AXIAL BEARING ARRANGEMENT FOR A SHAFT OF A TURBOCHARGER
A turbocharger has a turbocharger housing. At least one section of the turbocharger housing is divided in the longitudinal direction into at least two housing halves. A shaft is supported in the turbocharger housing and at least one axial bearing arrangement is provided for supporting the shaft in the axial direction.
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Axial bearing arrangement for a shaft of a turbocharger
The invention relates to an axial bearing arrangement for a shaft in a turbocharger, the housing or a section of the housing of the turbocharger preferably being divided in a longitudinal direction into at least two housing halves.
In general, a turbocharger consists of an exhaust gas turbine in an exhaust gas mass flow, which turbine is connected via a shaft to a compressor in the intake duct. In this case the turbine wheel of the turbine is arranged in a turbine housing and the compressor wheel of the compressor in a compressor housing. The shaft is in turn mounted in a bearing housing. In operation, the turbine wheel is driven by the exhaust gas mass flow and in turn drives the compressor wheel. In this case the compressor compresses the aspirated air and conducts it to the internal combustion engine. Normally the shaft is supported in the bearing housing by means of a radial bearing arrangement. As a result of fluid flows impinging on the turbine wheel and the compressor wheel, strong axial forces can arise. In general, such axial forces cannot be appropriately absorbed by the radial bearings. For this reason at least one or two additional axial bearings are provided in order to absorb these axial forces appropriately.
Furthermore, the design of turbochargers up to now has provided individual housings fastened to one another in series and sealed with respect to one another. A new form of turbocharger housing now provides that the turbocharger housing is divided in a longitudinal direction and not, as hitherto, transversely to its longitudinal axis, that is, in a transverse direction. This new turbocharger housing is the subject matter of a further patent application.
Accordingly, it is the object of the present invention to make available an appropriate axial bearing arrangement for a shaft of a turbocharger, in particular of a turbocharger having a turbocharger housing divided in a longitudinal direction.
This object is achieved by a turbocharger having a turbocharger housing with an axial bearing arrangement having the features of claim 1.
According to the invention, therefore, a turbocharger is made available with a turbocharger housing wherein at least one section of the turbocharger housing is configured to be divided or subdivided in a longitudinal direction into at least two housing halves, wherein a shaft is mounted in the turbocharger housing and wherein at least one axial bearing arrangement is provided in order to support the shaft in the axial direction.
In this case the turbocharger has the advantage that the axial bearing arrangement can be fitted to the rotor assembly and the rotor assembly with the axial bearing arrangement can then be placed complete in the housing halves of the turbocharger housing divided in a longitudinal direction.
Advantageous configurations and developments of the invention are apparent from the dependent claims and from the description, with reference to the drawings.
The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the exemplary embodiments represented in the schematic figures of the drawings, in which:
In all the figures like or functionally like elements and devices—unless otherwise stated—are denoted by the same reference numerals. Furthermore, the representation of the turbocharger in the following figures is purely schematic, not to scale and highly simplified.
In the example in
In the present case the turbocharger housing 12 is configured to be divided in a longitudinal direction, for example in a horizontal plane, the longitudinal axis 24 of the turbocharger housing 12 lying in this case in the horizontal plane. In principle, however, the turbocharger housing 12 may be configured to be divided into at least two housing halves 14 in every plane in the longitudinal direction. Furthermore, the longitudinal axis 24 does not need to lie in this parting plane or, for example, to intersect said parting plane, although it may do so.
