# US 2021/0277942 A1 · Bearing assembly for a charging apparatus

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- Number: US 2021/0277942 A1
- Document ID: US20210277942A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 17/185,305
- Filed: 2021-02-25
- Published: 2021-09-09
- Earliest claimed: 2020-03-03
- Assignees: BorgWarner Inc.
- Applicants: BorgWarner Inc.
- Inventors: Christoph BAUM; Karl-Ludwig BRAUN; Thomas DUCKER-SCHULZ; Panagiotis KOUTSOVASILIS; Christian KRAMER; Christian KUNKLER; Ivo NAWRATH; Erdogan PEKTAS
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210277942A1

## CPC

- F16C 17/18: with floating brasses or brushing, rotatable at a reduced speed {(F16C17/03, F16C17/06 take precedence)}
- F16C 33/1045: {Details of supply of the liquid to the bearing}
- F01D 25/16: Arrangement of bearings; Supporting or mounting bearings in casings (bearings per se F16C)
- F01D 25/166: {Sliding contact bearing (gas bearings F01D25/22)}
- F01D 25/18: Lubricating arrangements (of machines or engines in general F01M)
- F02C 6/12: Turbochargers, i.e. plants for augmenting mechanical power output of internal-combustion piston engines by increase of charge pressure
- F02C 7/06: Arrangements of bearings (bearings F16C); Lubricating ({of turbo machines F01D25/18; of machines or} engines in general F01M)
- F16C 17/02: for radial load only
- F16C 17/26: Systems consisting of a plurality of sliding-contact bearings
- F16C 27/02: Sliding-contact bearings
- F05D 2220/40: in turbochargers
- F05D 2240/54: Radial bearings
- F05D 2260/96: Preventing, counteracting or reducing vibration or noise
- F05D 2260/98: Lubrication
- F16C 33/106: {Details of distribution or circulation inside the bearings, e.g. details of the bearing surfaces to affect flow or pressure of the liquid}
- F16C 2360/23: Gas turbine engines
- F16C 2360/24: Turbochargers
- F16C: SHAFTS; FLEXIBLE SHAFTS; ELEMENTS OR CRANKSHAFT MECHANISMS; ROTARY BODIES OTHER THAN GEARING ELEMENTS; BEARINGS
- F01D: NON-POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, e.g. STEAM TURBINES (machines or engines for liquids F03; non-positive displacement pumps F04D)
- F02C: GAS-TURBINE PLANTS; AIR INTAKES FOR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; CONTROLLING FUEL SUPPLY IN AIR-BREATHING JET-PROPULSION PLANTS (construction of turbines F01D; jet-propulsion plants F02K; construction of compressors or fans F04; generating combustion products of high pressure or high velocity F23R; using gas turbines in compression refrigeration plants F25B11/00)
- F05D: INDEXING SCHEME FOR ASPECTS RELATING TO NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, GAS-TURBINES OR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS

## Abstract

A bearing assembly for a charging apparatus. The bearing assembly comprises a bearing housing and a shaft. The bearing assembly further comprises a compressor-side bearing bushing and a turbine-side bearing bushing which together support the shaft inside a bearing bore of the bearing housing. The bearing assembly is configured to supply unequal amounts of lubricant to a compressor-side outer lubrication gap of the compressor-side bearing bushing and to a turbine-side outer lubrication gap of the turbine-side bearing bushing. The bearing assembly is further configured to supply unequal amounts of lubricant to a compressor-side inner lubrication gap of the compressor-side bearing bushing and to a turbine-side inner lubrication gap of the turbine-side bearing bushing.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A bearing assembly (10) for a charging apparatus (500) comprising:
a bearing housing (400),
a shaft (530),
a compressor-side bearing bushing (100) and a turbine-side bearing bushing (200) which together support the shaft (530) inside a bearing bore (410) of the bearing housing (400),
wherein the bearing assembly (10) is configured to supply unequal amounts of lubricant to a compressor-side outer lubrication gap (115) of the compressor-side bearing bushing (100) and to a turbine-side outer lubrication gap (215) of the turbine-side bearing bushing (200), and/or in that the bearing assembly (10) is configured to supply unequal amounts of lubricant to a compressor-side inner lubrication gap (113) of the compressor-side bearing bushing (100) and to a turbine-side inner lubrication gap (213) of the turbine-side bearing bushing (200).

