Flexible line element

• US 6,315,332 B1
• Filed: 05/28/1999
• Issued: 11/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: IWKA Balg- und Kompensatoren-Technologie GmbH (Ring International Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Iwk Regler und Kompensatoren Gmbh
• Inventors: Aschoff, Wolfgang, Salzer, Georg
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Teri Pham
• Application Number:
  US09/321,579
• Publication Number:
  US 20010040375A1
• Time in Patent Office: 900 Days
• Field of Search: 285/226, 285/227, 285/228, 285/299, 92/37, 92/34
• US Class Current: 285/227
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 13/1816 the pipe sections being joined together by flexible tubular elements only, e.g. using bellows or strip-wound pipes
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 27/11 the sleeve having the form of a bellows with multiple corrugations

Abstract

The invention is a flexible line element, particularly for exhaust pipes of internal combustion engines of motor vehicles. At least two interconnected, metal bellows are provided with cylindrical joining ends and at least one of the bellows may be helically corrugated. The bellows may be telescoped. The two bellows, whether in line or telescoped, are connected at only one of their joining ends. A line element of the invention is on the one hand torsion-soft to not transfer any torsional stresses to adjacent components, and on the other is also stable in the case of high torsional stresses.

Claims

1. A flexible line element for use in exhaust pipes of internal combustion engines of motor vehicles comprising:

at least two interconnected metal bellows having cylindrical joining ends with the bellows being successively disposed in line with at least one of the bellows being helically corrugated and at least one other bellows being annularly corrugated.

2. A flexible line element according to claim 1 comprising:

only two bellows.

3. A flexible line element according to claim 1, wherein:

the helically corrugated bellows has a thread with an opposing pitch.

4. A line element according to claim 1, wherein:

at least two bellows have a same thread height.

5. A line element according to claim 1 wherein:

at least one helically corrugated bellows has a multithread construction.

6. A flexible line element in exhaust pipes of internal combustion engines for motor vehicles comprising:

at least two interconnected metal bellows having cylindrical joining ends with the bellows being telescoped and connected at only one of the cylindrical joining ends thereof and at least one bellows being helically corrugated; and

wherein

the flexible line element absorbs movement and vibrations when mounted in the exhaust pipe of an internal combustion engine.

7. A flexible line element according to claim 6 comprising:

only two bellows.

8. A line element according to claim 7, wherein;

one joining end of an inner bellows is connected to one joining end of an outer bellows and another joining end of the inner bellows is connected to one end of a pipe element, another end of the pipe element is one cylindrical joining end of a line element and another joining end of the outer bellows is the other cylindrical joining end of the line element.

9. A flexible line element according to claim 6 wherein:

at least one other bellows is annularly corrugated.

10. A line element according to claim 6, wherein:

at least two of the metal bellows are helically corrugated and have a thread with an opposing pitch.

11. A line element according to claim 6, wherein:

one joining end of an inner bellows is connected to one joining end of an outer bellows and another joining end of the inner bellows is connected to one end of a pipe element, another end of the pipe element is one cylindrical joining end of a line element and another joining end of the outer bellows is the other cylindrical joining end of the line element.

12. A line element according to claim 11, wherein:

an internal diameter of the outer bellows is smaller than an external diameter of the inner bellows.

13. A line element according to claim 6, wherein:

at least two bellows are helically corrugated and have a thread with a pitch in a same direction.

14. A line element according to claim 6, wherein:

at least two bellows have a same thread height.

15. A line element according to claim 6, wherein:

an internal diameter of the outer metal bellows is larger than an external diameter of the inner metal bellows.

16. A line element according to claim 6 wherein:

the at least one helically corrugated bellows has a multithread construction.

17. A flexible line element in exhaust pipes of internal combustion engines for motor vehicles comprising:

at least two interconnected metal bellows having cylindrical joining ends with the bellows being telescoped and connected at only one of the cylindrical joining ends thereof and an internal diameter of the outer bellows is smaller than an external diameter of the inner bellows.

18. A line element according to claim 17, wherein:

the at least two bellows are helically corrugated and have a same thread with a same pitch in a same direction.

19. A line element according to claim 17, wherein:

the at least two bellows are annularly corrugated.