In the present example, the turbocharger housing 12 may optionally be configured to be additionally at least partially coolable and/or heatable. More precisely, in the example shown in
The housing half 14 shown in
In
For the turbocharger 10, an axial bearing arrangement 38 comprising at least one or a plurality of axial bearings is used in order to absorb, for example, the axial thrust and to position axially the rotor assembly, or the turbine and compressor wheels 32, 34, in such a way as to achieve both relatively high efficiency through narrow flow gaps and to prevent damage. In a turbocharger housing 12 divided in a longitudinal direction, as shown in
According to the first embodiment of the invention, as shown in
In this case the axial bearing arrangement 38 according to the invention comprises at least one axial bearing 40, for example in the form of an axial bearing disk. As shown in
In addition, in the example shown in
In this case, one or both collar sections 48 of the sleeve element 46 may also optionally project additionally from the oil chamber, both on the turbine side, as shown in
As is shown in
Furthermore, a bush element 42, which may additionally have sealing elements on its outer side, may optionally be additionally provided for sealing the bearing housing section with respect to the rotor housing section (not shown). A disk element 79, which serves, for example, to spin off lubricant from the shaft 30, may, for example, be additionally provided adjacent to the bush element 42.
The first embodiment according to the invention, in which the rotor assembly includes an axial bearing arrangement 38 mounted on the shaft 30, has the advantage that it is no longer necessary to fasten an axial bearing arrangement 38 separately in the housing 12. The assembled rotor assembly can be placed directly therein. In addition, the recess or boundary portion 66 on one or both sides of the axial bearing 40 opposes unwanted axial movement of the axial bearing 40. However, the axial bearing 40 does not need to be placed in a recess or to have one or two lateral boundary portions 66, since the axial bearing 40 is itself fastened firmly to the shaft 30.
The advantage of the second embodiment according to the invention, in which the axial bearing arrangement 38 is fixed radially with bracket elements 68, is that the axial bearing arrangement 38 can already be fitted to the rotor assembly and then fastened, for example screwed and/or pinned, in the housing half 16 perpendicularly to the main or longitudinal axis 24. In this case one has very easy, unobstructed access with a screwdriver to the screwing location.
The axial bearing arrangement 38 may be fastened, for example, to a separately installed insert sleeve 54, as shown in
The third embodiment according to the invention, in which the axial bearing arrangement 38 is arranged on a bearing collar 72 or bearing core or is screwed to an insert sleeve 54, has the advantage that the axial bearing arrangement 38 can be assembled outside the housing halves of the turbocharger housing 12 and then placed therein together with the rotor.
In order to fix the axial bearing arrangement 38, at least one spring element 78, with which the axial bearing arrangement 38 is braced axially in the turbocharger housing 12, is used according to the fourth embodiment according to the invention. In this case the axial bearing arrangement 38 is fitted in a receptacle 60 in the form, for example, of a recess or hollow in the bearing housing section 18 and braced in the receptacle 60 by means of the spring element 78, so that unwanted movement of the axial bearing 40 in the axial direction is opposed. In this case the axial bearing arrangement 38 is pressed against an axial surface of the receptacle 60 by the at least one spring element 78. Optionally, at least one oil barrier ring 79 which is also tensioned on the shaft 30 may additionally be provided, as shown in
The fourth embodiment according to the invention has the advantage that the spring element 78 and the receptacle or groove allow the axial bearing arrangement 38 to be fitted onto the rotor. In this case screw-fixing processes are omitted.
In the fifth embodiment of the invention, the receptacle 60 for receiving an axial bearing 40 in the turbocharger housing 12 is configured in the form of a recess or a groove, the receptacle 60 having a first receptacle section 80 in which the axial bearing disk 40 is received, and the first receptacle section 80 being configured in such a way that, or having a boundary portion such that, it opposes unwanted axial movement of the axial bearing 40. In this case the first receptacle section 80 forms with the axial bearing 40 a clearance fit or a transition fit, for example. This has the advantage that the axial bearing 40 can be fitted very easily into the first receptacle section 80 of the receptacle 60 and at the same time unwanted axial movement of the axial bearing 40 can be prevented, since the boundary portion 66 of the receptacle section 80 prevents unwanted axial movement of the axial bearing 40.
