Turbine housing for a turbocharger

Abstract

A turbine housing for a turbocharger has a plurality of interconnected housing parts. A central, one-piece contoured component that is constructed as a cast component or a forged component is provided on that side of a spiral channel which faces away from a bearing housing attachment flange in the turbine housing. The contoured component has a wall region of the spiral channel, a boundary wall of an exhaust gas inlet gap and a sealing contour region. The contoured component is connected to its adjacent housing parts, which are at least partly constructed as sheet metal molded parts, so as to form the turbine housing.

Claims

1. A turbine housing for an exhaust-gas turbocharger, the turbine housing comprising: a plurality of interconnected housing parts including: a bearing housing attachment flange; an exhaust-gas inlet duct receiving exhaust gas; a spiral duct receiving the exhaust gas from said exhaust-gas inlet duct and having a side facing away from said bearing housing attachment flange; an exhaust-gas inlet gap associated with said spiral duct; and an exhaust-gas outlet connector associated with said exhaust-gas inlet gap; at least some of said plurality of interconnected housing parts being formed as sheet-metal molded parts; and a central, one-part contoured component disposed on said side of said spiral duct facing away from said bearing housing attachment flange; said contoured component having a wall region disposed on said side of said spiral duct facing away from said bearing housing attachment flange, a boundary wall of said exhaust-gas inlet gap adjoining said wall region, and a sealing contour region adjoining said wall region; said contoured component being a cast component or a forged component connected to said plurality of interconnected housing parts at least some of which being formed as sheet-metal molded parts and disposed adjacent said contoured component; and said cast or forged component connected to said bearing housing attachment flange solely by said spiral duct.

2. The turbine housing according to claim 1, wherein said exhaust-gas outlet connector directly adjoins said sealing contour region.

3. The turbine housing according to claim 1, wherein said contoured component forms at least a part of a wall of said exhaust-gas inlet duct issuing into said spiral duct.

4. The turbine housing according to claim 1, wherein said contoured component has a wastegate duct, and said wastegate duct has a valve flap seat.

5. The turbine housing according to claim 4, which further comprises a wastegate valve device having a drive linkage, said contoured component having a bearing receptacle for said drive linkage.

6. The turbine housing according to claim 1, wherein: said plurality of interconnected housing parts that are disposed adjacent said contoured component include at least some components that are formed as sheet-metal molded parts and have a wall thickness; and said contoured component has a wall thickness that is greater than said wall thickness of said plurality of interconnected housing parts that are disposed adjacent said contoured component.

7. The turbine housing according to claim 6, wherein said wall thickness of said contoured component is at least twice as great as said wall thickness of said plurality of interconnected housing parts that are disposed adjacent said contoured component.

8. The turbine housing according to claim 6, wherein said contoured component has reworked contour and functional surfaces.

9. The turbine housing according to claim 1, wherein said contoured component is welded to said adjacent housing parts at least some of which are formed as sheet-metal molded parts.

10. The turbine housing according to claim 1, wherein said contoured component forms a single-shell turbine housing with said plurality of interconnected housing parts that are disposed adjacent said contoured component.

11. The turbine housing according to claim 1, which further comprises a wastegate duct formed on said contoured component.

12. The turbine housing according to claim 11, which further comprises sheet-metal molded parts disposed adjacent said contoured component and extending said wastegate duct.

13. The turbine housing according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of interconnected housing parts at least some of which are formed as sheet-metal molded parts include at least one of: an exhaust-gas inlet pipe, an exhaust-gas inlet flange, an exhaust-gas outlet pipe, an exhaust-gas outlet flange, a part of a spiral housing facing toward said bearing housing attachment flange and forming said spiral duct, and said bearing housing attachment flange.

14. The turbine housing according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of interconnected housing parts includes an exhaust-gas inlet flange being a cast component or a forged component.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

(1) Particularly advantageous exemplary embodiments of the invention will be explained in more detail below on the basis of the figures, although the subject matter of the invention is not restricted to these examples. In the figures:

(2) FIG. 1 is a simplified sectional illustration of an exhaust-gas turbocharger as per the prior art,

(3) FIG. 2 is a perspective sectional illustration of a turbine housing according to one exemplary embodiment of the invention, and

(4) FIG. 3 is a perspective sectional illustration of a turbine housing according to a further exemplary embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(5) Components of identical function and designation are denoted by the same reference signs throughout the figures.

(6) The exhaust-gas turbocharger according to the prior art, as illustrated in FIG. 1, has already been described in the introduction and illustrates the basic construction and the arrangement of the individual components of exhaust-gas turbine 101, fresh-air compressor 102 and bearing housing 100. In particular, said description was given with regard to those components of the exhaust-gas turbocharger which are essential to the invention, specifically the exhaust-gas turbine 101 with turbine housing 1 and the turbine rotor 11, which has a blade arrangement 10.

