Claims
- 1. An exhaust-gas turbocharger for an internal combustion engine, comprising:
an exhaust-gas turbine arranged in an exhaust tract; a compressor arranged in an intake tract; a shaft coupling said exhaust-gas turbine and said compressor; at least one bearing supporting said shaft in a casing of the exhaust-gas turbocharger, said bearing being a non-contacting bearing such that, when the exhaust-gas turbocharger is in operation, said shaft is held at a distance from a bearing receptacle fixed to the casing so as to be virtually free of friction with the bearing receptacle.
- 2. The exhaust-gas turbocharger according to claim 1, wherein said bearing is an air bearing having an air gap between the shaft and the bearing receptacle fixed to the casing.
- 3. The exhaust-gas turbocharger according to claim 2, further comprising an air supply device which supplies air to the air gap.
- 4. The exhaust-gas turbocharger according to claim 3, wherein said air bearing is an aerodynamic bearing, in which the air flows through the air gap.
- 5. The exhaust-gas turbocharger according to claim 1, wherein said at least one bearing is a radial bearing provided on a compressor-side of the exhaust-gas turbocharger.
- 6. The exhaust-gas turbocharger according to claim 2, wherein said at least one bearing is a radial bearing provided on a compressor-side of the exhaust-gas turbocharger.
- 7. The exhaust-gas turbocharger according to claim 3, wherein said at least one bearing is a radial bearing provided on a compressor-side of the exhaust-gas turbocharger.
- 8. The exhaust-gas turbocharger according to claim 4, wherein said at least one bearing is a radial bearing provided on a compressor-side of the exhaust-gas turbocharger.
- 9. The exhaust-gas turbocharger according to claim 1, wherein said at least one bearing is a combined axial/radial bearing provided between the exhaust-gas turbine and the compressor.
- 10. The exhaust-gas turbocharger according to claim 2, wherein said at least one bearing is a combined axial/radial bearing provided between the exhaust-gas turbine and the compressor.
- 11. The exhaust-gas turbocharger according to claim 3, wherein said at least one bearing is a combined axial/radial bearing provided between the exhaust-gas turbine and the compressor.
- 12. The exhaust-gas turbocharger according to claim 4, wherein said at least one bearing is a combined axial/radial bearing provided between the exhaust-gas turbine and the compressor.
- 13. The exhaust-gas turbocharger according to claim 5, further comprising a combined axial/radial bearing provided between the exhaust-gas turbine and the compressor.
- 14. The exhaust-gas turbocharger according to claim 1, wherein said at least one bearing is a magnetic bearing.
- 15. The exhaust-gas turbocharger according to claim 14, wherein said magnetic bearing forms part of an electric motor, the shaft of the exhaust-gas turbocharger being a rotor of the electric motor.
- 16. The exhaust-gas turbocharger according to claim 2, wherein both an air bearing and an electromagnetic bearing are provided.
- 17. The exhaust-gas turbocharger according to claim 1, further comprising a contact bearing in addition to the non-contact bearing.
- 18. The exhaust-gas turbocharger according to claim 17, wherein said contact bearing is a roller bearing.
- 19. The exhaust-gas turbocharger according to claim 18, wherein said roller bearing is arranged axially asymmetrically in the exhaust-gas turbocharger and is provided in addition to the non-contact bearing.
- 20. In an exhaust-gas turbocharger for an internal combustion engine, a method for supporting a shaft of the exhaust-gas turbocharger in a casing of the exhaust-gas turbocharger, the method comprising the acts of:
providing a gap between the shaft and a bearing receptacle fixed to the casing; supplying air through the gap when the turbocharger is in operation to form a supporting air cushion, whereby the shaft is held at a distance from the bearing receptacle in a virtually friction free manner.
- 21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the act of supplying air further comprises the act of flowing the air axially through the gap.
- 22. The method according to claim 21, further comprising the act of introducing the air radially into the gap.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
100 11 419.9 |
Mar 2000 |
DE |
|
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This application claims the priority of German Application No. 100 11 419.9, filed Mar. 9, 2000, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.