Internal combustion engine exhaust system

• US 7,426,980 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2004
• Issued: 09/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Darryl C. Bassani
• Original Assignee: Darryl C. Bassani
• Inventors: Bassani, Darryl C.
• Primary Examiner(s): San Martin; Edgardo
• Application Number:
  US10/919,624
• Publication Number:
  US 20050011698A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,498 Days
• Field of Search: 181/238, 181/239, 181/240, 181/251, 181/252, 181/256, 181/257, 181/269, 181/272, 181/275, 181/281, 181/282, 181/255
• US Class Current: 181/238
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 1/003 by using dead chambers communicating with gas flow passages resonance chambers F01N1/02; chambers containing sound-absorbing materials F01N1/24
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 1/02 by using resonance
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 1/023 Helmholtz resonators
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 1/08 by reducing exhaust energy by throttling or whirling
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 13/011 having two or more purifying devices arranged in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 13/02 having two or more separate silencers in series
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 13/107 More than one exhaust manifold or exhaust collector
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2240/20 a flow director or deflector
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 27/04 in exhaust systems only, e.g. for sucking-off combustion gases
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 Improving ICE efficiencies

Abstract

An exhaust system for an internal combustion engine having two banks of cylinders by which pulses of exhaust gas are alternately directed to a diverter subassembly. The diverter subassembly, which is located in the muffler, includes a perforated gas decelerator chamber which divides each pulse of exhaust gas between two exhaust outlets and causes a low pressure wave to occur in the exhaust system to enhance scavenging of a subsequent pulse of exhaust gas and thereby improve engine performance and mileage. The muffler further includes one or more cores and may or may not include a dead air space chamber to provide attenuation and tonal balance to the exiting exhaust gas.

Claims

1. A muffler for receiving alternating pulses of exhaust gas from a multi-cylinder engine comprising:

a housing enclosing means for muffling the sound of exhaust passing therethrough; and

a chamber located within a first portion of the housing and having first and second exhaust inlets and a decelerator chamber, said first and second exhaust inlets being aligned so as to divide alternating pulses of exhaust gas received from the first and second exhaust inlets into two substantially equal portions between first and second exhaust outlets, the decelerator chamber having a width at least as great as a combined width of the first and second exhaust inlets.

2. The muffler of claim 1, wherein the chamber is positioned upstream of the muffling means.

3. The muffler of claim 1, wherein the chamber comprises a plurality of perforations in a wall of said chamber, said perforations permitting flow of some of the exhaust gases directed into the chamber to flow in a portion of the housing.

4. The muffler of claim 3, wherein the perforations are positioned over a substantial portion of the wall of the chamber.

5. The muffler of claim 1, wherein the muffling means comprises a first and second core in fluid communication with the chamber and positioned within a second portion of the housing, said cores configured to cause exhaust gas passing therethrough to swirl.

6. The muffler of claim 5, wherein each core comprises a plurality of perforations.

7. The muffler of claim 6, wherein the second portion of the housing further encloses sound absorbing material surrounding at least a portion of the cores.

8. The muffler of claim 5, further comprising a first plate within the housing and configured to fluidly isolate substantially the first portion from the second portion of the housing.

9. The muffler of claim 5, further comprising a third portion of the housing substantially downstream from the cores, said third portion configured to permit exhaust gas passing thought the cores to recombine.

10. The muffler of claim 9, further comprising a second plate within the housing and configured to fluidly isolate substantially the second portion from the third portion of the housing.

11. An exhaust system of a multi-cylinder engine, the system comprising:

an engine configured to generate exhaust gases and direct them into first and second manifolds, said engine further configured to operate so as to discharge alternating pulses of exhaust gas to the first and second manifolds; and

a muffler comprising a housing for enclosing a chamber having first and second inlets, a central region, and first and second outlets, said first and second inlets being aligned so as to divide exhaust gas entering the chamber from one of the inlets into two substantially equal portions between the outlets, the central region having a width at least as great as a combined width of the first and second inlets.

12. The exhaust system of claim 11, wherein the chamber comprises perforations.

13. The exhaust system of claim 11, wherein the muffler further comprises first and second cores in fluid communication with the first and second outlets, respectively, each core comprising perforations configured to swirl the exhaust gas as it travels through each core.

