Cowlings for marine engines and methods for making cowlings for marine engines
AssigneeBrunswick Corporation
InventorsSteven J. Amerling, Brad J. VanRuiswyk, Timothy J. Eddy
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cowling for a marine engine has an outer shell and a supporting structure bonded to an interior surface of the outer shell. The supporting structure has an elongated member that extends along the interior surface and provides rigidity to the outer shell. The supporting structure comprises a plurality of flex joints that are spaced apart along the elongated member and allow the supporting structure to flex transversely to the elongated member and thus follow a contour of the interior surface during bonding to the outer shell. Corresponding methods are disclosed.
Claims20
A cowling for a marine engine, the cowling comprising an outer shell and a supporting structure bonded to an interior surface of the outer shell, wherein the supporting structure comprises an elongated member that extends along the interior surface and provides rigidity to the outer shell, wherein the supporting structure comprises a plurality of flex joints that are spaced apart along the elongated member and allow the supporting structure to flex transversely to the elongated member and thus follow a contour of the interior surface during bonding to the outer shell.
A method of making a cowling for a marine engine, the method comprising:
- forming an outer shell;
- forming a supporting structure having an elongated member and a plurality of flex joints that are spaced apart along the elongated member and allow the elongated member to flex in a direction that is transverse to the elongated member;
- and
- bonding the supporting structure to an interior surface of the outer shell so that the supporting structure provides rigidity to the outer shell, wherein during the bonding, the plurality of flex joints allow the supporting structure to flex and follow a contour of the interior surface during bonding to the outer shell.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.