AIR DUCT ASSEMBLY FOR ENGINE

• US 20120222641A1
• Filed: 03/04/2011
• Published: 09/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Mackenzie, Steven K., Tucker, Eric R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,485,311 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 123/184.21
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 35/10137 Flexible ducts, e.g. bellows or hoses
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 35/10281 Means to remove, re-atomise or redistribute condensed fuel; Means to avoid fuel particles from separating from the mixture apparatus for re-atomising condensed fuel or homogenising fuel-air mixture F02M29/00; other apparatus for treating combustion-air, fuel or fuel-air mixture F02M33/00
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 35/10295 Damping means, e.g. tranquillising chamber to dampen air oscillations intake silencers F02M35/12
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 35/10321 Plastics; Composites; Rubbers
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 35/1216 by using a plurality of holes, slits, protrusions, perforations, ribs or the like; Surface structures; Turbulence generators

Abstract

An air duct assembly supplies air from an air cleaner housing to an engine throttle and includes a first duct connected to the air cleaner housing and a second duct connected to the engine air intake. Open ends of the first and second ducts are spaced from one another and the second duct has a flared bell mouth at its open end. The second duct includes a sleeve that defines an attenuation chamber. A flexible bellows overlies the first and second ducts and the sleeve, and extends across the space between the first and second ducts to provide an airtight connection therebetween and flex during relative motion between the air cleaner housing and the engine air intake. A hydrocarbon adsorbing material can be housed within the attenuation chamber.

Claims

1. An air duct assembly for ducting air from an air cleaner housing to an engine comprising:

a first duct having an air flow passage communicating with the air cleaner housing;

a second duct having an air flow passage communicating with the engine, said second duct having a first cylindrical wall defining the air flow passage and having a second cylindrical wall located radially outboard of the first cylindrical wall to form a chamber between the first and second cylindrical walls;

a plurality of openings in the first cylindrical wall to communicate between the air flow passage of the second duct and the chamber;

and a flexible bellows connecting the first and second ducts, said flexible bellows overlying the second cylindrical wall.

2. The air duct assembly of claim 1 further comprising the second duct having a bell mouth defining an open end of the air flow passage of the second duct.

3. The air duct assembly of claim 1 further comprising one of the first and second cylindrical walls extending to connect with the engine and the other of the first and second cylindrical walls being provided by a tubular sleeve.

4. The air duct assembly of claim 3 further comprising the sleeve providing the first cylindrical wall.

5. The air duct assembly of claim 3 further comprising the sleeve providing the second cylindrical wall.

6. The air duct assembly of claim 3 further comprising the sleeve providing radially extending walls dividing the chamber into a plurality of chambers.

7. The air duct assembly of claim 6 further comprising a hydrocarbon adsorbing material provided in at least some of the plurality of chambers.

8. The air duct assembly of claim 1 further comprising a hydrocarbon adsorbing material provided in the chamber.

9. The air duct assembly of claim 1 further comprising said chamber being divided into a plurality of chambers and a hydrocarbon adsorbing material provided in at least some of the plurality of chambers.

10. The air duct assembly of claim 1 further comprising the air flow passage of the duct, the chamber, the first and second cylindrical walls, and the bellows being concentrically positioned in relation to one another.

11. An air duct assembly for ducting air from an air cleaner housing to an engine air intake comprising:

a first duct having a cylindrical wall connected to the air cleaner housing and having an open end;

a second duct having a cylindrical wall connected to the engine air intake and having an open end;

a sleeve surrounding the second duct in spaced relation therefrom to define an attenuation chamber between the sleeve and the cylindrical wall of the second duct;

a flexible bellows;

a plurality of air flow openings provided in the second duct and communicating with the attenuation chamber; and

,

said flexible bellows, said sleeve, and said perforations being concentric with one another and the flexible bellows overlying the open end of the first duct and the sleeve.

12. The air duct assembly of claim 11 further comprising the cylindrical wall of the second duct having a bell mouth at the open end thereof.

13. The air duct assembly of claim 11 further comprising the bellows having a first end clamped to the cylindrical wall of the first duct and a second end clamped to the sleeve.

14. The air duct assembly of claim 11 further comprising a hydrocarbon adsorbing material housed within the attenuation chamber.

15. The air duct assembly of claim 14 further comprising the attenuation chamber being provided with sufficient volume to provide both a hollow chamber portion for sound attenuation and a chamber portion for housing the hydrocarbon adsorbing material.

16. The air duct assembly of claim 11 further comprising a bell mouth provided at the open end of the second duct and a hydrocarbon adsorbing material provided within the attenuation chamber.

17. The air duct assembly of claim 11 further comprising a bell mouth provided at the open end of the second duct and the bellows having a first end attached to the first duct and a second end attached to the sleeve.

18. An air duct assembly for ducting air from an air cleaner housing to an engine air intake comprising:

a first duct having a cylindrical wall connected to the air cleaner housing and having an open end;

a second duct having a cylindrical wall connected to the engine air intake;

said second duct having a sleeve cooperating therewith to define a sound attenuation chamber;

a plurality of openings communicating air to the attenuation chamber;

and a flexible bellows overlying the cylindrical walls of the first and second ducts and overlying the sleeve, said flexible bellows extending across the space between the first and second ducts and having a first end attached to the first duct and a second end attached to the sleeve to provide a flexible airtight connection between the first and second ducts to accommodate relative motion between the air cleaner housing and the engine air intake.

19. The air duct assembly of claim 18 further comprising a hydrocarbon adsorbing material housed within all or part of the sound attenuation chambers.

20. The air duct assembly of claim 18 further comprising the sleeve being located either inside or outside of the second duct.