U.S. patent application number 10/527886 was filed with the patent office on 2007-07-19 for exhaust line catalyst or muffler shell for motor vehicle and method of producing one such shell.
This patent application is currently assigned to Faurecia Systemes D'echappement. Invention is credited to Bruno Masoni.
Application Number | 20070163118 10/527886 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 31985332 |
Filed Date | 2007-07-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070163118 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Masoni; Bruno |
July 19, 2007 |
Exhaust line catalyst or muffler shell for motor vehicle and method
of producing one such shell
Abstract
The invention relates to an exhaust line catalyst or muffler
shell for a motor vehicle. The inventive shell comprises a tube (8)
which is produced by rolling and welding a metal strip (12). At
least one of the ends (9, 10) of the aforementioned tube (8)
comprises a deformation produced by means of flow turning, such as
to define an exhaust gas inlet (4) and/or outlet (5). The weld line
(15) which closes the rolled metal strip (12) forms an angle (16)
in relation to the axis (17) of the tube (8) at least in the flow
turning-shaped segment(s) (13, 14) thereof. The invention also
relates to a method of producing one such shell.
Inventors: |
Masoni; Bruno; (Champey,
FR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
EGBERT LAW OFFICES
412 MAIN STREET, 7TH FLOOR
HOUSTON
TX
77002
US
|
Assignee: |
Faurecia Systemes
D'echappement
2, rue Hennape
F-92000 Nanterre
FR
|
Family ID: |
31985332 |
Appl. No.: |
10/527886 |
Filed: |
September 25, 2003 |
PCT Filed: |
September 25, 2003 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/FR03/50067 |
371 Date: |
August 15, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
29/890.08 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y10T 29/49398 20150115;
F01N 13/18 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
029/890.08 |
International
Class: |
B21D 51/16 20060101
B21D051/16 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 30, 2002 |
FR |
0212065 |
Claims
1. Muffler or exhaust line catalyst for a motor vehicle,
comprising: a tube manufactured by rolling and welding a metal
strip, said tube having, at one at least of end thereof, a
deformation by flospinning forming an inlet and/or an outlet cone
for exhaust gases, wherein, at least in a portion of the tube
shaped by flospinning, a weld line ensuring closing of a rolled
metal strip, forms an angle with respect to an axis of said
tube.
2. Muffler or exhaust line catalyst for a motor vehicle of claim 1,
wherein said weld line at a level of the tube describes a
spiral.
3. Process for manufacturing a muffler or exhaust line catalyst
shell for a motor vehicle being comprised of an inlet and/or outlet
cone ending through a reduced diameter tube section, said process
comprising steps of: making a tube by rolling and welding a metal
strip into a spiral; and deforming an end of said tube by
flospinning, forming an inlet and/or outlet cone.
Description
RELATED U.S. APPLICATIONS
[0001] Not applicable.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not applicable.
REFERENCE TO MICROFICHE APPENDIX
[0003] Not applicable.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The invention relates to an exhaust line catalyst or muffler
shell for a motor vehicle, defined by a tube made by rolling and
welding a metal strip, this tube having, at one at least of its
ends, a deformation by flospinning aimed at defining an inlet
and/or an outlet exhaust-gas cone. The invention also relates to
its manufacturing process.
[0005] The present invention will find its application in the field
of the muffler or catalyst shell being part of an exhaust line for
a motor vehicle.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0006] It is known to manufacture the muffler or exhaust line
catalyst shells for a motor vehicle either by a crimping process or
by flospinning. In the first case, this shell results, for example,
from rolling a sheet blank onto itself. The edges of the blank are
then united through crimping, in order to form the shell against
the ends of which are inserted inlet and outlet cones. The
flospinning solution consists in deforming by means of adapted
tools the ends of such a tube so as to shape inlet and outlet cones
ending through a reduced-diameter tube section. It should be noted
that the tube itself is achieved by shaping and welding, starting
from a slab or a metal strip.
[0007] In this respect, this metal strip, of a width corresponding
to the perimeter of the tube passes through a shaping unit ensuring
the rolling of this strip onto itself so as to have its lateral
sides end-to-end before their welding occurs.
