Hydraulic reservoir with baffle

A reservoir assembly for use with a hydraulic fluid, said assembly comprising:

• a reservoir housing defining a fluid chamber for holding the hydraulic fluid, said housing further defining an inlet through which hydraulic fluid enters said fluid chamber and an outlet through which hydraulic fluid is discharged from said fluid chamber;
• a baffle member disposed within said fluid chamber above said inlet, said baffle member partitioning said fluid chamber and thereby separating an upper zone of said fluid chamber positioned above said baffle member from an inlet zone of said fluid chamber positioned below said baffle member, said baffle member defining a central opening disposed radially inwardly of said reservoir housing and providing fluid communication between said inlet zone and said upper zone and wherein said baffle member and said reservoir housing define a flow path wherein hydraulic fluid introduced into said fluid chamber through said inlet is substantially directed to flow circumferentially along a radially outer section of said inlet zone whereby air entrained in the hydraulic fluid collects in a central portion of said inlet zone proximate said central opening and is subsequently communicated to said upper zone thereby deaerating the fluid;
• and
• an axially extending flange circumscribing an outer radial edge of said baffle member, said flange and said reservoir housing forming a substantially fluid tight seal between said reservoir housing and said baffle member.

A method of mass producing a reservoir assembly for use with hydraulic fluid, said method comprising:

• providing a plurality of reservoir housings wherein each of the reservoir housings define a fluid chamber for holding hydraulic fluid, an inlet through which hydraulic fluid enters the fluid chamber and an outlet through which hydraulic fluid is discharged from the fluid chamber;
• installing a baffle member in each of the reservoir housings wherein, for each reservoir assembly, the baffle member is disposed in the fluid chamber above the inlet, the baffle member partitioning the fluid chamber and thereby separating an upper zone of the fluid chamber positioned above the baffle member from an inlet zone of the fluid chamber positioned below the baffle member, the baffle member defining a central opening disposed radially inwardly of the reservoir housing and providing fluid communication between the inlet zone and the upper zone and wherein the baffle member and the reservoir housing define a flow path wherein fluid introduced into the fluid chamber through the inlet is substantially directed to flow circumferentially along a radially outer section of the inlet zone whereby air entrained in the hydraulic fluid collects in a central portion of the inlet zone proximate the central opening and is subsequently communicated to the upper zone thereby deaerating the hydraulic fluid;
• and
• forming a substantially fluid tight seal between the baffle member and the reservoir housing along the outer radial edge of the baffle member for substantially all of the plurality of reservoir housings.