Tank comprising a reinforcement member and method for manufacturing such a reinforcement member

A tank manufactured from a plastic material, the tank comprising:

• a reinforcement member, the reinforcement member comprising:
• a first portion made of a first material weldable to the plastic material of the tank;
• a second portion made of a second material having a tensile stress at break which is three to nine times larger than the tensile stress at yield of the first material;
• wherein the second portion comprises a plurality of through-holes, and the first material extends in the through-holes and at opposite sides of the second portion adjacent the through-holes,
• wherein the through-holes extend in different layers of the reinforcement member, the layers extending parallel to a connecting plane between the reinforcement member and the tank, wherein each layer has a central section passing through the center of the through-holes in that layer,
• wherein the first portion and the second portion may be shaped and dimensioned such that, seen in an overlay of the central sections through the plurality of layers, a surface area occupied by the first material is between 65 and 90% of the total surface area of the overlay;
• and a surface area occupied by the second material is between 10 and 35% of the total surface area of the overlay.

A method for manufacturing a reinforcement member for a tank manufactured from a plastic material, the method comprising:

• providing a second portion of a second material comprising a plurality of through-holes;
• overmolding the second portion with a first material such that the first material extends in the through-holes and at opposite sides of the second portion adjacent the through-holes;
• wherein for the first material and the second material, the second material has a tensile stress at break which is three to nine times larger than the tensile stress at yield of the first material, and such that the first material is weldable to the plastic material of the tank;
• wherein the through-holes extend in different layers of the reinforcement member, the layers extending parallel to a connecting plane between the reinforcement member and the tank, wherein each layer has a central section passing through the center of the through-holes in that layer,
• wherein the first portion and the second portion may be shaped and dimensioned such that, seen in an overlay of the central sections through the plurality of layers, a surface area occupied by the first material is between 65 and 90% of the total surface area of the overlay;
• and a surface area occupied by the second material is between 10 and 35% of the total surface area of the overlay.

A tank manufactured from a plastic material, the tank comprising:

• a reinforcement member, the reinforcement member comprising:
• a first portion made of a first material weldable to the plastic material of the tank;
• a second portion made of a second material;
• wherein the second portion comprises a plurality of through-holes, and the first material extends in the through-holes and at opposite sides of the second portion adjacent the through-holes;
• wherein the through-holes extend in different layers of the reinforcement member, the layers extending parallel to a connecting plane between the reinforcement member and the tank, wherein each layer has a central section passing through the center of the through-holes in that layer,
• wherein the first portion and the second portion may be shaped and dimensioned such that, seen in an overlay of the central sections through the plurality of layers, a surface area occupied by the first material is between 65 and 90% of the total surface area of the overlay;
• and a surface area occupied by the second material is between 10 and 35% of the total surface area of the overlay;
• and
• wherein the by-product between the tensile stress at break of the second material and the surface area occupied by the second material over the total surface area of a section parallel to a connecting plane between the reinforcement member and an inner surface of the tank is between 0.3 and 3.15.