Method of enhancing corrosion resistance of hollow vessels

• US 20070075087A1
• Filed: 09/30/2005
• Published: 04/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harley-Davidson Motor Company Incorporated (Harley-Davidson Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Harley-Davidson Motor Company Group Incorporated (Harley-Davidson Incorporated)
• Inventors: Knight, Timothy
• Granted Patent: US 8,709,535 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 220/562
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 1/18 performed by dipping
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 7/142 Auto-deposited coatings, i.e. autophoretic coatings
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 7/227 of containers, cans or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 35/00 Fuel tanks specially adapted for motorcycles or engine-assisted cycles; Arrangements thereof fuel tanks forming part of cycle frames B62K11/00; tanks in general B60K ; closure caps for fuel tanks B60K15/0406
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 13/14 Tubes; Rings; Hollow bodies

Abstract

A method of enhancing corrosion resistance of a hollow vessel. The method includes providing a hollow vessel including a wall defining a cavity, providing a coating tank filled with a liquid coating having charged coating elements, submerging the hollow vessel into the liquid coating, allowing the liquid coating to pass into the cavity through at least one aperture of the wall, coating the exterior surface of the wall with a portion of the coating elements, coating the interior surface of the wall with an additional portion of the coating elements, removing the hollow vessel from the coating tank, draining the liquid coating from the cavity, heating the hollow vessel in an oven, and curing the portion of the coating elements on the exterior surface and curing the additional portion of the coating elements on the interior surface.

Claims

1. A method of enhancing corrosion resistance of a hollow vessel, the method comprising:

providing a hollow vessel including a wall defining a cavity, the wall including interior and exterior surfaces and at least one aperture providing access to the cavity;

providing a coating tank filled with a liquid coating having charged coating elements,

submerging the hollow vessel into the liquid coating;

allowing the liquid coating to pass through the at least one aperture into the cavity;

coating the exterior surface with a portion of the coating elements;

coating the interior surface with an additional portion of the coating elements;

removing the hollow vessel from the coating tank;

draining the liquid coating from the cavity;

heating the hollow vessel in an oven; and

curing the portion of the coating elements on the exterior surface and curing the additional portion of the coating elements on the interior surface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a coating tank includes providing a coating tank filled with an electrodeposition coating.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein providing a coating tank filled with an electrodeposition coating includes providing a coating tank filled with an epoxy electrodeposition coating.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising submerging a counter electrode within the electrodeposition coating in the coating tank.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising applying a negative charge to the hollow vessel and wherein providing a coating tank includes providing a coating tank filled with an electrodeposition coating having positively charged coating elements.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a coating tank includes providing a coating tank filled with an autodeposition coating.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a hollow vessel includes providing a fuel tank.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the fuel tank includes a canopy positioned on the top of the fuel tank in an upright orientation, and wherein the at least one aperture includes an aperture in the canopy.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the fuel tank includes a fitting positioned on the bottom of the fuel tank in an upright orientation, and wherein the at least one aperture includes an aperture in the fitting.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising mounting the fuel tank to a fixture in an upside-down orientation.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein allowing the liquid coating to pass through the at least one aperture into the cavity includes allowing the liquid coating to pass through the aperture in the canopy.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein draining the liquid coating from the cavity through the at least one aperture includes draining the liquid coating through the aperture in the canopy.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising venting the cavity through the aperture in the fitting.

14. A hollow vessel comprising:

a wall defining a cavity, the wall including interior and exterior surfaces and at least one aperture providing access to the cavity, the interior and exterior surfaces coated by the process of

providing a coating tank filled with a liquid coating having charged coating elements,

submerging the hollow vessel into the coating tank;

allowing the liquid coating to pass through the at least one aperture into the cavity;

coating the exterior surface with a portion of the coating elements;

coating the interior surface with an additional portion of the coating elements;

removing the hollow vessel from the coating tank;

draining the liquid coating from the cavity;

heating the hollow vessel in an oven; and

curing the portion of the coating elements on the exterior surface and curing the additional portion of the coating elements on the interior surface.

15. The hollow vessel of claim 14, wherein the interior and exterior surfaces are coated by an electrodeposition coating process.

16. The hollow vessel of claim 15, wherein the interior and exterior surfaces are coated by an epoxy electrodeposition coating process.

17. The hollow vessel of claim 14, wherein the interior and exterior surfaces are coated by an autodeposition coating process.

18. The hollow vessel of claim 14, wherein the hollow vessel includes a fuel tank.

19. The hollow vessel of claim 14, wherein the fuel tank includes a canopy positioned on the top of the fuel tank in an upright orientation, and wherein the at least one aperture includes an aperture in the canopy.

20. The hollow vessel of claim 18, wherein the fuel tank includes a fitting positioned on the bottom of the fuel tank in an upright orientation, and wherein the at least one aperture includes an aperture in the fitting.