(7) The illustrated turbine housing 1, conventionally implemented as a cast part, for an exhaust-gas turbocharger has, inter alia, an exhaust-gas inlet duct 2, a spiral duct 5, an exhaust-gas inlet gap 5a, a sealing contour region 9 and an exhaust-gas outlet connector 7. The arrangement of the wastegate duct 8 and of the wastegate valve flap 14 with drive linkage 14a is also illustrated in FIG. 1.

(8) FIG. 2 shows, for a better overview, a turbine housing according to the invention isolated from the other components of the exhaust-gas turbocharger and in a sectional, perspective view. The turbine housing has multiple interconnected housing parts, wherein the contoured component 6 of the turbine housing 1, which has a sealing contour region 9, is in the form of a cast component or forged component which is connected, in particular welded, to the housing parts adjacent thereto, which are in the form of sheet-metal molded parts. The housing parts together with the contoured component 6 form a single-shell housing.

(9) The wall thickness of the contoured component 6 is preferably greater than the wall thickness of the housing parts adjacent thereto. These measures are conducive to increasing the dimensional stability of the turbine housing 1 of an exhaust-gas turbocharger and thus improving the thermodynamic characteristics of the turbine during operation of the exhaust-gas turbocharger. The deformation of the turbine housing 1 that occurs during operation of the exhaust-gas turbocharger, in particular in the region of the sealing contour 9, is reduced in relation to the prior art, wherein at the same time, the production costs for the turbine housing 1 and the weight of said turbine housing are kept low. Furthermore, good dimensional accuracy is ensured through reworking of the important contour and functional surfaces of the sealing contour, of the outlet cross section of the turbine and of the valve flap seat of the wastegate duct. The illustrated turbine housing 1 has an exhaust-gas inlet flange 2a for example for attachment to an exhaust manifold of an internal combustion engine, an exhaust-gas outlet flange 3a for attachment to an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine, and a bearing housing attachment flange 4a for attachment of the turbine housing 1 to the bearing housing 100 of an exhaust-gas turbocharger. The bearing housing attachment flange 4a and the exhaust-gas outlet flange 3a are implemented as sheet-metal molded parts, by contrast to the exhaust-gas inlet flange 2a, which is implemented as a massive cast or forged molded part or molded part produced by cutting processes. Furthermore, FIG. 2 shows a spiral housing part 4, formed as a sheet-metal molded part, on that side of the spiral housing which faces toward the bearing housing attachment flange 4a, and a contoured component 6, implemented according to the invention as a massive cast or forged part, on that side of the spiral housing which faces away from the bearing housing attachment flange 4a, wherein the spiral housing is in each case formed half by the spiral housing part 4 and half by the contoured component 6 implemented as a massive cast or forged part. The two housing parts of the spiral housing, which each form a half-shell of the spiral housing, are for example welded to one another in gas-tight fashion along their contact line with a continuous weld seam. Furthermore, the turbine housing 1 shown in FIG. 2 has a wastegate duct 8 realized by means of wastegate housing parts 8b which are in the form of sheet-metal molded parts and which are fastened, preferably welded, to the contoured component 6 and welded to one another. Arranged between the contoured component 6 and the exhaust-gas outlet flange 3a is the exhaust-gas outlet pipe 3b which, in this example, is assembled from at least two sheet-metal molded parts. The exhaust-gas outlet pipe 3b is seated on a shoulder in the outer region of the contoured component 6 and is connected in gas-tight fashion, for example welded, to the contoured component 6 continuously along the contact line over the entire circumference. At the opposite end of the exhaust-gas outlet pipe 3b, the exhaust-gas outlet flange 3a is likewise connected in gas-tight fashion, for example welded, to the exhaust-gas outlet pipe 3b continuously along the contact line over the entire circumference.

(10) Arranged between the exhaust-gas inlet flange 2a and the contoured component 6 is the exhaust-gas inlet pipe 2b. The exhaust-gas inlet pipe 2b is likewise assembled from at least two shell-shaped sheet-metal molded parts and is connected in gas-tight fashion, for example by weld seams, to the exhaust-gas outlet flange 2a at one side and to the contoured component 6 at the other side. Furthermore, the turbine housing 1 shown in FIG. 2 has a wastegate duct 8 which is formed by wastegate housing parts 8b which are fastened, preferably welded, to the contoured component 6 and welded to one another and which are in the form of sheet-metal molded parts.

