U.S. patent number 3,798,904 [Application Number 05/327,544] was granted by the patent office on 1974-03-26 for flexible marine engine exhaust.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Gould, Inc., Hekma Advanced Machine Company. Invention is credited to Robert A. Fitts, James M. Gleason.
United States Patent |
3,798,904 |
Gleason , et al. |
March 26, 1974 |
FLEXIBLE MARINE ENGINE EXHAUST
Abstract
A flexible marine exhaust system which comprises a plurality of
interchangeable conduit sections. The conduit sections may have
different shapes. They may be interconnected in end-to-end relation
so that an exhaust system having any desired configuration can be
assembled.
Inventors: |
Gleason; James M. (Longbranch,
NJ), Fitts; Robert A. (Stamford, CT) |
Assignee: |
Gould, Inc. (Chicago, IL)
Hekma Advanced Machine Company (Palmer Point, Cos Cob,
CT)
|
Family
ID: |
23276987 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/327,544 |
Filed: |
January 29, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
60/310; 285/41;
60/320 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F01N
3/04 (20130101); F01N 13/08 (20130101); F01N
13/1805 (20130101); Y02T 10/20 (20130101); Y02T
10/12 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
F01N
7/08 (20060101); F01N 3/04 (20060101); F01N
7/18 (20060101); F01n 003/04 () |
Field of
Search: |
;60/310,320,321 ;285/41
;137/334 ;138/155 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Hart; Douglas
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Seidel, Gonda & Goldhammer
Claims
We claim:
1. An exhaust system of the type that is water cooled for a marine
engine comprising a plurality of interchangeable conduit sections,
said conduit sections comprising a first wall member defining a
passage for exhaust gases, a second wall member around said first
wall member, the space between said first and second wall members
defining a passage for cooling water, said conduit sections being
disposed in end-to-end relation and comprising end faces, said end
faces on adjacent conduits being the same so that said adjacent
conduit sections can be rotated with respect to each other while
maintaining said exhaust gas passages in communication with each
other and said cooling water passages in communication with each
other, means for coupling at least one of said conduit sections to
an engine exhaust manifold so that the exhaust gases therefrom flow
through said exhaust gas passages, means on at least one of said
conduit sections for coupling said water passage to a supply of
cooling water, means for connecting said adjacent conduit sections
in said end-to-end relation, and means for mixing water with the
exhaust gases.
2. An exhaust system as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for
connecting said adjacent conduits comprises an outwardly directed
flange supported by said second wall members and means for clamping
said flanges on adjacent conduit sections to each other.
3. An exhaust system as defined in claim 2 wherein each of said
flanges has a front face which is coplanar with its respective end
face, and a rear face which slopes away from said second wall
member and toward said front face so that when said conduit
sections are placed in end-to-end relation said rear faces define a
generally triangularly shaped joint, and clamps for overlying said
joints, said clamps having a generally triangular cross section,
and means for tightening said clamps over said joints so that said
adjacent conduit sections are drawn together.
4. An exhaust system as defined in claim 3 including a gasket
disposed between adjacent conduit sections.
5. An exhaust system as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for
mixing water with the exhaust gases comprises at least one aperture
in the first wall member of at least one of said conduit sections
to enable the water in said cooling water passage to enter said
exhaust gas passage and mix with said exhaust gases therein.
6. An exhaust system as defined in claim 5 wherein said cooling
water passage ends at an intermediate portion of said last named
conduit section so that said second wall member extends beyond said
first wall member, and a hose telescopically received over the
portion of said second wall member that extends past said first
wall member so that a mixture of cooling water and exhaust gas
passes through said hose.
7. An exhaust system as defined in claim 1 wherein at least one of
said conduit sections is straight and at least one of said conduit
sections is curved.
8. An exhaust system as defined in claim 1 where at least some of
said conduit sections are curved through a right angle.
9. An exhaust system as defined in claim 1 wherein at least one of
said conduit sections is curved.
10. An exhaust system as defined in claim 1 wherein at least one of
said conduit sections is straight.
Description
This invention relates to exhaust systems for marine engines and
more particularly to an exhaust system which can be assembled on
board in any desired configuration.
Exhaust systems for marine engines must provide for the escape of
exhaust gases from the boat. A number of safety and performance
requirements must be met by such systems. Thus, they must prevent
exhaust gases or water from leaking into the boat. Because of the
very high temperatures of the exhaust gases, the exhaust system
must be cooled, preferably by sea water, so that damage to the
exhaust system or injury to personnel is avoided.
Furthermore, the system should provide a means for mixing the
overboard engine cooling water with the overboard exhaust gases at
a point and in a manner which will prevent the burning of the hose
connection normally made at this point while not creating excessive
gas back pressure. Back pressure, which reduces the efficiency of
the engine, occurs when the exhaust gases are discharged below the
surface of the water. The back pressure may be of sufficient force
to cause water to back up through the exhaust system and into the
engine. Thus, water should be mixed with the exhaust gases at a
location which provides adequate drainage away from the engine.
