US2745353A - Rotor wheel - Google Patents

Description

A. J. SYROVY ROTOR WHEEL May 15, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed May 5, 1949 May 15, 1956 A. J. sYRovY 2,745,353

RoToR WHEEL Filed May 5, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 52T: f/ /j i in l] y 51-fi #i g j; l@ M. 4 j/ .E :l1 52 I ,l

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crease in diameter of the wheel.

United States Patent O 2,745,353 o ROTGR WHEEL Augustin J. Syrovy, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Chrysler Corporation, Highland Park, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Y Application May 3, 1949, Serial No. 91,957 2 Claims. (Cl. 103-115) processes. Stamped wheels have been somewhat costly to manufacture due to the labor required in assembling the various wheel components and wheel balancing has presented additional problems. structible core methods have been relatively costly v to manufacture due to the time consuming and relatively expensive steps associated with this type of casting process. Due to the conventional curved shape of the blades of a hydraulic torque converter rotor wheel, it has been practically impossible to cast this type of wheel by a die casting process and consequently the more expensive and time consuming method of casting the wheels with destructible cores has been the general practice. The curvature of hydrodynamic torque converter wheel blade elements heretofore used has usually beensuch as to prevent removal of the blade forming die from the Vwheel mold without destroying either the blades or the movable Vdie so consequently cast rotor wheels have usually been formed by molding processes using plaster of paris or sand core elements that are destroyed in order to remove the cores from the integrally cast wheels. It is obvious that a destructible core process would be considerably more expensive than a die casting process where a permanent type of die core could be used continuously to quickly, easily and economically fabricate bladed wheels, all of which would have the same smooth, accurately formed, blade element faces.

lThe rotor wheel comprising this invention is conventional in that it includes an outer peripheral rim portion, an inner coaxially arranged hub portion and a plurality of radially extending, curved, blade elements connected between the rim and hub portions. In order to permit formation of this rotor wheel as an integral unit by a die casting process, the curved blade elements are shaped such that they have helically curved faces formed Vwith a constant lead or helix angle wherein the angularity of the blade element-faces progressively increase with in- Formingfthe blade elements with A*a vcurvature that is generated by a line having a constantlead so as to produce a variable blade angle with increase in diameter of the wheel permits the blade forming die core element to be screwed out of the wheel casting and thus a permanent type of core element may be used to fabricate the rotor wheels by conventional vdie casting processes or the like.

In addition to providing a rotor wheel that is easy and economical to manufacture, -it has been found that the helically shaped blades of a rotor wheel formed in accordance'with this inventionare ecient and particularly adapted Vfor use as the 'guide vanes in a reaction wheel of a hydrodynamic torque converter or the like.

Thus not only is it possible to increase the production rate and reduce the wheel cost due to the use of permanent type die molds and core elements, but in addition the die casting methods give very smooth surfaced rotor vto prevent turbulence in the fluid passed through the vwheel Wheels cast by de- Y 2,745,353 lliatented May l15, 1956 "Ice and this tends to increase the eiciency of the torque converter unit utilizing such a wheel.

While this invention is primarily concerned with an improved type of reaction wheel for a fluid torque converter, still, the scope of this inventionis not restricted thereto and is limited only by the wording of the apd pended claims.

lt is an object of this invention to provide a helically bladed rotor wheel wherein the curved blade elements are shaped such that a permanent type of die core may be used to form the blade elements, said core being easily retracted from the cast wheelfwithout damage to either the wheel or the core element.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a bladed rotor wheel with helically curved blade elements wherein the curvature l'of the blade elements has a constant lead, and the blade angle, and the distancebetween the blade elements progressively increases with increase in diameter of the wheel from the hub to the peripheral rim.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved method of manufacture of rotor wheels having curved blade elements which will permit fabrication of the rotor wheels by die casting or the like.

