Quote:
Originally Posted by Sales@KRATOS
We do not bring any turbo system to market without speed sensor testing data. All our prototype turbos utilize speed sensors for data collection to ensure shaft speeds stay within the adiabatic efficiency of our compressor wheels. We also don't provide compressor maps as we do not manufacture universal fit turbochargers. Companies that manufacture universal turbochargers provide this data so the end user can decipher which turbocharger is most efficient for their goals and vehicle application. Our Engineers design each turbo system specific to the vehicle application and therefore all the guess work is taken out of the equation. Also, the horsepower figures we advertise are directly based off of the flow capabilites that our rotor group has the ability to support. All this information has been provided before in previous online discussions about our turbo systems. To this day, we have yet to see any company sellling their own oem fitment turbochargers hybrid or otherwise that offer maps for their compressor wheels.
Operating speeds for turbochargers that utilize our frame size are nowhere near 250,000 rpm. In addition, no ball bearing technology could ever support those types of shaft speeds. Also, vsr balancing doesn't work in the manner you're describing. All our turbos are balanced below 1g via a Schenck balancer and the data for each serial number is then cataloged for internal purposes. In addition, a turbo that is balanced at low shaft speeds and out of balance at high shaft speeds will look like a dyno graph on the vsr screen. A balance that continues to climb as shaft speed climbs, even within range, is never an acceptable practice. A correctly balanced rotor group should either be flat or have a downward slope as shaft speed increases. This method also helps reduce vibration during overspeed conditions. Having said that, there is no need for us to go back to confirm if there was any balancing issue with a specific serial number. If a turbocharger doesn't pass our balancing requirements it is never shipped out. In the hypothetical scenario that a turbocharger was shipped out of balance, it would fail almost immediately at wot with this type of boost level and not 1000 miles later. Lastly, a balancing issue would not cause the turbine inducer to break off blades in an empty cavity unless the turbine wheel broke off the shaft making contact with the housing which did not occur.
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Thank you for the response and appreciate the feedback. Glad to hear your engineering team does a 2-plane balancing and my speed was used as a reference not your actual turbo. I have no skin in this game and have nothing against Kratos but I definitely see some internal improvements that can be made based on your feedback but that's not my call and will never be, I can only provide feedback as a customer/forum member from the outside looking in. Kratos commands a premium for turbos and should be forth coming with info, not just an HP # as they are way too many variables to hit that #. You can always sign an NDA with certain tuners.
And to your point, never say never in regard to balancing or material defect. I've seen turbine blades fail due to a tinny material defect (pit) on a part which passed QA/QC and have been in operation for 1000's of hours, there's always room for improvement in everything we do.
One final thought, you're 100% certain that this turbine wheel failure was not HCF?
As you all know, a turbo can encounter high load cycles for prolonged periods on a dyno, long street pulls or racetrack. HCF will cause wheel deformity in those types of conditions which will cause failure. I'm guessing this wheel was standard and not Ti.
Thanks for taking the time to respond