14. A method of processing exhaust gases from a multi-cylinder engine, wherein a pulse of exhaust gas is produced in a cylinder of the multi-cylinder engine and processed by a muffler, the method comprising:

routing the pulse of exhaust gas in a flow path from the cylinder to one of two exhaust inlets of the muffler, wherein the two exhaust inlets alternate in their collection of subsequent discharges of the pulse of exhaust gas and together define a first width;

expanding the collected pulse of exhaust gas in a decelerator chamber, wherein the decelerator chamber has a width at least as great as the first width;

dividing the expanded pulse of exhaust gas into two substantially equal portions of exhaust gas with a perforated flow splitter; and

expelling both portions of exhaust gas from the muffler and into the atmosphere.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising swirling both portions of exhaust gas.

16. A muffler comprising a housing configured to receive alternating pulses of exhaust gas from an engine, said muffler further comprising a plurality of openings into the muffler, a decelerator chamber, and a perforated flow splitter, the decelerator chamber having a width at least as great as a combined width of the plurality of openings, the perforated flow splitter being mounted inside the housing and configured to split each pulse of exhaust gas into two substantially equal portions, said muffler further comprising means for expelling the split pulse of exhaust gas into the atmosphere.

17. An automotive vehicle comprising:

a chassis;

a multi-cylinder engine within at least a portion of the chassis and comprising two cylinder heads, each head comprising at least one cylinder; and

a muffler comprising a gas decelerator chamber comprising two inlets, the decelerator chamber having a width at least as great as a combined width of the two inlets, each inlet fluidly connected to at least one of the cylinders, the two inlets being aligned so as to direct alternating pulses of exhaust gas against a flow splitter, said flow splitter configured to divide the alternating pulses of exhaust gas into two substantially equal portions between a first exhaust outlet and a second exhaust outlet.

18. A method of manufacturing a muffler for a multi-cylinder engine, the method comprising:

connecting a diverter subassembly to a plurality of cores, wherein the diverter subassembly is substantially perforated and has two inlet pipes and two outlet pipes, wherein each inlet pipe is aligned to direct a pulse of exhaust gas onto a flow splitter, wherein the flow splitter is located obliquely to the flow direction of the pulse of exhaust gas and divides the pulse of exhaust gas into two substantially equal portions between the two outlet pipes, wherein the two outlet pipes direct the divided pulse of exhaust gas away from the flow splitter and into the plurality of cores, wherein the plurality of cores has perforations, the perforations being disposed so as to swirl the divided pulse of exhaust gas;

connecting the plurality of cores to a dead air space chamber, wherein the dead air space chamber forms a common manifold for the divided pulse of exhaust gas; and

installing the gas decelerator chamber, the plurality of cores, and the dead air space chamber within a muffler housing.

19. The method of manufacturing a muffler of claim 18, further comprising inserting a baffle plate between the diverter subassembly and the plurality of cores, wherein the baffle plate substantially isolates a first chamber formed between the muffler housing and the diverter subassembly from a second chamber formed between the muffler housing and the plurality of cores.

20. A resonator configured to connect with an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) exhaust system and thereby attenuate exhaust noise, the resonator comprising:

a housing, wherein the housing connects upstream of an OEM muffler; and

a diverter subassembly located substantially within the housing, wherein the diverter subassembly comprises;

a first inlet pipe and a second inlet pipe connected to and in flow communication with the OEM exhaust system;

a gas decelerator chamber connected to and in flow communication with the first and second inlet pipes, the gas decelerator chamber having a width at least as great as a combined width of the first and second inlet pipes, wherein the alignment of the first and second inlet pipes directs the pulse of exhaust gas onto a flow splitter in the gas decelerator chamber, wherein the flow splitter is located obliquely to the flow direction of the pulse of exhaust gas and divides the pulse of exhaust gas into two substantially equal portions, and wherein the flow splitter has a rounded convex shape and is formed by an inner surface of the gas decelerator chamber; and

a first outlet pipe and a second outlet pipe connected to and in flow communication with The gas decelerator chamber, wherein the two outlet pipes direct the divided pulse of exhaust gas away from the flow splitter and to the OEM muffler.

21. The resonator of claim 20, wherein at least a portion of a surface of the gas decelerator chamber comprises perforations that allow the pulse of exhaust gas to also flow through the surface and into the housing.