Hubless Impeller Wheel Assembly for Friction-Welded Shaft Joining
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current impeller/turbine wheel manufacturing methods are costly and inefficient due to the inclusion of a hub, which blocks airflow and requires additional material and processing steps for the wrenching feature, increasing manufacturing time and cost.
Innovation Solution
A method for manufacturing an impeller/turbine wheel without a hub, where the wheel is cast from the back face with interconnected blades, allowing for increased flow capacity and reduced polar inertia, using a holding plate to maintain the wheel's position during assembly instead of a wrenching feature.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a hub with wrenching feature is included in the impeller wheel, then the wheel can be held stationary during manufacturing, but the hub blocks airflow and increases manufacturing time and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The holding plate is prepared in advance with positioning features that match the impeller wheel geometry. The wheel is pressed onto the holding plate before assembly operations, establishing the stationary position beforehand. This eliminates the need for time-consuming wrenching feature attachment and subsequent removal, directly resolving the manufacturing time contradiction.
2Ease of manufacture
If a hub with wrenching feature is included in the impeller wheel, then the wheel can be held stationary during manufacturing, but additional material is required increasing cost
Solution Approach 1:
The wrenching feature and hub structure are completely removed from the impeller wheel design. Instead of incorporating these additional material elements into the wheel itself, the patent extracts the holding function and places it on a separate holding plate. This eliminates unnecessary material consumption while maintaining the ability to hold the wheel stationary during assembly.
3Ease of manufacture
If a hub is included in the impeller wheel, then the wheel can be held stationary during manufacturing, but the hub blocks airflow reducing flow capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The hub structure that blocks airflow is completely extracted from the impeller wheel design. The holding function is transferred to a separate holding plate that does not interfere with the wheel's airflow path. This eliminates the harmful airflow blockage while preserving the manufacturing capability to hold the wheel stationary.
4Ease of manufacture
If a wrenching feature is added to the hub, then the wheel can be held stationary during assembly, but the wrenching feature must be milled away after assembly increasing manufacturing time
Solution Approach 1:
The holding plate is prepared in advance with positioning features that enable the wheel to be held stationary directly during assembly operations. This preliminary setup eliminates the need for subsequent removal of wrenching features, directly addressing the time loss contradiction by performing the holding function beforehand without requiring later corrective operations.
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 approach results in a more efficient and cost-effective production process with improved flow capacity and transient response, eliminating the need for a hub and wrenching feature, thus reducing manufacturing time and material costs.
Implementation Method 1
attaching (e.g., friction welding) a shaft to the impeller wheel positioned on the holding plate
Data Source
AI summary
Methods for manufacturing an impeller wheel assembly (e.g., an impeller wheel attached to one or more additional components) are provided. In one example, a method includes casting an impeller wheel without a hub feature in a mold and holding the cast impeller wheel in a fixed position using a holding plate during subsequent stages of fabrication (e.g., the addition of a shaft via friction welding).