Patent ID: 7001143

Claim:
A turbocharger assembly comprising: a turbine housing having an exhaust gas inlet and an exhaust outlet, and a volute connected to the inlet; a turbine wheel carried within the turbine housing and attached to a shaft; a plurality of vanes disposed within the turbine housing between the exhaust gas inlet and turbine wheel, each vane comprising: an inner airfoil surface; an outer airfoil surface oriented opposite the inner airfoil surface, the inner and outer airfoil surfaces defining a vane thickness; a leading edge positioned along a first inner and outer airfoil surface junction; a trailing edge positioned along a second inner and outer airfoil surface junction, the leading and trailing edges defining a vane length; wherein the inner airfoil and outer airfoil surfaces define a camberline positioned therebetween and extending from the leading edge to the trailing edge, wherein the camberline includes a curved section and is substantially flat along at least about the first five percent of the vane length moving from the leading edge, wherein the vane thickness at a location on the vane a distance from the leading edge of approximately three quarters the vane length is greater than about 40 percent of the vane thickness at a location on the vane a distance from the leading edge of approximately one-half the vane length; and wherein the leading edge is defined by a radius of curvature that is in the range of about 10 to 30 percent of the maximum vane thickness.