Typically, the foregoing requirements have been met by exhaust
systems which comprise double wall conduits. The conduit defined by
the inner wall is a gas passage through which exhaust gases are
conducted. The outer wall defines a cooling water passage between
itself and the inner wall. The problem resulting from back pressure
has been minimized to a large extent by the use of risers in the
exhaust system. Typically, the risers comprise inverted generally
U-shaped sections in the pipe that break the siphon between the
engine exhaust manifold and the exhaust conduits. To this extent,
they extend above the water line of the boat. Thus, the riser will
prevent back pressure from forcing water into the engine.
Each engine manufacturer makes an exhaust system which is designed
specifically for a particular engine. Furthermore, in many
instances, the engines and their exhaust systems are particularly
designed for a certain boat. Thus, in the event that an engine is
moved from one boat to another, the exhaust system, and in
particularly, the riser may be totally inadequate. Thus, in the new
boat, the entire exhaust system may be located below the water
line. Furthermore, because of the location of the manifold or the
termination of the water cooled pipe in the exhaust system, it may
be necessary to cut or deform structural members in order to make
an overboard hose connection.
Thus, the exhaust systems presently know for marine engines have a
low degree of interchangeability because of the inflexibility of
their exhaust systems.
Accordingly, this invention relates generally to an exhaust system
which is comprised of a plurality of interchangeable conduit
sections which may be arranged in end-to-end relation to define a
system having any desired configuration.
The invention can best be described by referring to the
accompanying drawing wherein a presently preferred embodiment is
illustrated and wherein
FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a marine engine having an
exhaust system of the type disclosed herein.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the marine exhaust system illustrated
in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a detail of a portion of FIG. 2, but on an enlarged
scale.
FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 1, however, the marine exhaust
system is arranged in a different configuration.
Now referring to the drawing for a detailed description, a marine
engine 10 comprising an exhaust manifold 12 and an exhaust system
14 is illustrated in FIG. 1.
The exhaust system comprises a plurality of water cooled conduit
sections which are connected to each other in a desired
configuration. They are connected to an exhaust hose 18 by a
suitable hose adapter 20 and to the exhaust manifold 12 by another
adapter 22.
The adapter 22 may comprise a flange 24 which is fastened to the
exhaust manifold 12 by a plurality of bolts 26. It is connected in
end-to-end relation with other conduit sections and forms an
exhaust system of any configuration.
Adapter 22 comprises an inner wall 32 which supports flange 24. An
outer wall 34 is supported on the inner wall by an inwardly
directed wall portion 35. The space between the inner and outer
walls defines a cooling water passage 36. The inner wall 32 defines
a passage 38 for exhaust gases. An opening 40 may be provided in
outer wall 34 to enable cooling water to enter passage 36. The
opening 40 may be threaded so that suitable piping may be used to
connect it with a pump so that water may be introduced into passage
36.
A curved conduit section 41 is shown connected in end-to-end
relation with the adapter 22. It includes a cooling water passage
36' and an exhaust gas passage 38'. The inner wall 32' defines the
exhaust gas passage while the space between the inner and outer
walls 32' and 34' define the cooling water passage 36'. All of the
curved conduit sections 41 have the same configuration as conduit
section 41. The inner and outer walls are spaced from each other by
webs 43 as seen in FIG. 3. The webs may be formed at the ends of
the conduit sections as they are formed.
A straight conduit section 44 is shown connected in end-to-end
relation with a curved conduit section. It includes a cooling water
passage 46 and exhaust gas passage 48. Inner wall 50 defines the
exhaust gas passage 48 while the space between the inner wall 50
and the outer wall 52 defines the cooling water passage 46.
The curved conduit sections 41 may have any convenient degree of
curvature. Preferably they should be curved through a right angle
so that only two of such sections are needed to form a reverse
turn. However, if desired, they may be curved through an angle of
30.degree., 45.degree. or 60.degree..
Similarly, the straight conduit sections may have any convenient
length or they may be provided in a plurality of different
lengths.
The last conduit section in the exhaust system is hose adapter 20.
As seen in FIG. 2, adapter 20 comprises an inner wall 58 which
defines passage 60 for exhaust gases and an outer wall 62. The
space between the inner and outer walls defines a cooling water
passage 64.
The outer wall 62 terminates at an intermediate portion of the hose
adapter 20 by virtue of an inwardly directed wall portion 66.
Circumferentially spaced apertures 70 in inner wall 58 connect the
exhaust gas passage 60 with the cooling water passage. It is
preferred that a plurality of apertures be provided in order to
maximize the amount of cooling water per unit time which passes
into passage 60. However, it is apparent that only one such
aperture need be provided.
The inner wall 58 has a rearwardly directed extension 68 which may
be connected to exhaust hose 18. Preferably, the exhaust hose is
telescopically received over extension 68. However, it may be
connected thereto in any convenient fashion.
