Objective
The TiAlCharger project aims to create a cost-effective, mass producible, low inertia titanium aluminide turbocharger assembly providing:
• Weight savings of 60%
• A reduction on mass moment of inertia of 36% (compared to Nickel super alloys that are the current state of the art)
• Operation at temperatures >950°C
• Increased fuel to air ratios thereby improving vehicle efficiency by an additional 5% and reducing CO2 emissions reduced by 8%.
The technologies behind this innovation are Electron Beam Melting (EBM) and Electron Beam Welding (EBW). The EBM process has the potential to fabricate a turbine wheel from successive layers of powder allowing a hollow, lightweight, low-inertia rotor-wheel to be formed. The TiAl wheel will be joined to the steel shaft using the EBW process, the challenge being to create a weld between dissimilar materials that is robust enough to withstand the vibrations, high temperatures and rotational speeds present in a turbocharger. This fabrication method provides the possibility to manufacture turbocharger wheels from TiAl, which (if of the required quality) retains its strength at high temperatures, expanding the usage of turbochargers to a broad range of engine types.
The project will enable our SME consortium to:
• Create a new IP protectable product giving us greater security from ever decreasing margins
• Direct increased sales and revenues worth an estimated €58 million, creating/safeguarding ~176 new jobs p.a by year 5 post-project (EU market)
• Supply into a market technology that is expected to expand from 20% of US cars to over 85%, representing the potential to increase European exports by over >€200m by 2020.
Fields of science
Topic(s)
Call for proposal
FP7-SME-2012
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
BSG-SME - Research for SMEsCoordinator
CB21 6AL Cambridge
United Kingdom