Compressor Wheel Sleeve and Thrust Collider Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
The through-bore configuration in compressor wheels for superchargers leads to stress concentration issues, increasing the risk of shaft vibration and material costs, while the boreless configuration results in a larger compressor length and potential manufacturing complications.
Innovation Solution
A compressor wheel device with a sleeve part having a cylindrical shape and a sealing groove, integrated with the wheel body part, and a thrust collar with a circular plate-like shape, which reduces stress concentration and manufacturing costs by simplifying the configuration and preventing leakage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a through-bore configuration is used to mechanically couple the compressor wheel to the rotary shaft, then the compressor wheel can be securely attached, but stress concentration occurs at the inner peripheral surface of the through hole leading to increased material costs and potential creep strength issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the through hole from the compressor wheel hub, eliminating the stress concentration issue at the inner peripheral surface. Instead of passing the rotary shaft through the hub, the shaft is coupled to the hub's outer peripheral surface through a bearing and retaining structure, thereby extracting the problematic through-bore element while maintaining secure mechanical coupling.
2Device complexity
If a boreless configuration with a sleeve member is used to eliminate stress concentration, then material costs can be reduced, but the compressor wheel length in the axis direction increases causing size increase and potential shaft vibration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from an axial coupling approach (through-bore) to a radial coupling approach. The bearing is positioned radially outward from the hub center, and the retaining structure engages the hub's outer peripheral surface. This dimensional shift allows secure mechanical coupling without extending the compressor wheel length in the axis direction, avoiding shaft vibration issues while maintaining configuration simplicity.
3Length of moving object
If the diameter of the thrust collar is increased to cover the sleeve member and reduce compressor length, then the axial size can be reduced, but the thrust collar becomes more complicated and manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the sleeve member entirely by adopting a through-bore configuration with the rotary shaft passing through the hub. This removes the need for a complex thrust collar design that would be required to cover the sleeve member, thereby simplifying the thrust collar structure and reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining acceptable compressor length through optimized bearing and hub geometry.
Data Source
AI summary
A compressor wheel device comprises a compressor wheel attached to a rotary shaft and a thrust collar attached to the rotary shaft at a back surface of the compressor wheel. The compressor wheel includes: a wheel body part with a hub and at least one blade provided on an outer peripheral surface of the hub; and a sleeve part having a cylindrical shape projecting along an axis direction from a back surface of the hub and having an outer peripheral surface on which a sealing groove extending along a peripheral direction is formed. The thrust collar has a circular plate-like shape including: one surface including an abutting surface abutting on an end surface of the sleeve part and extending along a radial direction; and the other surface including a slidably-contacting surface slidably contacting a thrust bearing supporting the rotary shaft in a thrust direction and extending along the radial direction.