It is preferred that the inner and outer walls of each of the
conduit sections be concentric and that they have the same cross
section so that adjacent sections may be assembled with adjacent
cooling water passages and adjacent exhaust gas passages
interconnected. Furthermore the conduit sections should have a
cross section which enables adjacent conduit sections to be rotated
with respect to each other while maintaining communication between
the adjacent exhaust gas passages, and cooling water passages. The
preferred cross section is circular since this gives the maximum
degree of flexibility, however, if desired the sections could be
multi-sided; it being understood that with less sides, there is
less control over the amount of rotation between adjacent conduit
sections.
The various conduit sections 41 and 44 may be provided with
threaded openings 62 in their outer walls 34 and 52. The openings
are in communication with the cooling water passages. They provide
a means in addition to opening 40 for connecting the cooling water
passages in the various sections to suitable sources of cooling
water. It is contemplated that after the exhaust system is
installed, those openings 40 and 48 which are not necessary for the
introduction of cooling water may be closed by suitable plugs (not
shown).
As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, suitable means are provided for
interconnecting adjacent conduit sections in end-to-end
relation.
The interconnection means comprises outwardly directed flanges 72
supported by the outer walls of each conduit section. The flanges
may be positioned in any convenient location along the conduit
sections. However, it is preferred that the flanges be positioned
so that their front faces 74 (FIG. 4) are substantially coplanar
with the end face of the conduit section while their rear faces 76
slope away from the outer wall and toward the front face.
Thus, when two conduit sections are arranged in end-to-end relation
so that their exhaust gas passages are aligned and their cooling
water passages are aligned, the front faces 74 of their respective
flanges 72 are in facing relation to each other and their rear
faces define a generally triangularly shaped joint.
A suitable sealing gasket 78 may be interposed between the abutting
end faces of the various conduit sections in order to assure that
there is no leakage at the end faces of exhaust gases or cooling
water.
Clamps 80 may be used to interconnect adjacent pipe sections.
Preferably, the clamps are generally triangular in cross section to
the extent that their side walls 82 are sloped to correspond with
the slope of rear faces 76. Thus, as the clamps are tightened they
draw the flanges and their respective conduit sections into close
abutting relation to each other. The clamps 80 may be tightened
over the flanges by threaded fasteners 83 and nuts 84 as seen in
FIG. 3.
Significantly, the conduit sections may be purchased in
disassembled form. The exhaust system may be assembled after the
engine is installed in the boat. By using a combination of curved
conduit sections and straight conduit sections, and by rotating
adjacent conduit sections with respect to each other as needed, the
exhaust system may be constructed so that any desired configuration
can be formed.
In the arrangement shown in FIG. 1, the engine is relatively close
to the water line 88. Thus, only two curved conduit sections 41 are
needed to give the riser adequate height. The straight conduit
section is used to clear certain operating parts off the engine.
Further, curved conduit sections 41 and 41' may be rotated with
respect to each other so that the exhaust system passes the engine
on the observer's side. Conduit sections 41 are curved through
about 90.degree.. Thus, a quarter of a turn is accomplished by
using one section whereas a U turn is accomplished by using two
such curved conduit sections. As indicated above, curved conduit
sections having any degree of curvature desired may be
employed.
In FIG. 5, for example, the engine 10' is set relatively low with
respect to the water line 88'. Thus, straight conduit section 44'
is interposed between two of the curved conduit sections to raise
at least a portion of the exhaust system above the water line.
In operation, hot gases are discharged from the exhaust manifold
12. They pass through the exhaust gas passages 38, 48 and 60 in the
interconnected conduit sections. The cooling water is introduced
through one of the openings 40 or 62. The cooling water passes
through the interconnected cooling water passages 36, 46 and 64 so
that the outer walls of the conduit sections are relatively
cool.
At an appropriate place, such as hose adapter 20, the cooling water
is mixed with the exhaust gases by passing through apertures 70 in
inner wall 58. The combination of exhaust gases and water pass
through exhaust hose 18 and overboard.
The exhaust system operates in this manner without regard to its
configuration.
The exhaust system which is described herein has a number of
significant advantages. Thus, it can be assembled after the engine
is installed in the boat. It is fully flexible to the extent that
the conduit sections are interchangeable with each other and can be
rotated or swiveled to any desired extent with respect to the next
adjacent conduit section while still maintaining the cooling water
and exhaust passages without leakage. It can be constructed to any
convenient height or length by the use of the curved and straight
conduit sections. Thus, if necessary the exhaust system may be
assembled from all straight conduit sections or all curved conduit
sections. Further, with some engine installations, it may be only
necessary to use one conduit section between the manifold and hose
adapters. Additionally because the various conduit sections are
interconnected by clamps, the system may be adjusted or modified at
any time.
While the invention has been described with respect to certain
forms thereof, it is apparent that many other forms and embodiments
will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the
foregoing description. Thus, the scope of the invention should not
be limited by that description, but, rather, only by the scope of
the claims appended hereto.
* * * * *