearing in the bore. An exemplary anisotropic member includes an annular body configured to receive a bearing and to space the bearing a distance from a bore surface and is configured to impart anisotropic stiffness and damping terms to the bearing when positioned in the bore. Such a member is suitable for use in a rotating assembly for a turbocharger where the bearing may be a floating bearing, a semi-floating bearing or a ball bearing. Various exemplary members, bearings, housings, assemblies, etc., are disclosed.

A turbocharger includes a foil bearing assembly mounted in a center housing between a compressor and a turbine of the turbocharger. The bearing assembly forms a unit installable into the center housing from one end thereof, and the center housing is a one-piece construction. The bearing assembly includes a foil thrust bearing assembly disposed between two foil journal bearings. The journals foils are mounted in annular bearing carriers fixedly mounted in the center housing. A radially inner portion of a thrust disk of the thrust bearing assembly is captured between a shaft and a shaft sleeve of the turbocharger. The center housing defines cooling air passages for supplying cooling air to the foil bearings, and optionally includes a water jacket for circulating engine coolant through the center housing.

Turbocharger with hydrodynamic foil bearings

An apparatus and method for cooling components associated with turbomachinery by means of one or more venturis placed in the intake flow of air into the compressor with an air inlet upstream of the venturis and an air outlet integral to at least one venturi. The partial vacuum created from the one or more venturis draws air past components that are desired to be cooled.

Method and apparatus for cooling turbomachinery components

A compressor impeller for use with a boreless turbocharger is provided in accordance with this invention. The compressor impeller comprises an integral hub projecting axially therefrom that includes a partial bore therein that extends from an open to a close bore end. The bore includes a threaded portion that is configured to accommodate threaded engagement with an end of a common shaft disposed through a turbocharger housing and attached at an opposite end to a turbine wheel. The hub is specially configured so that the threaded portion has a relatively increased wall thickness when compared to a remaining portion of the bore disposed between the threaded portion and the end of the bore. The bore is configured providing a section having a reduced wall thickness, between the threaded portion and the bore closed end, for purposes of providing a preferential stress relief mechanism. Configured in this manner, the compressor impeller operates to ensure that, in the event of a stress-related compressor impeller failure, the shaft will be contained in its proper placement within the turbocharger.

Compressor impeller with stress riser

A buffer chamber and outlet guide provide an air path from an intake passage in a compressor housing to an upstream position relative to an intake port of the compressor. Surging is minimized during low airflow conditions while cyclic forces on the blades of the impeller are minimized during high airflow conditions. By providing an air path through the buffer chamber and outlet guide, ribs or other supporting structures are eliminated within the air pathway through the intake port and intake passage within the compressor housing.

Apparatus, system and method for minimizing resonant forces in a compressor

A turbocharger having an electric motor for assisting spin up of the rotor employs a shaft carrying the turbine and compressor impeller with a unitary pinned semi-floating bearing supporting the shaft and a spacer collar carrying the electric motor magnet. The unitary bearing has integral thrust faces engaging a hub of the turbine wheel and the spacer collar. A reduced diameter of the shaft received in the spacer collar allows the collar to engage a greater diameter bearing land allowing the attachment of the compressor impeller with a nut on the shaft extending through a bore in the impeller to firmly engage the impeller, spacer collar and bearing land of the shaft to fix the rotor length. The pinned semi-floating bearing with integral thrust faces provides enhanced reaction moments for negative spring forces created by the electric motor in operation and the additional length of the rotor created by the motor.

Rotor and bearing system for electrically assisted turbocharger

Lubricating oil leakage in a turbocharger is reduced through the use of a gland seal having multiple channels in the gland face formed by ribs extending radially in a spiral or herringbone pattern for enhanced maximum pumping effect and minimized hoop stress related fatigue failures.

Turbocharger annular seal gland

Turbocharger fatigue life monitors comprise at least one sensor that measures an actual operating condition of the turbocharger, e.g., turbine rotational speed or turbine inlet temperature. The device comprises a central processing unit for receiving information from each sensor and processing the information, using programs and predetermined turbocharger information, e.g., turbocharger material and stress data stored in one or more storage device in communication with the central processing unit, to provide an actual probability of turbocharger failure. The central processing unit compares the calculated probability of turbocharger failure to a predetermined specified probability of turbocharger failure stored in a storage device to determine whether turbocharger service is needed. The central processing unit provides a signal that operates an annunciator to indicate recommended or necessary turbocharger service when the actual probability of turbocharger failure exceeds the specified probability of turbocharger failure. The central processing unit and storage devices can be packaged independent of or as part of an existing turbocharged application system, e.g., an engine control module when the turbocharged application is a vehicle.

Turbocharger fatigue life monitor

An annular vane diffuser is disposed within a compressor housing of a turbocharger and employs a wave-type compression spring interposed between the vane diffuser and a backplate to provide a desired pressure loading on the vane diffuser to urge the vanes against the wall of the compressor housing forming one side of the diffuser. The vane diffuser constructed in this manner maintains contact with the compressor housing during turbocharger operation as it moves axially relative to the backplate, thereby providing improved diffuser efficiency.

Spring-loaded vaned diffuser

A turbocharger includes a compressor wheel and shaft assembly in which a threaded connection is provided between the shaft and the compressor wheel. A pair of pilot surfaces on the shaft and on the compressor wheel are located on either end of the threaded sections of the shaft and compressor wheel, and are displaced radially from the threads. Accordingly, the piloting functions which assure concentricity between the shaft and compressor wheel are kept entirely separate from the attachment function provided by the threads, thereby permitting the concentricity between the compressor wheel and shaft to be held to tighter tolerances than would be possible if the threads also performed a piloting function.

Growing community of inventors

Torrance, CA, United States of America

Gerald Duane Larue