Fig. l is a plan view of a rotor wheel formed in ac- Vcordance with this invention, certain of the blade elerments being omitted for the sake of clarity;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the rotor wheel shown in Fig. l, the view being taken along the line 2--2 of Fig. 1; Y f

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional elevation of the blade elements of the wheel of Fig. l, the section being 'taken along the line v3---3 of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation through a wheel casting die assembly in which a wheel is being formed in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 5 Vis a framentary rsectional elevation of the die Vand contained wheel shown in Fig. 4, the view being taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4; Y Y

Fig. 6 is another fragmentary sectional elevation of the die and contained wheel, the view being similar to Fig. 4 but showing the movable die core element retractably screwed part way out of the wheel unit;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary side elevation Aof a portion of the die assembly and contained wheel, the View being taken along the line 7-7 of Fig. 5 with portions of the die components being broken' away and shown in section to more clearly disclose the arrangement of theV wheel within the die assembly;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary side elevation similar to Pig. 7

but showing the core ring of the die assembly screwed completely out of the wheel unit, certain parts of the die assembly being broken away and shown in section for the sake of clarity;

Figi. .9 is a fragmentary perspective view of portions of the wheel hub, a blade element and the wheel rim with reference lines indicating the variation in blade angularity between the hub and rimgand Fig. l0 is a sectional View through the wheel in the plane of the wheel axis and showing the development of a helical blade element having a constant lead.

The rotor wheel 12 is an integrally formed unit comprising an annular hub portion 14, a concentrically arranged peripheral rim portion 18 and a plurality of axially directed, helically curved, radially extending, blade elements 20 connected between the hub and rim portions 14, 18. Hub portion 14 has a radially extending flange portion 15 to facilitate mounting of the rotor wheel 12 on a suitable supporting member. Flange 15 may-be bolted, riveted or welded to a supportingmernber (not shown) in any well known manner. The hub `portion 14 (see Figs. 2, 4 and 6) has an outer, axially'e'xtending, Ysurface 16Y that is curvedradially inwardly from 'the Y and also improves the flow ofthe Y the wheel passageways 24. Y g

`counterclockwise Vunscrewing movement'.

the die parts 41, 43 and 45 in assembled relationship.

left side of the wheel towards the right side of the wheel soV that the subsequently described movable. die Ycore element 45, used to form the wheel, may be readily withdrawn from the right side of the wheel casting. The in- 'ner axially Y'extending side A19 of the rim portion 18 is likewise sloped Vradially'outwardly from Vthe left'side of thewheel towards the right side `of the wheel to facilitate removal of the core element 45 from the wheel. The

Ydivergence ofthe surfaces 16 and 19 facilitates removal of the bladel element die core from the wheel casting The blade elements 20 are formed with helically curved 4faces12^1 and 22 each of which has a constant lead L (see Fig. 10), and a blade'angularity AA-BB V(see Fig.V 9)

progressivelyinc'reases with increase in the diameter D1 to D2 (see Figl) of thewheel 12. Furthermore, the

working iluid through P (see Fig'. 5) between adjacent; blades 20 progressivelyr increase in Ywidth with increase in diameter of the wheel. The helically curved blade elements 20 are generated about the axis ofY rotation -0 (see Fig. 10) ofthe wheel 12 and the blade element lead L remainsY constant even though the angle ofthe blade element varies from the hub to the peripheral rim (seefFig. 9). To maintain the blade elements of uniform thickness, it is necessary for'the distances between blades P to progressivelyl increase as the diameter of theV wheel increases from the hub 14 to the rim 18 (see Fig. 5 It is possible to vary Vthe thickness of the blade elements by varying the rate of changefofthe Ydistances P with change in diameter of the Wheel andV still withdraw the die from the wheel mold for the movement of the die is in an axial direction.

n Fig. is thought to clearly show the method of'de- Y velopment of thewheel blades ysuch that the blades gressive variation in blade angularity permits withdrawal of the blade .forming/core, element 45 without destruc' tion of the blade or core upon unscrewing of the core element about an axis that coincides with theaxis of the rotor wheel. 1 Y

