Bearing carrier

A bearing assembly for a turbocharger installed within a turbocharger housing between a turbine wheel and a compressor impeller mounted for rotation together on a turbocharger shaft, wherein the turbocharger housing includes a compressor bearing housing between the turbine wheel and the compressor impeller and having a bearing mounting flange, the bearing assembly comprising:

• a journal bearing disposed on a corresponding portion of the turbocharger shaft;
• a thrust bearing having a thrust bearing surface;
• and
• a bearing carrier comprising:
• a carrier body mounted to the bearing mounting flange of the compressor bearing housing to support the bearing carrier in the axial direction and the radial direction,
• a carrier body bore extending axially through the carrier body and receiving the journal bearing therein, and
• a thrust bearing seat on the exterior of the carrier body facing the turbine wheel, wherein the thrust bearing seat has a complimentary shape to the thrust bearing surface of the thrust bearing, the thrust bearing disposed between the carrier body and the turbine wheel and engaging the thrust bearing seat.

A turbocharger housing for a turbocharger that includes a turbine wheel and a compressor impeller mounted on a turbocharger shaft for rotation together, the turbocharger housing comprising:

• a compressor bearing housing with a bearing mounting flange disposed between the turbine wheel and the compressor impeller;
• and
• a bearing carrier mounted on the bearing mounting flange, the bearing carrier comprising:
• a carrier body mounted to the bearing mounting flange of the compressor bearing housing to support the bearing carrier in the axial direction and the radial direction,
• a carrier body bore extending axially through the carrier body and receiving a journal bearing and a corresponding portion of the turbocharger shaft, and
• a thrust bearing seat on the exterior of the carrier body facing the turbine wheel, wherein the thrust bearing seat has a complimentary shape to a thrust bearing surface of a thrust bearing disposed between the carrier body and the turbine wheel and engaging the thrust bearing seat, wherein the bearing carrier engages the bearing mounting flange to transmit thrust loads on the turbine wheel in a direction of the compressor impeller to the compressor bearing housing.