Wastegate assembly, a turbocharger that utilizes the wastegate assembly and a method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10458319-B2
Application number	US-201715611180-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 1, 2017
Priority date	Jun 1, 2017
Publication date	Oct 29, 2019
Grant date	Oct 29, 2019

Abstract

A method of joining parts of the wastegate assembly, and a wastegate assembly includes an arm defining a hole. The wastegate assembly also includes a shaft. The shaft includes a first end disposed inside the hole of the arm. The shaft includes an outer surface defining a groove disposed inside the hole of the arm. The arm and the first end of the shaft are welded together to form a joint having a joint root region disposed adjacent to the groove.
A turbocharger includes a compressor, a turbine and a rotating assembly driven by exhaust gas. The rotating assembly has a turbine wheel disposed inside the turbine and a compressor wheel disposed inside the compressor. The turbocharger further includes the wastegate assembly described above, and the wastegate assembly defines an opening configured to selectively redirect at least a portion of the exhaust gas to bypass the turbine wheel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wastegate assembly comprising:
an arm defining a hole;
a shaft including a first end disposed inside the hole of the arm;
wherein the shaft includes an outer surface defining a groove disposed inside the hole of the arm; and
wherein the arm and the first end of the shaft are welded together to form a joint having a joint root region disposed adjacent to the groove.

2. The assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein the joint root region of the joint forms an arcuate surface.

3. The assembly as set forth in claim 2 wherein the groove has an arcuate configuration.

4. The assembly as set forth in claim 2 wherein the outer surface has a first rim and a second rim spaced from each other, and the first and second rims define an outer boundary of the groove.

5. The assembly as set forth in claim 4 wherein the joint directly contacts the first rim and the joint is spaced from the second rim.

6. The assembly as set forth in claim 5 wherein the first rim is disposed tangential to the arcuate surface of the joint root region.

7. The assembly as set forth in claim 5 wherein the first rim is disposed non-tangential to the arcuate surface of the joint root region.

8. The assembly as set forth in claim 4 wherein the groove has an arcuate configuration between the first and second rims.

9. The assembly as set forth in claim 4 wherein the second rim is spaced from the arm.

10. The assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein the groove is further defined as a first groove, and the outer surface of the shaft defines a second groove disposed farther from the first end of the shaft than the first groove.

11. The assembly as set forth in claim 10 wherein the outer surface of the shaft has a first rim and a second rim spaced from each other, and the first and second rims define an outer boundary of the first groove, and wherein the outer surface has a third rim spaced from the second rim, and wherein the second and third rims define an outer boundary of the second groove.

12. The assembly as set forth in claim 11 wherein the joint directly contacts the first rim and the joint is spaced from the second and third rims.

13. The assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein:
the joint root region of the joint forms an arcuate surface;
the outer surface has a first rim and a second rim spaced from each other, and the first and second rims define an outer boundary of the groove;
the groove has an arcuate configuration between the first and second rims;
the joint directly contacts the first rim and the joint is spaced from the second rim; and
the first rim is disposed tangential to the arcuate surface of the joint root region.

14. A turbocharger comprising:
a compressor;
a turbine;
a rotating assembly driven by exhaust gas and having a turbine wheel disposed inside the turbine and a compressor wheel disposed inside the compressor; and
a wastegate assembly defining an opening configured to selectively redirect at least a portion of the exhaust gas to bypass the turbine wheel, and wherein the wastegate assembly includes:
an arm defining a hole;
a shaft including a first end disposed inside the hole of the arm;
wherein the shaft includes an outer surface defining a groove disposed inside the hole of the arm; and
wherein the arm and the first end of the shaft are welded together to form a joint having a joint root region disposed adjacent to the groove.

15. The turbocharger as set forth in claim 14 wherein:
the joint root region of the joint forms an arcuate surface;
the outer surface has a first rim and a second rim spaced from each other, and the first and second rims define an outer boundary of the groove;
the groove has an arcuate configuration between the first and second rims;
the joint directly contacts the first rim and the joint is spaced from the second rim; and
the first rim is disposed tangential to the arcuate surface of the joint root region.

16. The turbocharger as set forth in claim 14 wherein:
the joint root region of the joint forms an arcuate surface;
the outer surface has a first rim and a second rim spaced from each other, and the first and second rims define an outer boundary of the groove;
the groove has an arcuate configuration between the first and second rims;
the joint directly contacts the first rim and the joint is spaced from the second rim; and
the first rim is disposed non-tangential to the arcuate surface of the joint root region.

17. A method of joining parts of a wastegate assembly, the method comprising:
positioning a first end of a shaft inside a hole of an arm, with an outer surface of the shaft defining a groove disposed inside the hole of the arm;
positioning a laser welder relative to the first end of the shaft and the arm; and
welding the first end of the shaft and the arm together with the laser welder until a joint forms a joint root region having an arcuate surface adjacent to the groove in the shaft.

18. The method as set forth in claim 17 wherein welding the first end is further defined as welding the first end until the arcuate surface and a first rim defining part of an outer boundary of the groove is disposed tangential to the arcuate surface of the joint root region.

19. The method as set forth in claim 17 wherein welding the first end is further defined as welding the first end until the arcuate surface and a first rim defining part of an outer boundary of the groove is disposed non-tangential to the arcuate surface of the joint root region.

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Brady Grant W
• Li Huaxin
• Swartz Julie A
• Preston Jane E

Classifications

• B23K26/28

  of curved planar seams · CPC title

• F02B39/08

  Non-mechanical drives, e.g. fluid drives having variable gear ratio · CPC title

• F02B37/186 Primary

  Arrangements of actuators or linkage for bypass valves · CPC title

• B23K26/22

  Spot welding · CPC title

• Y02T10/12

  Improving ICE efficiencies · CPC title