A turbo flange connects a turbocharger to an intake or exhaust system and is made from mild steel, stainless steel, or aluminum. It must have a flat and finished surface to properly bite into the gasket material. It can be fastened with bolts or welding, with welding providing the best method for proper seating. A damaged or burnt turbo flange can cause pressure loss, loss of power, and damage to critical engine components.
A turbo flange is a piece of metal that has been machined to connect a turbocharger to an intake or exhaust system. Commonly made from mild steel or stainless steel, a turbo flange can also be manufactured from aluminum. Depending on the particular application, there are different types and styles of turbo flange designs that work on a wide variety of turbocharger sizes and ports. Most flanges are manufactured on a computer numerical control (CNC) machine or flame cutter, while some high performance trims are created from a solid piece of billet material on a milling machine.
Unlike a camshaft or cylinder head, a turbocharger is not attached directly to an engine. A turbocharger is mounted in an exhaust and intake system with the help of a turbo flange. The flange connects to the turbocharger in a number of ways as well as to the exhaust and intake pipes through the use of flanges. Every flange, regardless of its function or application, also commonly uses a flange gasket. The gasket is inserted between the flange and the turbocharger housing.
The mounting surface of a turbo flange must be extremely flat and finished to a suitable tooth so that it can properly bite into the gasket material. This is critical due to the enormous amounts of boost pressure that can be generated by the spinning turbocharger. The smallest imperfection in the flange or its adjacent mating surface could cause a pressure loss. This will be felt in the engine as a loss of power and could destroy other critical engine components, such as pistons, cylinder walls and valves. Other types of damage that could result from a damaged or burnt turbo flange are oil leaks, lack of oil pressure to the turbocharger bearings, and thermal damage to the turbo from misdirected exhaust gases.
Typical methods of fastening for the turbo flange to the turbocharger are by the use of bolts or by welding onto the turbocharger. Due to the inevitable tendency for variation in the casting and machining of turbocharger bodies, welding typically provides the best method of properly seating the flange over the housing opening. Through slight manipulation and adjustment, the welder is able to properly align the edges of the flange opening with the edges of the housing opening. This creates a smooth flow and transition of gases as they flow from the turbocharger into the engine’s intake system, resulting in improved power and performance.
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