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The bearing assembly (10) of claim 1, wherein the bearing housing (400) comprises a lubricant supply system (420) with a first supply channel (424) and a second supply channel (426), wherein the first supply channel (424) opens into an inner surface (412) of the bearing bore (410) at an axial position of the turbine-side bearing bushing (200) or at an axial position of the compressor-side bearing bushing (100) and wherein the second supply channel (426) opens into the inner surface (412) of the bearing bore (410) axially between the compressor-side bearing bushing (100) and the turbine-side bearing bushing (200).

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The bearing assembly (10) of claim 2, wherein the first supply channel (424) is fluidically coupled directly to one of the turbine-side bearing bushing (200) or the compressor-side bearing bushing (100) and wherein the second supply channel (426) is fluidically coupled directly to a spacer (300) which is arranged axially between the compressor-side bearing bushing (100) and the turbine-side bearing bushing (200), and optionally, wherein the lubricant supply system (420) further comprises a lubricant chamber (422), wherein the first supply channel (424) fluidically couples the lubricant chamber (422) directly to one of the turbine-side bearing bushing (200) or the compressor-side bearing bushing (100) and wherein the second supply channel (426) fluidically couples the lubricant chamber (422) directly to a spacer (300).

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The bearing assembly (10) of claim 3, wherein the spacer (300) comprises a lubricant supply bore (340) which extends from the outer jacket surface (324) of the spacer (300) to an inner jacket surface (322) of the spacer (300), and optionally, wherein the lubricant supply bore (340) is arranged axially between a compressor-side land (332) and a turbine-side land (334) of the spacer (300).

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The bearing assembly (10) of claim 4, wherein the second supply channel (426) extends from the lubricant chamber (422) to the lubricant supply bore (340) of the spacer (300).

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The bearing assembly (10) of claim 4, wherein the second supply channel (426) extends from the lubricant chamber (422) to the compressor-side land (332), or wherein the second supply channel (426) extends from the lubricant chamber (422) to the turbine-side land (334).

### Claim 7 (depends on 2)

The bearing assembly (10) of claim 2, wherein no direct lubricant supply is provided to one of the compressor-side bearing bushing (100) or the turbine-side bearing bushing (200).

### Claim 8 (depends on 2)

The bearing assembly (10) of claim 2, wherein the first supply channel (424) opens into an inner surface of a first supply groove (425) provided on the inner surface (412) of the bearing bore (410) and/or wherein the second supply channel (426) opens into a second supply groove (427) provided on the inner surface (412) of the bearing bore (410).

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The bearing assembly (10) of claim 1, wherein the compressor-side outer lubrication gap (115) is smaller than the turbine-side outer lubrication gap (215).

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The bearing assembly (10) of claim 1, wherein a depth (134) of a compressor-side circumferential lubricant groove (130) of the compressor-side bearing bushing (100) is different than a depth (234) of a turbine-side circumferential lubricant groove (230) of the turbine-side bearing bushing (200).

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The bearing assembly (10) of claim 10, wherein the depth (234) of the turbine-side circumferential lubricant groove (230) is smaller than the depth (134) of the compressor-side circumferential lubricant groove (130), or wherein the depth (134) of the compressor-side circumferential lubricant groove (130) is smaller than the depth (234) of the turbine-side circumferential lubricant groove (230).

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The bearing assembly (10) of claim 1, wherein a number of lubricant supply bores (140) of the compressor-side bearing bushing (100) differs from a number of lubricant supply bores (240) of the turbine-side bearing bushing (200).

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The bearing assembly (10) of claim 10, wherein the number of lubricant supply bores (140) of the compressor-side bearing bushing (100) is smaller than the number of lubricant supply bores (240) of the turbine-side bearing bushing (200), and optionally, wherein the compressor-side bearing bushing (100) comprises at least one lubricant supply bore (140) less than the turbine-side bearing bushing (200), or wherein the number of lubricant supply bores (140) of the compressor-side bearing bushing (100) is larger than the number of lubricant supply bores (240) of the turbine-side bearing bushing (200), and optionally, wherein the compressor-side bearing bushing (100) comprises at least one lubricant supply bore (140) more than the turbine-side bearing bushing (200).

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The bearing assembly (10) of claim 1, wherein each of the compressor-side bearing bushing (100) and the turbine-side bearing bushing (200) is a full-floating bushing type.

### Claim 15

A charging apparatus (500) comprising:
a compressor (510) with a compressor housing (512) and an impeller (514) rotatable therein,
a drive unit which is rotatably coupled to the impeller (514) via a shaft (530) of the charging apparatus (500),
wherein the charging apparatus further comprises a bearing assembly (10) of any one of the previous claims which rotatably supports the shaft (530), and optionally, wherein the drive unit comprises a turbine (520) and/or an electric motor configured to drive the shaft (530).