Flow characteristics of an automotive compressor with an additively manufactured rotor disc

This paper presents the results of experimental research regarding the determination of the flow characteristics of the compressor of an automotive turbocharger with a plastic rotor disc. The disc was manufactured using the 3D printing technology called the multijet printing, which allows complex geometries to be printed with high precision. Currently, in addition to speeding up the manufacturing processes and reducing their costs, 3D printing technologies are increasingly seen as standard tools that can be used in the design and optimization of machine parts. This article is a continuation of research on the possibility of applying additively manufactured elements in turbomachines. The experimental research was carried out at high rotational speeds (up to 110 000 rpm), using the automotive turbocharger with two different compressor rotors ( i.e. one aluminum and one polymer). The first chapters of the paper discuss the preparation stage of the research ( i.e. the manufacture of the rotor, the test rig). Then, the experimental research and the flow characteristics are described. The results obtained for the two types of discs were compared with each other and the area of application of the additively manufactured rotor was determined. The rotor functioned properly in the range of tested operating parameters and the results obtained showed that the technology and material applied could be used in the optimization studies of the blade systems of high-speed fluid-flow machines.