FUEL TANK

• US 20110240389A1
• Filed: 02/17/2011
• Published: 10/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dr Ing hc F Porsche AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Original Assignee: Dr Ing hc F Porsche AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Inventors: Kiessling, Alexander, Speck, Werner, Niewoehner, Jens
• Granted Patent: US 8,579,062 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/69.4
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 15/03177 made of non-metallic material, e.g. plastics, or of a combination of non-metallic and metallic material B60K15/03006 takes precedence

Abstract

A fuel tank of a motor vehicle is mounted on a body structure of the motor vehicle via fastening elements. The fuel tank has a glass fiber reinforced shaped plastic part (12) as heat shield that at least partially covers a surface of the fuel tank and is mounted with the fuel tank on the body structure of the motor vehicle via the fastening elements.

Claims

1. A fuel tank of a motor vehicle, the fuel tank being mountable on a body structure of the motor vehicle via fastening elements, the fuel tank having a glass fiber reinforced shaped plastic heat shielding part that at least partially covers a surface of the fuel tank and, together with the fuel tank, can be mounted on the body structure of the motor vehicle via the fastening elements.

2. The fuel tank of claim 1, wherein the glass fiber reinforced shaped plastic part covers at least a surface of the fuel tank that faces a heat source, the glass fiber reinforced shaped plastic part being coated metallically on a surface that faces the heat source.

3. The fuel tank of claim 2, wherein the glass fiber reinforced shaped plastic part has first and second layers made from plastic and a third layer made from glass fiber reinforced plastic between the first and second layers the first layer or the second layer carrying the metallic coating.

4. The fuel tank of claim 2, wherein the plastic consists is a thermoplastic and the metallic coating is aluminum.

5. The fuel tank of claim 1, wherein glass fiber reinforced shaped plastic heat shielding part has glass fibers distributed uniformly therein and embedded in a nondirectional manner.

6. The fuel tank of claim 1, wherein the shaped plastic part that acts as heat shield has a contour adapted to a contour of a surface of the fuel tank that is to be covered by the shaped plastic part.

7. A motor vehicle, comprising a fuel tank mounted on a body structure of the motor vehicle via fastening elements, a glass fiber reinforced shaped plastic heat shielding part at least partially covering a surface of the fuel tank and being mounted with the fuel tank on the body structure of the motor vehicle via the fastening elements for the fuel tank.

8. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 7, wherein the heat shield is nested over at least part of the fuel tank.

9. A motor vehicle comprising:

a heat generating component;

a body structure component in proximity to the heat generating component;

a fuel tank in proximity to the heat generating component and the body structure component;

a heat shield substantially nested over a portion of the fuel tank facing the heat generating component, the heat shield including a glass fiber reinforced shaped plastic part between the heat generating component and the fuel tank; and

at least one fastening element for holding the heat shield in nested relationship to the fuel tank and mounting both the fuel tank and the heat shield on the body structure component.

10. The motor vehicle of claim 9, wherein the heat shield further includes a metal layer on a surface of the heat shield facing the heat generating component of the motor vehicle.

11. The motor vehicle of claim 9, wherein the heat shield includes layers of thermoplastic on opposite surfaces of the glass fiber reinforced shaped plastic.

12. The motor vehicle of claim 11, further comprising a layer of metal on one of the layers of thermoplastic, the metal being disposed to face the heat generating component.

13. The motor vehicle of claim 12, wherein the metal is aluminum.

14. The motor vehicle of claim 12, wherein the heat generating component is a drive assembly of the motor vehicle.