Exhaust muffler

• US 5,907,135 A
• Filed: 06/20/1997
• Issued: 05/25/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Masuda, Yasuo, Hayakawa, Masaaki, Mitsuyoshi, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Dang, Khanh
• Application Number:
  US08/878,829
• Time in Patent Office: 704 Days
• Field of Search: 181/243, 181/252, 181/256, 181/264, 181/267, 181/269, 181/272, 181/282, 181/227, 181/228
• US Class Current: 181/282
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 1/02 by using resonance
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 1/04 having sound-absorbing materials in resonance chambers
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 1/08 by reducing exhaust energy by throttling or whirling
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 1/10 in combination with sound-absorbing materials F01N1/125 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 13/1838 characterised by the type of connection between parts of exhaust or silencing apparatus, e.g. between housing and tubes, between tubes and baffles
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 13/1872 the assembly using stamp-formed parts or otherwise deformed sheet-metal
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 13/1888 the housing of the assembly consisting of two or more parts, e.g. two half-shells
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2450/22 by welding or brazing
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2470/06 Tubes being formed by assembly of stamped or otherwise deformed sheet-metal
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2490/155 being disposed one after the other in flow direction
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2510/08 for corrosion prevention
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2530/04 Steel alloys, e.g. stainless steel

Abstract

An exhaust muffler comprising an outer cylindrical body, front and rear end plates mounted on each end of the outer cylindrical body, porous plates fitted on the insides of the outer cylindrical body and each of the end plates, and partition plates for dividing the internal space of the outer cylindrical body into several chambers, wherein when joining the component parts with each other, three or four component parts are superposed via their joint portions each on the other and integrally joined by laser beam welding so as to obtain a reduction of welding steps and minimize the thermal influence in the manufacturing process while ensuring an air-tight condition of the partitioned chambers. When an exhaust pipe and tail pipe are connected to the end plates, respectively, they are laser beam welded to the end plates in a superposed fashion. Alternatively, the outer cylindrical body is formed in a multiple-layered construction with inner and outer panels which are so formed integral with each other as to squeeze or press inwardly, when assembling, an internally installed unit over its fill periphery, thereby not requiring particular measures for fixedly securing the internally installed unit to the outer cylindrical body. Preferably the outer cylindrical body and end plates are formed on an aluminum-plated or a stainless steel plate, thereby dispensing with a coating after welding.

Claims

1. An exhaust muffler comprising:

an outer cylindrical body formed in a multiple-layered construction with inner and outer panels,

an end plate coupled through its joint portion with at least a side of a front or a rear end of said cylindrical body, and

an internally installed unit adapted to be arranged within said outer cylindrical body, said internally installed unit comprising a porous plate arranged on and spaced apart from at least one of plural inside surfaces of said outer cylindrical body and said end plate, and a partition plate adapted to partition an internal space defined by said cylindrical body in a forward and rearward direction thereof,

said inner and said outer panels being integrally formed together into a substantially same configuration in a superposed relationship,

wherein said inner and outer panels of said outer cylindrical body are superposed each on the other and rolled once up into a cylindrical shape simultaneously by a roll forming process.

2. An exhaust muffler according to claim 1, wherein said inner and outer panels of either said outer cylindrical body or said end plate are formed of heterogeneous materials.

3. An exhaust muffler according to claim 2, wherein said outer cylindrical body and said end plate are made of either an aluminum-plated steel plate or a stainless steel plate, or of varying combinations of both.

4. An exhaust muffler according to claim 1, wherein said inner and outer panels of either said outer cylindrical body or said end plate are formed with different thickness.

5. An exhaust muffler according to claim 1, wherein said outer panel is formed of heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant material and said inner panel is formed of a rolled steel plate.

6. An exhaust muffler comprising:

an outer cylindrical body formed in a multiple-layered construction with inner and outer panels,

an end plate coupled through its joint portion with at least a side of a front or a rear end of said outer cylindrical body, and

an internally installed unit adapted to be arranged within said outer cylindrical body, said internally installed unit comprising a porous plate arranged on and spaced apart from at least one of plural inside surfaces of said outer cylindrical body and said end plate, and a partition plate adapted to partition an internal space defined by said outer cylindrical body in a forward and rearward direction thereof,

said inner and said outer panels being integrally formed together into a substantially same configuration in a superposed relationship,

wherein said outer cylindrical body is formed with a pair of halves, each of which is provided with inner and outer panels pressed together and integrally formed into shape in a superposed relationship.

7. An exhaust muffler according to claim 6, further comprising an end plate for covering the end of said outer cylindrical body, wherein said end plate is formed with inner and outer panels which are superposed each on the other and integrally formed simultaneously by a press forming process.

8. An exhaust muffler according to claim 6, wherein said inner and outer panels of either said outer cylindrical body or said end plate are formed of heterogeneous materials.

9. An exhaust muffler according to claim 8, wherein said outer cylindrical body and said end plate are made of either an aluminum-plated steel plate or a stainless steel plate, or of varying combinations of both.

10. An exhaust muffler according to claim 6, wherein said inner and outer panels of either said outer cylindrical body or said end plate are formed with different thickness.

11. An exhaust muffler according to claim 6, wherein said outer panel is formed of heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant material such as a stainless steel plate, an aluminum-plated steel plate, and said inner panel is formed of a rolled steel plate.

12. An exhaust muffler according to claim 6, wherein upon forming either said outer cylindrical body or said end plate, an engaging means is provided for engagement between said inner and outer panels.

13. An exhaust muffler according to claim 6, wherein said pair of porous plates are interposed at their joint between joint portions of said pair of halves of said outer cylindrical body so as to be integrally joined to each other by laser beam welding.

14. An exhaust muffler according to claim 13, comprising an exhaust pipe connected to said end plate at the front end of said outer cylindrical body, wherein said porous plate is interposed through its joint portion between said exhaust pipe and said end plate so as to be integrally joined to each other by the laser beam welding.

15. An exhaust pipe according to claim 13, comprising a tail pipe connected to said rear end plate, wherein said porous plate is interposed through its joint portion between said tail pipe and said rear end plate so as to be integrally joined to each other by the laser beam welding.

16. An exhaust muffler comprising:

an outer cylindrical body formed in a multiple-layered construction with inner and outer panels,

an end plate coupled through its joint portion with at least one of the front and rear ends of said cylindrical body, and

an internally installed unit adapted to be arranged within said cylindrical body, said internally installed unit comprising a porous plate arranged on and spaced apart from the inside surface of at least one of said cylindrical body and said end plate, and a partition plate adapted to partition an internal space defined by said cylindrical body into chambers arranged in the longitudinal direction of said cylindrical body,

wherein said outer cylindrical body is formed with at least two panels having substantially the same configuration and formed together into a cylindrical shape of a single roll by a roll forming while they are being superposed each on the other.

17. An exhaust muffler comprising:

an outer cylindrical body formed in a multiple-layered construction with inner and outer panels,

an end plate coupled through its joint portion with at least one of the front and rear ends of said outer cylindrical body, and

an internally installed unit adapted to be arranged within said outer cylindrical body, said internally installed unit comprising a porous plate arranged on and spaced apart from the inside surface of at least either one of said outer cylindrical body and said end plate, and a partition plate adapted to partition an internal space defined by said outer cylindrical body into chambers arranged in the longitudinal direction thereof,

wherein said outer cylindrical body is formed with a pair of halves, each of said halves including at least two panels having substantially the same configuration and formed together into a semi-cylindrical shape by a press forming while they are being superposed each on the other.