Figs. 4-8 show a portion of the die .casting apparatus used to fabricate a rotor `wheel in accordance with thisV invention. Numeral 41 represents a portion ofthe die that would ordinarily be mounted on the iixed Vvplaten of a die casting machine A(not shown).v Also mounted on the fixed platen of the die casting machine is another die part 43. The VVfixed portionof the dieis made up of the two parts 41'and 43 to provide a means for lock ing thercast wheel 12 tothe fixed platen of the die casting (not shown) Vand are adapted to`be movedrelative to each other during removal of the wheel fromrthe die.

lManufacture of the wheeldisclosed may be accom-k plished by'assembling the die parts'41, 43, 45 and 47 in assembled relationship as shown Vin Fig. 4. Thereafter sucient molten metal under'pressure is introduced to Vthe die through a gate (not shown), this metal com- Y pletely filling the die'cavity. After the molten metal has hardened in Vthe Ydie then the` core element 45 is retracted out of the cast wheel 12 by a left handed or Fig; 7 shows Vhy the arrow 49. Fig. 8V shows the core element V45V completely removed from the wheel 12 by the axial un- 1 Ybe used tov form the rotor. wheels.

45 from the cast Vwheel 12, the core element Y451s provided with a guide pin 51 that extends intoa guide channel 52 formed in the peripheral surface ofthe cylindricaly crore element 47. AThe guide channel 52 is a helically Vformed groove having a constant 'lead so that the ngers 46 of core element 45 Vmay be readilywithdrawn from lbetween the wheel blade elements 20 whencore element 45 is Vrotated, in a counterclockwisedirectionwhen look'- ing .at Fig. 4 inthe direction of the'arrows 5*-511 `ItY is to be understood that^the term die casting as used. herein includes pressure and gravity die casting aswell kas permanent mold casting and related, processes that f depend upon the use of'a permanent type of corel element,

I claim: f'

l1. An integrally cast rotor wheel comprising' concentricallyY arranged annular hub and rim `portions with radially extending, axially directed blade "elements connected.-

throughout their extent, and aucircumferential spacingw e between adjacent blades that Vprogressively increases with increase in the diameter ofthe wheels 2. An integrally .cast rotor wheel comprising concen- .trically arranged annular hub ,and rimportionswith radially extending, axially directed blade Yelements connected between Vthe hubV and rim portions, said blade `elements` each having helically curved opposite faces generated about the axis of rotation of the wheel, -said blade elements having a twist wherein` the angularity of twist varies uniformly with'increase in' the diameter of the wheel whereby said'helicallyfcurvedzblade element faces have constant `lead throughout their extent, Vand a circumferential spacing between adjacent blades vthat progressively increases withvincrease inthe diameter of the wheel, said hub Vand rim .portionsrofV the ;wheel having axially extending, opposed surfaces ,extending ,between Vthe adjacent blade elements that` divergefrom one Side of the wheel towards the oppositev side thereof."V

AReferences Cited in the'le of this patent UNTED yS'L'IES VPATEIWIS Y i '383,217 FoxV V May 221888 v 500,080 Rateau ..n June 20, 189,3 506,572 Wagener^ n..a 0ct. 10, 1893` 1,518,502 i Gill e Dec.V 9, 1924 1,546,554 Y Y Ross July 21, 1925 1,738,210 Sargent Dec."3, 1929 1,937,461 Myltino Nov. 28 1933 2,108,080, Schultz ;Feb.i15,1938 2,205,054 Wemp June118, 194,0 2,287,496 Popper June.231942 Y 2,356,338Y Misfeldt Aug.22, 1944 Y 2,391,523 'Sorensen v Dec. 25, 1945 2,481,541 Schneider Sept, `13,1949 2,493,240 Ernrnert' y Ianf3, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS;l Y e Y Y e e 544,718 Great` Britain A Apr. 24, 1942' 594,538 Great Britain Y. Nov..l3, Y1947 YOTHER.Rumaniaons e Y Y Marks Handbook,4thnd., copyright v1941V (page i156).

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