A second receptacle section 82 of the receptacle 60 is configured in such a way that at least one disk element 79, for example an oil barrier ring and/or a spring element, can be arranged in the receptacle 60, for example on the shaft 30, in order to oppose unwanted axial movement of the bearing collar 72 or of the axial bearing 40. In this case the receptacle 60 is configured, for example, with a step, as shown in
The fifth embodiment according to the invention has the advantage that the groove or the first receptacle section 80 allows the axial bearing arrangement 38 to be fitted to the rotor. In this case additional fastening processes, such as screw fixing processes, are likewise omitted.
The invention is not restricted to the aforedescribed embodiments. In particular, the aforedescribed embodiments, especially individual features of the different embodiments, may be combined with one another.
The invention is also not restricted to the radial bearing arrangements 36 as described hereinbefore with reference to the figures. In principle, any other radial bearing arrangement may be used to support the shaft 30 of the turbocharger. The core of this invention is the axial bearing arrangement 38. In this case, in addition to the axial bearing disk 40 shown in the figures, any other axial bearing 40 can be used, for example an axial contactless bearing such as an axial magnetic bearing, an axial rolling bearing and/or an axial sliding bearing, etc., to mention only a few further examples of axial bearings 40.
Claims
1-10. (canceled)
11. A turbocharger (10), comprising:
- a turbocharger housing, said turbocharger housing having at least one section divided in a longitudinal direction to form at least two housing halves;
- a shaft mounted in said turbocharger housing; and
- at least one axial bearing arrangement disposed to support said shaft in an axial direction.
12. The turbocharger according to claim 11, wherein said axial bearing arrangement comprises at least one axial bearing, said axial bearing being disposed on said shaft, on a bearing core, or on a bearing collar on said shaft.
13. The turbocharger according to claim 12, wherein said turbocharger housing is formed with a boundary portion on one side or on both sides of said axial bearing, said boundary portion being configured integrally with said turbocharger housing or being a separate part fastened to said turbocharger housing.
14. The turbocharger according to claim 12, wherein said axial bearing has a circumference with at least one projection or bracket element for fastening said axial bearing to said turbocharger housing, said axial bearing being fastened by said projection or bracket element to said turbocharger housing.
15. The turbocharger according to claim 14, wherein said axial bearing is fastened by said projection or bracket element to said turbocharger housing by way of screw fixing and/or pinning.
16. The turbocharger according to claim 11, wherein said axial bearing is fastened to an insert sleeve, to a bearing collar, to a bearing core and/or to said turbocharger housing.
17. The turbocharger according to claim 16, wherein said axial bearing is fastened by way of screw fixing and/or pinning.
18. The turbocharger according to claim 11, wherein said axial bearing is disposed in a receptacle of said turbocharger housing, and wherein at least one spring element is disposed to brace said axial bearing in said receptacle.
19. The turbocharger according to claim 18, wherein said receptacle is a recess or a hollow in said turbocharger housing.
20. The turbocharger according to claim 11, wherein said axial bearing is disposed in a receptacle of said turbocharger housing.
21. The turbocharger according to claim 20, wherein said receptacle has a first receptacle section and said first receptacle section forms with said axial bearing a transition fit or a clearance fit.
22. The turbocharger according to claim 21, wherein said receptacle has a second receptacle section, and wherein at least one disk element and/or a spring element is disposed in said second receptacle section in order to prevent unwanted axial movement of said axial bearing.
23. The turbocharger according to claim 22, wherein said at least one disk element is an oil barrier ring.
24. The turbocharger according to claim 22, wherein said receptacle is formed as a stepped recess having one step forming said first receptacle section and a second step forming said second receptacle section.
25. The turbocharger according to claim 11, wherein said axial bearing is selected from the group consisting of an axial bearing disk, an axial sliding bearing, an axial magnetic bearing, and an axial rolling bearing.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 4, 2010
Publication Date: Oct 25, 2012
Applicant: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH (HANNOVER)
Inventors: Ralf Boening (Reiffelbach), Holger Faeth (Fussgoenheim), Ralph Maurice Koempel (Mannheim)
Application Number: 13/509,636
International Classification: F01D 25/16 (20060101); F01D 1/06 (20060101);