U.S. patent application number 13/257723 was filed with the patent office on 2012-01-12 for working fluid unit containing a temperature-sensitive vehicle working fluid.
This patent application is currently assigned to ALUTECH GESELLSCHAFT M.B.H.. Invention is credited to Robert Gratz, Christoph Lind.
Application Number | 20120006820 13/257723 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42127276 |
Filed Date | 2012-01-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120006820 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lind; Christoph ; et
al. |
January 12, 2012 |
Working Fluid Unit Containing A Temperature-Sensitive Vehicle
Working Fluid
Abstract
A working fluid unit, comprising a container having a
temperature-sensitive vehicle working fluid contained therein, in
particular for exhaust gas after-treatment, a container mantle
which is open at least on one side and in which the vehicle working
fluid is introduced and the opening of which is closed by a
container lid, wherein the container lid is connected to the
container mantle by friction stir welding, magnetic pulse welding,
or magnetic pulse crimping, wherein the connecting seam is spaced a
distance from the vehicle working fluid that is present.
Inventors: |
Lind; Christoph; (Gleisdorf,
AT) ; Gratz; Robert; (Wagrain, AT) |
Assignee: |
ALUTECH GESELLSCHAFT M.B.H.
Lend
AT
|
Family ID: |
42127276 |
Appl. No.: |
13/257723 |
Filed: |
March 4, 2010 |
PCT Filed: |
March 4, 2010 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/AT2010/000063 |
371 Date: |
September 20, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/200 ;
53/467 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y02A 50/2325 20180101;
B23K 20/1265 20130101; F01N 2610/1406 20130101; Y02T 10/24
20130101; Y02T 10/12 20130101; B23K 20/06 20130101; Y02A 50/20
20180101; F01N 3/2066 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/200 ;
53/467 |
International
Class: |
B65D 51/00 20060101
B65D051/00; B65B 3/04 20060101 B65B003/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 24, 2009 |
AT |
A 462/2009 |
Claims
1. An operating fluid unit, comprising a container with a
temperature-sensitive vehicle operating fluid contained therein, a
container mantle open at least on one side, into which the vehicle
operating fluid is introduced, and the opening of which is closed
by means of a container lid, wherein the container lid is connected
to the container mantle by friction stir welding, magnetic pulse
welding or magnetic pulse crimping, thereby forming a connecting
seam.
2. The operating fluid unit according to claim 1, wherein the
connecting seam is spaced a distance from the contained vehicle
operating fluid.
3. The operating fluid unit according to claim 1, wherein the
container lid is connected to the container mantle by magnetic
pulse crimping with the interposition of a gasket ring into a
groove of the container mantle and/or container lid.
4. The operating fluid unit according to claim 1, wherein the
connecting seam is disposed with a distance from the interior of
the container at an edge of the container lid facing outwards from
the container opening.
5. The operating fluid unit according to claim 4, wherein the edge
is profiled on the external peripheral side, preferably
tapered.
6. The operating fluid unit according to claim 4, wherein the
container lid is manufactured from sheet metal and the edge is
manufactured by reshaping or beading.
7. The operating fluid unit according to claim 4, wherein the
container lid is manufactured from cast synthetic material or cast
metal, and the edge is manufactured by moulding.
8. A method for manufacturing a container containing a
temperature-sensitive vehicle operating fluid, comprising the steps
of: providing a container mantle open on at least one side;
introducing the vehicle operating fluid into the container mantle;
and, closing the container mantle opening by means of a container
lid, wherein the container lid is connected to the container mantle
by friction stir welding, magnetic pulse welding or magnetic pulse
crimping, thereby forming a connecting seam.
9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the connecting seam is
spaced a distance from the vehicle operating fluid.
10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the container lid is
connected to the container mantle by magnetic pulse crimping with
the interposition of a gasket ring into a groove of the container
mantle and/or container lid.
11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the connecting seam is
disposed at an edge of the container lid facing outwards away from
the container opening.
12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the edge is embodied
in a profiled manner on the external peripheral side, preferably in
a tapered manner.
13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the container lid is
manufactured from sheet metal, and the edge is manufactured by
reshaping or beading.
14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the container lid is
manufactured from cast synthetic material or cast metal, and the
edge is manufactured by moulding or milling.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to an operating fluid unit,
comprising a container with a temperature-sensitive vehicle
operating fluid contained therein, especially for exhaust-gas
treatment, with a container mantle open at least on one side, into
which the vehicle operating fluid is introduced and the opening of
which is closed by means of a container lid. Furthermore, the
invention relates to a method for manufacturing such a
container.
[0002] To an increasing extent, modern vehicles require containers
with temperature-sensitive operating fluids, such as catalytic or
exhaust-gas treatment substances based on metallic hydrides or
ammonia, which are generally present in granular or powdered form.
For the manufacture of such units, sealed-joint connections are
required, which, according to the prior art, are manufactured by
fusion welding or gluing. However, fusion welding has the
disadvantage of a high input of heat, which can damage the
temperature-sensitive operating fluid. By contrast, gluing is a
very time-consuming process which does not allow a rapid
manufacturing rate.
[0003] The object of the invention is to provide a operating fluid
unit of the type named, which can be manufactured rapidly and in a
manner protective of the operating fluids contained therein.
[0004] This object is achieved in a first aspect of the invention
with a operating fluid unit of the type named in the introduction,
which is characterised according to the invention in that the
container lid is connected to the container mantle by friction stir
welding, magnetic pulse welding or magnetic pulse crimping.
