Multi-part Plastic Impeller for Fuel Cell Compressor

The impeller is divided into multiple segments or blades that can be separately manufactured and then assembled onto a central hub. This segmentation allows each component to be produced using cost-effective methods while maintaining the required structural strength through precise connection design.

The patent employs composite material construction for the impeller, combining different materials with complementary properties. The hub may use one material optimized for strength and connection, while the blades use another material optimized for aerodynamic performance and reduced weight, thereby lowering overall production costs while maintaining structural integrity.

The impeller components are pre-formed with near-net-shape geometry through casting or forming processes, requiring minimal subsequent finish-machining. The segmentation allows each component to be preliminarily shaped to close tolerances, reducing the amount of expensive finish-machining operations needed while preserving structural integrity.

The patent replaces traditional extensive mechanical finish-machining processes with alternative manufacturing methods such as precision casting, additive manufacturing, or composite layering techniques that achieve required surface finishes and dimensional accuracy directly during primary manufacturing, thereby eliminating or reducing costly post-processing operations.

By segmenting the impeller into discrete blades and a central hub with optimized mass distribution, the patent reduces the overall moment of inertia while maintaining structural strength. The segmented design allows strategic placement of mass where it is most effective for structural support rather than uniformly distributed, improving rotational acceleration and deceleration characteristics.

The use of composite materials enables the impeller to achieve high strength-to-weight ratio, reducing the mass moment of inertia. The composite construction allows optimization of mass distribution to concentrate material where structurally necessary while minimizing mass in regions that contribute to rotational inertia, thereby improving response time during acceleration and braking cycles.

The composite material construction enables optimization of the impeller's mass and moment of inertia while maintaining structural robustness. By using materials with higher strength-to-weight ratios and optimizing the mass distribution, the patent reduces the energy required to accelerate and decelerate the impeller during start-stop cycles, thereby lowering overall operational energy consumption.

The segmented impeller design allows for optimized mass distribution that reduces the moment of inertia. By strategically placing mass in the hub and connecting structures rather than uniformly throughout the blades, the patent achieves structural robustness with minimized rotational mass, reducing the energy expenditure required for acceleration and braking operations.