Plastic fuel tank

• US 9,221,332 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2010
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kautex Textron GmbH & Company KG (Textron Inc)
• Original Assignee: Kautex Textron GmbH & Company KG (Textron Inc)
• Inventors: Gebert, Klaus, Wagner, Axel
• Primary Examiner(s): Mathew, Fenn
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anderson, Don M
• Application Number:
  US12/727,396
• Publication Number:
  US 20100237080A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,111 Days
• Field of Search: 220/905, 220/627, 220/645, 220/653, 220/62.18, 220/62.22, 220/562, 220/563
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/03059 Fuel tanks with double shells or more

Abstract

The invention relates to a plastic fuel tank (1) for motor vehicles having at least one tank wall (2) surrounding at least one fuel volume, wherein the tank wall (2) is provided at least in a certain area or certain areas with means for increasing flexural rigidity in the form of two-dimensionally extended reinforcing layers (3) connected materially and/or positively thereto (FIG. 1).

Claims

1. A plastic fuel tank having a volume for containing fuel for a motor vehicle comprising:

a tank wall arranged to provide a pressure vessel which is hermetically sealed at a given differential pressure relative to ambient pressure, wherein the tank wall is reinforced only in a certain area or certain areas such that only a portion of the tank wall is reinforced without substantially impairing said volume, wherein the tank wall is reinforced with means to increase flexural rigidity in a form of at least one two-dimensionally extended reinforcing layer connected materially and/or positively to the tank wall; and

wherein the reinforcing layer is connected to the tank wall via a thermoplastic intermediate layer and forms an interspace between said reinforcing layer and said tank wall and comprising a corrugated sheet structure of V-shaped profiles made of thermoplastic and having a plurality of peaks, wherein the peaks are welded and/or adhesively bonded to the tank wall and to the reinforcing layer and wherein fuel can flow through said interspace; and

wherein the reinforcing layer and intermediate layer provide a directional increase in flexural rigidity of the tank wall such that flexural rigidity of the tank wall is increased in a first direction relative to a second direction through selective alignment of the intermediate layer at selected locations of said tank wall; and

wherein the tank wall is formed by half-shells; and

wherein the half-shells comprise half-shell walls joined directly to one another to form the tank wall without the reinforcing layer or intermediate layer disposed between the joined half-shell walls.

2. The plastic fuel tank according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing layer comprises one or more sheets and/or strips of thermoplastic which extend approximately parallel to the tank wall being reinforced.

3. The plastic fuel tank according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing layer is connected to the tank wall being reinforced at a distance from the tank wall by the intermediate layer.

4. The plastic fuel tank according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing layer is provided on the inside of the tank wall.

5. The plastic fuel tank according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate layer is less flexurally rigid than the tank wall and the reinforcing layer.

6. The plastic fuel tank according to claim 1, wherein the directional increase in flexural rigidity is achieved through alignment of the corrugated structure on the tank wall.