Supercharger Pulley Friction Lines and Bolt Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing supercharger pulleys experience slippage due to their small diameter, leading to inefficiencies and noise issues, necessitating an improved method to mitigate slippage and enhance frictional engagement between the pulley and the belt.
Innovation Solution
A pulley assembly with a shaft mount and a body attached via bolts, featuring counter-sunk holes for precise alignment and laser-infused friction material on the outer surface to increase frictional forces, reducing slippage and noise.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If a small diameter pulley is used, then the supercharger size is reduced, but slippage between the pulley and belt increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies friction lines only to the specific region where the belt contacts the pulley, rather than modifying the entire pulley surface. This localized modification increases friction precisely where needed to prevent slippage, while maintaining the small overall pulley diameter and supercharger size.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the surface friction parameter by adding friction lines to the pulley surface. This increases the coefficient of friction between the belt and pulley contact surfaces, enabling reliable power transmission even with the reduced pulley diameter that keeps the supercharger compact.
2Volume of moving object
If a small diameter pulley is used, then the supercharger is more compact, but noise increases due to slippage
Solution Approach 1:
The friction lines are applied only to the belt contact region of the pulley, locally increasing friction to eliminate slippage-induced noise without requiring a larger overall pulley diameter, thus maintaining compact supercharger dimensions.
3Manufacturing precision
If tight tolerancing is used for bolt alignment, then the pulley assembly alignment precision is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The countersunk holes are pre-formed in the pulley body at precise locations and angles before assembly. This preliminary preparation ensures that when bolts are inserted, they automatically align the pulley body to the shaft mount with high precision, eliminating the need for complex alignment procedures during assembly.
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
The solution effectively reduces slippage and noise by enhancing the frictional engagement between the pulley and the belt, improving the efficiency and performance of the supercharger system.
Implementation Method 1
The heat may be generated by a laser beam that traces a desired pattern of friction lines
Implementation Method 2
fusing the applied particulate matter to the outer surface by heating the outer surface and the particulate matter
Implementation Method 3
The outer surface of the body of the pulley assembly has a pattern of friction lines for increasing the frictional forces between the outer surface of the body of the pulley assembly and the belt driving the pulley
Data Source
AI summary
A pulley assembly having a body, a shaft mount and a plurality of bolts is disclosed. The body is aligned to the shaft mount by providing a tight tolerance between a shoulder portion of the bolt and a neck portion of a counter sunk hole formed in the body. Additionally, an outer surface of the body may have a pattern of friction lines or patches formed by fusing particulate matter to the outer surface with heat generated by a laser beam.