[0005] In this manner, a rapid manufacture with the maximum
possible protection of the temperature-sensitive vehicle operating
fluid is achieved. Friction stir welding (friction stir welding,
FSW) causes a substantially reduced input of heat by comparison
with conventional fusion welding. Magnetic pulse welding (magnetic
pulse welding, MPW) and magnetic pulse crimping (magnetic pulse
crimping, MPC) are methods with a particularly low input of heat
and are therefore particularly protective of the vehicle operating
fluid.
[0006] By preference, the connecting seam has a distance from the
contained vehicle operating fluid. Especially in the case of
friction stir welding, any slight input of heat is further reduced
before it can reach the vehicle operating fluid by maintaining such
a distance relative to the interior of the container.
[0007] One embodiment of the invention, which is particularly
preferred for the same reason, is characterised in that the
container lid is connected to the container mantle by magnetic
pulse crimping with the interposition of a gasket ring into a
groove of the container mantle and/or container lid. This exploits
the advantages of magnetic pulse crimping, which causes almost no
input of heat, while achieving an excellent seal.
[0008] By preference, the connecting seam is disposed at an edge of
the container lid facing outwards away from the container opening
with a distance from the interior of the container. This achieves a
good thermal spacing between the connecting seam and the interior
of the container.
[0009] In the preferred embodiment of the magnetic pulse crimping,
it is particularly favourable if the edge is profiled on the
external peripheral side, preferably tapered, in order to provide a
form-fit engagement after the crimping of the container mantle.
[0010] The container lid is preferably made of sheet metal and the
edge is manufactured by reshaping or beading; as an alternative,
the container lid is preferably made of cast synthetic material or
cast metal, and the edge is made by moulding. Both variants achieve
a cost-favourable manufacture.
[0011] In a second aspect, the invention achieves its object with a
method for manufacturing a container containing a
temperature-sensitive the vehicle operating fluid, especially for
exhaust-gas treatment, with the steps of providing a container
mantle open at least on one side, introducing the vehicle operating
fluid into the container mantle, and closing the container mantle
opening by means of a container lid, which is characterised in that
the container lid is connected to the container mantle by friction
stir welding, magnetic pulse welding or magnetic pulse
crimping.
[0012] With regard to the advantages and further features,
reference is made to the deliberations on the operating fluid unit
presented above.
[0013] The invention is explained in greater detail below with
reference to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the attached
drawings. The drawings are as follows:
[0014] FIG. 1 shows, in half section, a first embodiment of an
operating fluid unit according to the invention, which is
manufactured by friction stir welding;
[0015] FIGS. 2a and 2b show, in fact, in each case in half section,
a second embodiment of the operating fluid unit of the invention
during two successive manufacturing steps by means of magnetic
pulse welding; and
[0016] FIGS. 3a and 3b show, also in each case in half section, a
third embodiment of the operating fluid unit of the invention
during two successive manufacturing steps by means of magnetic
pulse crimping.
[0017] FIG. 1 shows a operating fluid unit 1 comprising a container
2 with a temperature-sensitive vehicle operating fluid 3 contained
therein, for example, a granular ammonia salt. The vehicle
operating fluid 3 can also occupy only a part of the container 2;
however, by preference, it is firmly pressed into the latter.
[0018] The container 2 is made up from a container mantle 4, which
is approximately cylindrical in this case, and a container lid,
which is inserted into an end opening 6 of the container mantle 4
in a sealing manner. The container mantle 4 can provide any
required cross-section and can also have more than one container
opening 6, each with a container lid 5. Conventional connections of
the container 2 have not been illustrated for reasons of
simplicity.
[0019] The container lid 5 provides a folded edge 7 facing outwards
away from the container opening 6, with which it is in close
contact at the internal periphery of the mouth region of the
container mantle 4. In this region, a connecting seam 8 is
generated between the container mantle 4 and the container lid 5,
in fact, by friction stir welding by means of a fiction stir
welding tool 9, by holding against a contact block 10. In this
context, the connecting seam 8 preferably maintains a distance A
from the interior of the container and accordingly from the vehicle
operating fluid 3 contained therein. The distance A is preferably
within the range from 1 to 50 mm, by particular preference 3 to 20
mm.
[0020] As an alternative, it is also possible to insert the
container lid 5 in an inverted manner, that is, with the edge 7
facing inwards into the container mantle 4, in which case, the
distance A does not occur.
[0021] FIGS. 2a and 2b show a further alternative embodiment and an
alternative manufacturing method for the operating fluid unit 1.
The container lid 5 here is a cast synthetic material or cast metal
part with an edge 7 moulded or formed by milling, with a slight
conical tapering at the external periphery. By welding of the mouth
region of the container mantle 4 to the edge 7 by means of a
magnetic pulse welding method (magnetic pulse welding, MPW), a
connecting seam 8 is once again achieved, which preferably
maintains a distance A from the vehicle operating fluid 3.
[0022] FIGS. 3a and 3b show a further embodiment, in which the
external side of the edge 7 is profiled, especially tapered, facing
in the direction away from the container opening 6, and the
connecting seem 8 is provided by form-fit folding of the mouth
region of the container mantle 4 onto the profiled edge 7 by means
of a magnetic pulse crimping method (magnetic pulse crimping, MPC).
As a result of the crimping of the mouth edge of the container
mantle 4, a small distance A from the vehicle operating fluid 3 is
also obtained here.
[0023] As a seal for the container 2 in this embodiment and variant
method, an O-ring gasket can be inserted between the container
mantle 4 and the container lid 5, and, in fact, into a groove 12 of
the container mantle 4 and/or of the edge 7. Instead of a separate
O-ring gasket, the container lid 5 can also be provided with a
moulded sealing lip.
[0024] The invention is not restricted to the illustrated
embodiments, but comprises all variants and modifications which
fall within the framework of the attached claims.
* * * * *