Turbocharger Compressor Housing Seal via Plastic Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing compressor housings for turbochargers face challenges in achieving improved sealability while reducing costs, particularly due to issues with refrigerant leakage and increased production costs associated with sealing materials and complex assembly processes.
Innovation Solution
A compressor housing design that uses a dividable structure composed of a scroll piece and a shroud piece, where the seal parts are formed by pressure-contacting specific portions to cause plastic flow, eliminating the need for additional sealing materials and enhancing sealability by filling micro gaps.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sealing material is applied to the seal part to enhance sealability, then sealability is improved, but manufacturing cost increases and workability deteriorates due to additional pretreatment processes
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing function is extracted from the separate sealing material and transferred to the structural design of the press-fitting portion itself. The tapered surface geometry inherently provides sealing through mechanical contact and plastic deformation during assembly, eliminating the need for additional sealing materials and associated pretreatment processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The press-fitting portion structure performs the sealing function autonomously through its geometric design. The tapered surfaces automatically generate the necessary contact pressure and plastic flow during the press-fitting operation, allowing the structure itself to provide sealing without external sealing materials or complex preparation processes.
2Ease of manufacture
If seal part is formed by press-fitting without sealing material to reduce cost and simplify process, then manufacturing cost decreases and workability improves, but micro gaps may form causing refrigerant leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The geometric parameters of the press-fitting portion are specifically designed with tapered surfaces at precise angles. This parameter optimization ensures that during press-fitting, sufficient contact pressure is generated to cause plastic flow in the aluminum alloy material, filling micro gaps and achieving reliable sealing without additional sealing materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The press-fitting process induces plastic phase transition in the aluminum alloy material of the press-fitted portion. The applied pressure causes the material to deform plastically, filling micro gaps and creating a metal-to-metal seal. This phase change from elastic to plastic state provides the necessary sealing effect without additional sealing materials.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If refrigerant flow path is provided inside compressor housing to prevent deposit accumulation, then deposit accumulation is prevented, but device complexity increases due to assembly of multiple pieces
Solution Approach 1:
The compressor housing is segmented into multiple pieces (scroll piece, shroud piece, and bearing housing) that can be manufactured separately and then assembled. This segmentation allows the refrigerant flow path to be formed by the assembly interface of these pieces, enabling complex internal passages while maintaining manufacturing flexibility and reducing overall complexity compared to a monolithic design.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design achieves improved sealability and cost reduction by eliminating the need for separate sealing materials and simplifying the assembly process, while maintaining the effectiveness of the refrigerant flow path for cooling the diffuser part.
Implementation Method 1
a seal part that seals the scroll piece and the shroud piece is formed by pressure-contacting a pressure-contacting portion that is provided on either one of the scroll piece and the shroud piece with a pressure-contacted portion that is provided on the other one of the scroll piece and the shroud piece so as to cause plastic flow in the pressure-contacting portion
Data Source
AI summary
A compressor housing for a turbocharger dividably composed of a plurality of pieces including a scroll piece, and a shroud piece. The scroll piece and the shroud piece are assembled to each other by press-fitting a press-fitting portion of the shroud piece into a press-fitted portion of the scroll piece. Pressure-contacting portions that are provided on either one of the scroll piece and the shroud piece are pressure-contacted with pressure-contacted portions that are provided on the other one of the scroll piece and the shroud piece, respectively. As a result, the pressure-contacting portions plastically flow to form seal parts for sealing the scroll piece and the shroud piece, respectively.