(11) The contoured component 6, which forms the stabilizing core of the turbine housing 1 has, in addition to the contour for the spiral duct 5, a wall, joining said contour, of the exhaust-gas inlet gap 5a, and adjoining said wall in turn, a sealing contour region 9 which merges into the exhaust-gas outlet connector 7. Both the exhaust-gas inlet gap 5a and the sealing contour region 9 which defines the contour gap 12 (see FIG. 1), and also the diameter of the exhaust-gas outlet connector 7 have a significant influence on the flow characteristics and thermodynamic efficiency of the turbine housing. The contour gap 12 corresponds to the distance of the sealing contour from the outer contour of the blade arrangement 10 of the turbine wheel 11 that rotates during operation of the exhaust-gas turbocharger. Said distance must, during operation of the exhaust-gas turbocharger, be maintained as precisely as possible at all operating points, in order firstly to prevent the turbine wheel from grinding against the turbine housing and secondly to prevent the distance of the sealing contour 9 from the turbine wheel, and thus the contour gap, becoming too large as a result of a deformation of the turbine housing, which would result in an undesired deterioration of the thermodynamic characteristics of the turbine.

(12) To prevent such undesired deformation of the turbine housing 1 during operation of the exhaust-gas turbocharger, it is the case in a turbine housing according to the invention that the contoured component 6 that forms the sealing contour region 9 of the turbine housing 1 is in the form of a cast component or forged component which is for example welded to the housing components adjacent thereto and, together with these, forms a single-shell turbine housing. To keep the weight of the turbine housing and thus of the exhaust-gas turbocharger as a whole as low as possible, the housing parts adjacent to the contoured component 6 are implemented in the form of sheet-metal parts. In the case of this exemplary embodiment, it is preferable for all of the components of the turbine housing with the exception of the contoured component 6 and the exhaust-gas inlet flange 2a to be implemented in the form of sheet-metal molded parts, whereas the contoured component 6 isas already discussed abovein the form of a cast component or forged component. All of the contour and dimension ranges of significance with regard to function and efficiency, as already mentioned above, are thus defined by the contoured component and can be produced inexpensively, and ensured in stable fashion over the entire operating range of the exhaust-gas turbocharger, through high-position machining of only this single component.

(13) As material for the contoured component 6, use is preferably made of a high temperature-resistant material, for example a compacted graphite iron material, an E5S material, cast steel or a forged steel part.

(14) The wall thickness of the contoured component 6 is preferably greater than the wall thickness of the housing parts adjacent thereto which are in the form of sheet-metal molded parts; in particular, the contoured component has at least twice the wall thickness. These measures are conducive to ensuring the dimensional stability of the turbine housing 1 of an exhaust-gas turbocharger and thus improving the thermodynamic efficiency of the turbine during operation of the exhaust-gas turbocharger. The deformations of the turbine housing that occur during the operation of the exhaust-gas turbocharger, in particular in the region of the sealing contour of the contoured component, are reduced in relation to the prior art, wherein at the same time, the production costs for the turbine housing 1, and the weight thereof, are kept low.

(15) The first exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, thus involves a single-shell turbine housing 1, in which the exhaust-gas inlet pipe 2b, the exhaust-gas outlet flange 3a and the exhaust-gas outlet pipe 3b, the bearing housing attachment flange 4a and the spiral housing part 4, and the wastegate housing part 8b are in the form of sheet-metal molded parts, whereas the exhaust-gas inlet flange 2a and in particular the contoured component 6 are formed as a massive cast component or as a forged component.

(16) FIG. 3 shows, in a diagrammatic sketch, a sectional illustration of a turbine housing according to the invention as per a further exemplary embodiment. Major parts of the turbine housing 1 illustrated in FIG. 3 correspond to the exemplary embodiment from FIG. 2, which parts will not be described again here.

(17) In this further exemplary embodiment, too, the contoured component 6, which forms the stable core of the turbine housing 1 and in particular defines the exhaust-gas inlet gap 5a and the sealing contour 9, is formed as a cast component or as a forged component which is connected, preferably welded, to the further housing parts adjacent thereto, which are in the form of sheet-metal molded parts.

(18) This further exemplary embodiment differs from the first exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 2 substantially in that a wastegate duct 8, including a valve flap seat 8a and also a bearing receptacle 8c for a drive linkage 14a of a wastegate valve flap 14 is integrated in unipartite fashion into the contoured component 6, which is in the form of a cast or forged component. As a further difference, it is also the case in FIG. 3 that the exhaust-gas inlet pipe is at least partially integrated in unipartite fashion into the contoured component 6. For example, the upper part 2b illustrated in FIG. 3 is formed as an integral constituent part of the contoured component 6, whereas the lower part of the exhaust-gas inlet pipe 2b in FIG. 3 is in the form of a sheet-metal molded part with a smaller wall thickness and is connected, for example welded, to the upper part 2b. Also, the exhaust-gas outlet flange 3a is, in this embodiment of the turbine housing, formed as a massive cast component or forged component or component produced by cutting processes.

(19) In the case of a turbine housing as per the further exemplary embodiment, the degree of integration of functionally important contours, surfaces, dimensions and components is increased further in relation to the first exemplary embodiment. In this way, production costs can be further reduced, the dimensional accuracy of the turbine housing can be further improved, and thus efficiency and functional reliability can be further improved.