Abstract: A turbocharger including, a turbine wheel (10), a shaft (111) attached to the turbine wheel (10), and a compressor wheel (132) disposed on the shaft (111) opposite the turbine wheel (10). The compressor wheel (132) includes a back wall (134) and an axial bore (137) and a pilot washer (150) is located adjacent the compressor wheel back wall (134). The pilot washer (150) has an inner diameter (162) and an outer diameter (160), and includes a conical pilot ring (154) that extends into the axial bore (137) of the compressor wheel (132). The pilot washer (150) includes a slit (164) extending from the inner diameter (162) to the outer diameter (160). A nut (113) is threaded to the shaft (111) and is operative to provide an axial clamping force on the compressor wheel (132), thereby causing the pilot washer (150) to contract onto the shaft (111) as the pilot ring (154) extends into the bore (137).

Abstract: An improved forging process includes the steps of pre-heating the top and bottom dies of a forging press to a specified temperature, and maintaining both dies at the specified temperature during subsequent forging operation with closed-loop temperature control systems. The top and bottom forging dies are each coupled to a dedicated thermic fluid heater, the temperature of each die is individually measured and compared to a respective target temperature, and the respective thermic fluid heaters are controlled in relation to detected deviations of the measured temperatures from the target temperatures. Compressor wheel preforms produced according to this process consistently exhibit primarily radial grain orientations that exactly match the expected values.

Abstract: A turbocharger including, a turbine wheel (10), a shaft (111) attached to the turbine wheel (10), and a compressor wheel (132) disposed on the shaft (111) opposite the turbine wheel (10). The compressor wheel (132) includes a back wall (134) and an axial bore (137) and a pilot washer (150) is located adjacent the compressor wheel back wall (134). The pilot washer (150) has an inner diameter (162) and an outer diameter (160), and includes a conical pilot ring (154) that extends into the axial bore (137) of the compressor wheel (132). The pilot washer (150) includes a slit (164) extending from the inner diameter (162) to the outer diameter (160). A nut (113) is threaded to the shaft (111) and is operative to provide an axial clamping force on the compressor wheel (132), thereby causing the pilot washer (150) to contract onto the shaft (111) as the pilot ring (154) extends into the bore (137).

Abstract: A vane (234) is provided which reduces leakage of gas in a variable geometry turbocharger (210) from the high pressure side of the vane (234) to the low pressure side of the vane (234). The vane (234) can have a channel (330, 430) along a gas bearing surface (325, 425) for reducing the leakage. The channel (330, 430) can be defined at least in part by sideplates (300, 350). The sideplates (300, 350) can be integrally cast with the rest of the vane (234). At least one of the sideplates (300, 350) can have a hole therein for a vane shaft (228) which allows movement of the vane (234) for gas flow control. The sideplates (300, 350) can have edges (301, 351) that conform to the shape of the gas bearing surface (325, 425).

Abstract: A vane (234) is provided which reduces leakage of gas in a variable geometry turbocharger (210) from the high pressure side of the vane (234) to the low pressure side of the vane (234). The vane (234) can have a channel (330, 430) along a gas bearing surface (325, 425) for reducing the leakage. The channel (330, 430) can be defined at least in part by sideplates (300, 350). The sideplates (300, 350) can be integrally cast with the rest of the vane (234). At least one of the sideplates (300, 350) can have a hole therein for a vane shaft (228) which allows movement of the vane (234) for gas flow control. The sideplates (300, 350) can have edges (301, 351) that conform to the shape of the gas bearing surface (325, 425).

Abstract: A product including an iron casting alloy including iron, niobium and compacted graphite structures.

Abstract: A vane (234) is provided which reduces leakage of gas in a variable geometry turbocharger (210) from the high pressure side of the vane (234) to the low pressure side of the vane (234). The vane (234) can have a channel (330, 430) along a gas bearing surface (325, 425) for reducing the leakage. The channel (330, 430) can be defined at least in part by sideplates (300, 350). The sideplates (300, 350) can be integrally cast with the rest of the vane (234). At least one of the sideplates (300, 350) can have a hole therein for a vane shaft (228) which allows movement of the vane (234) for gas flow control. The 340 sideplates (300, 350) can have edges (301, 351) that conform to the shape of the gas bearing surface (325, 425).

