Supercharger assembly with rotor end face seal and method of manufacturing a supercharger assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9938974-B2
Application number	US-201414580879-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2014
Priority date	Jun 29, 2012
Publication date	Apr 10, 2018
Grant date	Apr 10, 2018

Abstract

A supercharger assembly has a rotor housing defining a chamber. A rotor is within the chamber and has an end with an end face. A seal has a seal face adjacent the end face. The seal face and the end face have complex topographies configured to be complementary to define a gap therebetween. The complex topographies can be, but are not limited to, interfitting concentric annular channels. The gap functions as a tortuous flow path to inhibit fluid flow past the end face. A method of manufacturing a supercharger assembly is also provided.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A supercharger assembly comprising:
a housing including a rotor housing portion defining a chamber;
a rotor within the chamber having an end with an end face, the rotor having an axis of rotation;
a seal being configured as a sleeve that mounts within a pocket of the housing, the sleeve including an annular wall defining a central opening that co-axially aligns with the axis of rotation of the rotor, the sleeve having a seal face that is defined by an axial end face of the sleeve; wherein the axial end face of the sleeve faces toward the end face of the rotor; and wherein the seal face and the end face of the rotor have nonplanar topographies configured to be complementary to define a gap therebetween; and
a rotor bearing supporting a shaft of the rotor to permit rotation of the shaft relative to the housing, the rotor bearing being positioned within the central opening of the sleeve so as to be surrounded by the annular wall of the sleeve, the sleeve including an internal shoulder that opposes an axial end of the rotor bearing; and
wherein the gap functions as a tortuous flow path to inhibit fluid flow therethrough.

2. The supercharger assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:
a rotatable rotor shaft; wherein the rotor is mounted on and rotates with the rotor shaft; and
the rotor bearing fit to the rotor shaft such that the rotor bearing is between the rotor shaft and the seal.

3. The supercharger assembly of claim 2 , wherein the seal has a first axially-extending ridge and a second axially-extending ridge at the seal face with an annular channel therebetween, and the central opening is radially inward of the first axially-extending ridge;
wherein the rotor shaft extends through the central opening;
wherein the annular wall extends axially away from the first and second axially-extending ridges; wherein the internal shoulder is surrounded by the annular wall; and
wherein the rotor bearing is seated at the internal shoulder within the central opening surrounded by the annular wall.

4. The supercharger assembly of claim 3 , wherein the rotor housing portion is a midportion of the housing; and
an end portion of the housing fits into the midportion of the housing and has a bearing cavity sized to retain the rotor bearing and the seal.

5. The supercharger assembly of claim 1 , wherein the rotor has a first and a second annular channel at the end face and an annular ridge therebetween; and wherein the seal has a third annular channel at the seal face configured to receive the annular ridge of the rotor with the gap therebetween.

6. The supercharger assembly of claim 5 , further comprising:
a rotatable rotor shaft; wherein the rotor is mounted on and rotates with the rotor shaft; and
wherein the first, second, and third annular channels are concentric with the rotor shaft.

7. The supercharger assembly of claim 5 , wherein the first annular channel and the second annular channel have a substantially equal depth.

8. The supercharger assembly of claim 1 , wherein the seal is steel.

9. The supercharger assembly of claim 1 , wherein the rotor is aluminum.

10. The supercharger assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sleeve has an axial length that is longer than a corresponding axial length of the rotor bearing.

11. The supercharger assembly of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the axial end face of the sleeve and the end face of the rotor includes a first non-planar topography that includes first and second annular ridges, and at least the other of the axial end face of the sleeve and the end face of the rotor defines a second non-planar topography that includes a third annular ridge.

12. The supercharger assembly of claim 11 , wherein the first and second annular ridges surround the axis of rotation of the rotor and are separated by an annular channel.

13. The supercharger assembly of claim 12 , wherein the third annular ridge is received within the annular channel between the first and second annular ridges.

14. The supercharger assembly of claim 11 , wherein the first and second non-planar topographies cooperate to define at least a portion of the tortuous flow path.

15. The supercharger assembly of claim 1 , wherein the bearing is held entirely within the sleeve.

16. A supercharger assembly comprising:
a housing including a rotor housing portion defining:
a chamber;
an inlet proximate a first end of the chamber; and
an outlet proximate a second end of the chamber;

first and second rotor shafts;
a first and a second rotor within the chamber mounted on and configured to rotate with the first and the second rotor shafts, respectively; wherein the first and second rotors have end faces proximate the first end of the chamber; wherein the first and second rotor shafts extend axially through the first and second rotors, respectively, past the end faces;
wherein the end faces each have an uneven surface;
a first and a second rotor seal surrounding portions of the first and the second rotor shafts, respectively, that extend past the end faces; the first rotor seal being configured as a first sleeve that mounts within a first pocket of the housing, the first sleeve including an annular wall defining a first central opening that co-axially aligns with an axis of rotation of the first rotor, and the second rotor seal being configured as a second sleeve that mounts within a second pocket of the housing, the second sleeve including an annular wall defining a second central opening that co-axially aligns with an axis of rotation of the second rotor, the first sleeve having a first seal face that is defined by a first axial end face of the first sleeve, the second sleeve having a second seal face that is defined by a second axial end face of the second sleeve;
first and second bearings supporting first and second rotor shafts respectively to permit rotation of the first and second rotor shafts relative to the housing, the first and second bearings being respectively positioned within the first and second central openings of the first and second sleeves so as to be respectively surrounded by the annular walls of the first and second sleeves, the first and second sleeves each including an internal shoulder that respectively opposes an axial end of the first and second bearings;
wherein the first and second axial end faces of the first and second sleeves face toward the end faces of the first and second rotors, respectively, and
wherein each of the first and second seal faces of the first and the second sleeves are configured to interfit with the uneven surface of the end faces of the first and second rotors, respectively, to define a gap between the uneven surface and the first and second seal faces; and wherein the gap functions as a tortuous flow path to inhibit fluid flow therethrough.

17. The supercharger assembly of claim 16 , wherein each uneven surface has a first and a second annular channel with an annular ridge therebetween; and wherein each of the seal faces has a third annular channel configured to receive the annular ridge with the gap therebetween.

18. The supercharger assembly of claim 17 , wherein the first, second, and third annular channels of the end face of the first rotor and the first rotor seal are concentric with the first rotor shaft; and wherein the first, second, and third annular channels of the end face of the second rotor and the second rotor seal are concentric with the second rotor shaft.

19. The supercharger assembly of claim 17 , wherein the first annular channel and the second

Assignees

• Eaton Corp

Inventors

• Swartzlander Matthew G

Classifications

• F04C27/009

  Shaft sealings specially adapted for pumps · CPC title

• Y10T29/49236

  Fluid pump or compressor making · CPC title

• F04C18/16 Primary

  with helical teeth, e.g. chevron-shaped, screw type {(for non-parallel axes of movement F04C18/48)} · CPC title

• F02B33/00

  Engines characterised by provision of pumps for charging or scavenging · CPC title

• F01C19/005

  Structure and composition of sealing elements such as sealing strips, sealing rings and the like; Coating of these elements (vane construction F01C21/0809; piston rings and ring sealings of similar construction in general F16J9/00) · CPC title