2-STAGE SLOPES THRUST BEARING PAD DESIGN AT MIST LUBRICATION CONDITION

摘要

A turbocharger is provided including a turbine wheel and a compressor wheel attached to one another by a shaft. A thrust plate includes a plate body having an aperture there through and defining a plurality of circumferentially spaced pad regions that define a land region that is perpendicular to a rotational axis of the shaft. The plate body further defines a plurality of two stage slope regions adjacent to each of the land regions. The two stage slope regions include a steep slope portion and a gradual slope portion disposed between the steep slope portion and the land regions. The rotary assembly of the turbocharger including a thrust surface that engages the pad regions. The two-stage slope regions provide improved loading capacity by the combination of better lubricant oil availability due to the steep slope region and optimized tribological performance due to the gradual slope region.