Metal vessel and a fabrication method for the same

• US 6,332,346 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2000
• Issued: 12/25/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nippon Sanso Corporation (Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Nippon Sanso Corporation (Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Komiya, Yasuhiko, Toida, Shoji
• Primary Examiner(s): JONES, DAVID B
• Application Number:
  US09/728,635
• Publication Number:
  US 20010000278A1
• Time in Patent Office: 389 Days
• Field of Search: 72/61, 72/58, 72/62, 220/612, 220/613, 294/211
• US Class Current: 72/58
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 26/049 Deforming bodies having a closed end
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 51/10 conically or cylindrically shaped objects
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 51/18 vessels, e.g. tubs, vats, tanks, sinks, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49805 Shaping by direct application of fluent pressure

Abstract

In the present invention, in a method of fabricating a metal vessel formed by expanding in hydraulic bulge formation a cylinder having a bottom, wherein a flat plate material is formed into a cylinder, the edges welded, and a bottom member welded to one open part of the cylindrical shell member, the stationary point of the expanded part of the shell member is made the expanding part side from the shell member—bottom member weld of the cylinder with a bottom, and thereby by expanding the shell part on the opening side, a metal vessel is formed, and thus the time of the processing itself of a plurality of expanding process of press-working and ironing and transiting of moving from one step to the next can be completed by one step, decreasing the time and reducing the cost.

Claims

1. A metal vessel comprising:

a cylinder including a shell member and a bottom member, the shell member comprises;

a shell part adjacent to the bottom member, the shell part having an external diameter which is larger than the external diameter of the bottom member; and

a neck part at an end opposite to the bottom member, the neck part having an external diameter which is smaller than the external diameter of the shell part, the neck part projecting from the shell part and is formed from the same member as the shell part; and

the neck part including an opening part;

wherein one end of the shell member being made integral to the bottom member by welding, the other end of the shell member providing the opening part wherein the cylinder is formed by a fabrication method comprising the steps of;

disposing the cylinder in a die comprising a moving die and a stationary die in a state wherein the moving die and the stationary die are separated, so that the opening part is on the stationary die side and the bottom member is on the moving die side; and

fabricating the metal vessel by carrying out hydraulic bulge formation in such a manner that a length of the weld between the shell member and the bottom member is approximately the same before and after the hydraulic bulge formation by moving the moving die towards the stationary die, expanding the shell member of the cylinder, and at the same time injecting a liquid into the cylinder and then applying pressure.

2. The metal vessel according to claim 1, wherein the shell member has an external diameter larger than an external diameter of the opening part and bottom member.

3. The metal vessel according to claim 1, wherein the shell member is a non-circular tube.

4. The metal vessel according to claim 1, wherein the bottom member is dish shaped.

5. The metal vessel according to claim 4, wherein the bottom member is welded to the shell member so that a concave face of the bottom member faces outside of the shell member.

6. The metal vessel according to claim 4, wherein the bottom member is welded to the shell member so that a concave face of the bottom member faces inside of the shell member.

7. The metal vessel according to claim 4, wherein the bottom member is welded to the shell member with a concave face of the dish shaped bottom member facing outward.

8. The metal vessel according to claim 4, wherein the bottom member is welded to the shell member with a concave face of the dish shaped bottom member facing inward.

9. The metal vessel according to claim 1, wherein the bottom member is a flat plate.

10. The metal vessel according to claim 1, wherein the bottom member is round.

11. The metal vessel according to claim 1, wherein the bottom and shell members have external diameters, such that the external diameter of the bottom member is smaller than the external diameter of the shell member of the vessel.

12. The metal vessel according to claim 1, further comprising a shell member whose external shell diameter is larger than a diameter of the opening part and a diameter of the bottom member, and wherein the shell member has an inwardly directed flange at one end to provide a reduced diameter opening in the shell member, the bottom member being welded to the flange to close the opening and the weld between the bottom member and the shell member is positioned at a deepest part of the vessel with respect to the opening part.

13. The metal vessel according to claim 12, wherein the bottom member is round.

14. The metal vessel according to claim 1, wherein the shell member has an outer surface and a surface roughness of the outer surface of the shell member is about 1.0 μ

m, or less.

15. A double-walled vacuum metal vessel, wherein an inner vessel is a metal vessel according to claim 1.

16. The metal vessel according to claim 1, wherein the opening part forms an opening of the metal vessel and is formed from the same member as the shell part.

17. A metal vessel comprising:

a cylinder including a shell member and a bottom member, the shell member comprises;

a shell part; and

a neck part at an end opposite to the bottom member, the neck part having an external diameter which is smaller than the external diameter of the shell part, the neck part projecting from the shell part and is formed from the same member as the shell part, and the neck part having an opening part;

wherein the shell member has an inwardly directed flange at one end to provide a reduced diameter opening in the shell member, the bottom member being welded to the flange to close the opening reduced diameter and the weld between the bottom member and the shell member is positioned at a deepest part of the vessel with respect to the opening part.

18. The metal vessel according to claim 17, wherein the bottom member is round.

19. A double-walled vacuum metal vessel, wherein an inner vessel is a metal vessel according to claim 17.

20. The metal vessel according to claim 17, wherein the opening part forms an opening of the metal vessel and is formed from the same member as the shell part.