Abstract: Titanium aluminide (TiAl) rotor shaft assembly (10) of a type used in a turbocharger has a TiAl rotor (20) with an axially protruded portion (40) that is fixedly joined to a recessed portion (50) of a metal shaft (30) by the synergistic combination of an interference fit, such as a heat shrinkage fit, further supported by a brazed joint (60) in which a thin layer of a brazing material (110) is interposed between the surface of the protruded portion (120) and the recessed surface (130). Optionally, one or both of the jointed surfaces have braze channels (90) to facilitate braze flow within the joint. Methods for producing the rotor shaft assembly (10) and a turbocharger having the rotor shaft assembly (10) are provided.

Abstract: A rotor shaft assembly (101) of a type used in a turbocharger, manufactured by mounting a powder compact (203) of a titanium aluminide rotor (103) to a pre-formed steel shaft (107), and sintering the combination, which provides a strong metallurgical bond between the shaft (107) and rotor (103). There is provided a rotor shaft assembly (101) and an inexpensive and efficient method of its manufacture, for an assembly capable of withstanding the high forces and fluctuating temperatures within a turbocharger.

Abstract: A compressor wheel is re-designed to permit die inserts (20), which occupy the air passage and define the blades (4, 5) during a process of forming a wax pattern (21) of a compressor wheel, to be pulled without being impeded by the blades. This modified blade design enables the automated production of wax patterns (21) using simplified tooling. These wax patterns (21) can be used in a large-scale investment casting process, and produce an economical cast titanium compressor wheel which performs aerodynamically at high boost pressure/RPM. The compressor wheel improves low cycle fatigue, withstands high temperatures and temperature changes, and permits operation at high boost pressure ratio while, on the other hand, having low weight, low inertial drag, and high responsiveness.

Abstract: A compressor wheel is re-designed to permit die inserts (20), which occupy the air passage and define the blades (4, 5) during a process of forming a wax pattern (21) of a compressor wheel, to be pulled without being impeded by the blades. This modified blade design enables the automated production of wax patterns (21) using simplified tooling. These wax patterns (21) can be used in a large-scale investment casting process, and produce an economical cast titanium compressor wheel which performs aerodynamically at high boost pressure/RPM. The compressor wheel improves low cycle fatigue, withstands high temperatures and temperature changes, and permits operation at high boost pressure ratio while, on the other hand, having low weight, low inertial drag, and high responsiveness.

Abstract: A compressor wheel is re-designed to permit die inserts (20), which occupy the air passage and define the blades (4, 5) during a process of forming a wax pattern (21) of a compressor wheel, to be pulled without being impeded by the blades. This modified blade design enables the automated production of wax patterns (21) using simplified tooling. These wax patterns (21) can be used in a large-scale investment casting process, and produce an economical cast titanium compressor wheel which performs aerodynamically at high boost pressure/RPM. The compressor wheel improves low cycle fatigue, withstands high temperatures and temperature changes, and permits operation at high boost pressure ratio while, on the other hand, having low weight, low inertial drag, and high responsiveness.

Abstract: A cylindrical oil distributor insert molded of flexible and resilient fluorocarbon elastomer is self-retaining and self-sealing on an inside cylindrical wall at a hollow end of a rotating shaft. The cylindrical wall of the insert has large and small perforations which define oil catching pockets exposed to an oil spray from a stationary nozzle spraying oil into the hollow end of the shaft. The shaft has drains to each oil catching pocket large enough to exhaust oil from the pockets at rates exceeding the rates at which the pockets capture oil from the spray so that the rates at which the oil is exhausted from the oil catching pockets are proportional to the areas of the pockets exposed to the spray.