[0008] Therefore, the tube continuously leaving this shaping line
is cut into regular sections which will then be directed towards
the other stands of the manufacture of mufflers and catalysts, in
particular towards the flospinning stands, for defining inlet and
outlet cones. Compared to the manufacture by mechanical welding,
the flospinning solution results into products having a lower cost
price, since they require a shorter manufacturing time, but having
in addition an increased strength. Hence, within the framework of a
first inventive step, there has been thought of reconsidering the
manufacture of such a muffler shell, starting from a tube made by
rolling a welded metal strip, in order to finally obtain an even
stronger product and, especially, allowing to considerably reduce
the risk of manufacturing faults.
[0009] Within the framework of a second inventive step, the
constraints imparted to the material forming the tube during
flospinning have been analyzed and there has been observed that the
material flow, occurring in a primarily axial direction with
respect to the tube, results into subjecting the weld line,
extending in this same direction, to significant constraints,
resulting in localized weakenings and micro-cracks, which results
into a significant rate of rejects; not mentioning a poorer
strength of the shell over the time.
[0010] In this respect, within the framework of a mass production,
if there is a substantial risk of defect products, a control simply
by sampling is not possible any more and it is essential to set up
a systematic control unit, which also increases the production
cost.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] Under such circumstances, there has been devised to
manufacture a shell starting from a tube manufactured by rolling
and welding a metal strip, knowing that in the portions undergoing
a deformation by flospinning, the weld line of said tube does not
extend according to a parallel direction, but forms an angle with
respect to the axis of this tube.
[0012] Advantageously, the tube results from a process of rolling
and welding a metal strip into a spiral. Under such circumstances,
the weld line itself forms a spiral about the tube, so that it
cannot extend parallel to the axis of the latter, in particular in
the portions which have to be deformed, in particular by
flospinning.
[0013] The advantages resulting from this invention are
substantial, since there is achieved a substantial reduction of the
risk of defaults at the level of the weld line, in the areas formed
by flospinning, of a muffler or catalyst shell.
[0014] To this end, the invention relates to a muffler or exhaust
line catalyst shell for a motor vehicle, defined by a tube made by
rolling and welding of a metal strip, this tube having, at one at
least of its ends, a deformation by flospinning aimed at defining
an inlet and/or an outlet exhaust-gas cone, characterized in that
at least in the portion or portions of the tube shaped by
flospinning the weld line ensuring the closing of the rolled metal
strip forms an angle with respect to the axis of said tube.
[0015] The invention also relates to a process for manufacturing
such a muffler or exhaust line catalyst shell for a motor vehicle
comprising an inlet and/or outlet cone ending through a
reduced-diameter tube section, characterized in that: [0016] a tube
is made by rolling and welding a metal strip into a spiral; and
[0017] in order to form the inlet and/or outlet cone of said shell,
one and/or the other end of the tube is deformed by
flospinning.
[0018] Other objects and advantages of this invention will become
clear from the following description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] This description will be better understood when referring to
the attached drawings, in which:
[0020] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a muffler or exhaust line
catalyst shell according to the invention;
[0021] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the tube, before flospinning,
aimed at forming this shell.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0022] As shown in the figures of the attached drawing, the present
invention relates to a muffler or exhaust line catalyst shell 1 for
a motor vehicle.
[0023] This shell usually ends, at its ends 2,3, in an inlet cone 4
and an outlet cone 5. The latter end through a reduced-diameter
tube section 6, 7 and through which the muffler or the catalyst is
integrated into said exhaust line.
[0024] Finally, this shell 1 is manufactured starting from a metal
tube 8 at the ends 9, 10 of which have been performed deformations
by flospinning, in order to shape the inlet 5 and outlet 4
cones.
[0025] This tube 8 and the flospinning tool 11 are shown
schematically in FIG. 2.
[0026] Finally, the tube 8 results from rolling and welding a metal
strip 12, knowing that in the portions 13, 14 of this tube 8 shaped
by flospinning the weld line 15 ensuring the closing of this rolled
metal strip 12 forms an angle 16 with respect to the axis 17 of
said tube 8.
[0027] Advantageously, the latter results from rolling said metal
strip 12 into a spiral, so that the weld line 15 itself describes a
spiral the tangent line of which is nowhere parallel to this axis
17 of the tube 8, in particular in the portions 13, 14 which have
to be deformed by flospinning.
* * * * *