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US 5,229,557 AGranted
Rigidified muffler assembly
AssigneeArvin Industries, Inc.
InventorsJames Allman, Richard Wilcox, Thomas Rohm
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention relates to a rigidifying structure used to support half shells of a stamp-formed muffler by connecting at least one of the half shells to an inner plate disposed in the space between the half shells so that shell noise is minimized.
Claims61
A muffler assembly having an inlet and an outlet, the muffler assembly comprising
- a first half shell,
- a second half shell joined to said first half shell to define an enclosed area therebetween,
- a first internal plate containing depressions therein and abutting and located between said half shells to divide said enclosed area into two chambers,
- a second internal plate containing depressions therein and contacting said first internal plate,
- said depressions in said two internal plates facing each other to define gas passages therebetween communication with the inlet and outlet for the muffler assembly,
- at least one divider means located in each chamber and contacting one half shell and at least one internal plate to divide each chamber into a plurality of subchambers, and
- rigidifying means between at least one half shell and one of said depressions to fixedly secure said depression to said one half shell to reduce vibrations of said one half shell, the rigidifying means extending between the at least one half shell and one of the said depressions to support the at least one half shell without dividing the subchambers therebetween into a further subchamber and without significantly filling a volume of any subchamber.
4 more elements
A muffler assembly having an inlet and an outlet, the muffler assembly comprising
- a first half shell,
- a second half shell joined to said first half shell to define an enclosed area therebetween,
- a first internal plate containing depressions therein and abutting and located between said half shells to divide said enclosed area into two chambers,
- a second internal plate containing depressions therein and contacting said first internal plate,
- said depressions in said two internal plates facing each other to define gas passages therebetween communication with the inlet and outlet for the muffler assembly,
- at least one divider means located in each chamber and contacting one half shell and at least one internal plate to divide each chamber into a plurality of subchambers, and
- rigidifying means between at least one half shell and one of said depressions to fixedly secure said depression to said one half shell to reduce vibrations of said one half shell, the rigidifying means extending between the at least one half shell and one of the said depressions to support the at least one half shell without dividing the chamber therebetween into a further subchamber, the rigidifying means being formed at least in part by a raised portion of at least one of said half shells and said depressions.
4 more elements
A muffler assembly having an inlet and an outlet, the muffler assembly comprising
- a first half shell,
- a second half shell joined to said first half shell to define an enclosed area therebetween,
- a third internal plate containing depressions therein and abutting and located between said half shells to divide said enclosed area into two chambers,
- a second internal plate containing depressions therein and contacting said first internal plate,
- said depressions in said two internal plates facing each other to define gas passages therebetween communicating with the inlet and outlet for the muffler assembly,
- divider means located in at least one of said two chambers to divide said one of said two chambers into at least two subchambers, and
- rigidifying means between at least one half shell and at least one of said first internal plate, said second internal plate, and said depressions to fixedly secure said at least one first internal plate, second internal plate, and said depressions to said half shell to reduce vibrations of said one half shell, the rigidifying means contacting only a partial cross-section of said at least one first internal plate, second internal plate, and said depressions so as to avoid subdividing any of said chambers into subchambers.
4 more elements
A muffler assembly having an inlet and an outlet, the muffler assembly comprising
- a first half shell,
- a second half shell joined to said first half shell to define an enclosed area therebetween,
- a first internal plate containing depressions therein and abutting and located between said half shells to divide said enclosed area into two chamber means,
- a second internal plate containing depressions therein and contacting said first internal plate,
- said depressions in said two internal plates facing each other to define gas passages therebetween communication with the inlet and outlet for the muffler assembly,
- divider means located in at least one of said two chambers to divide said one of said two chambers into at least two subchambers, and
- rigidifying means only extending between a portion of at least one half shell and a portion of at least one of said depressions to fixedly secure said portion of said depression to said portion of said half shell to reduce vibrations of said one half shell, the rigidifying means extending between the at least one half shell and one of said depressions to support the at least one half shell without dividing the chamber means therebetween into a further subchamber.
4 more elements
A muffler assembly having an inlet and an outlet, the muffler assembly, comprising
- first and second shells joined together to define an enclosed area therebetween,
- at least one plate disposed in the interior region between the shells and attached to at least one of the shells,
- at least one rigidifying structure extending between the at least one plate and one of the shells to support the shell without dividing a space between the at least one plate and the shell into a further subchamber,
- divider means located in the space between the at least one plate and one shell to divide the space into at least two subchambers, and
- wherein said rigidifying structure does not significantly fill a volume of any enclosed area or subchambers.
2 more elements
A muffler assembly having an inlet and an outlet, the muffler assembly, comprising
- first and second shells joined together to define an enclosed area therebetween,
- at least one flow tube disposed in the interior region between the shells and attached to at least one of the shells, and
- at least one rigidifying structure extending between the at least one flow tube and one of the shells to support the shell without dividing a space between the at least one flow tube and the shell into a further subchamber,
- divider means located in the space between the at least one plate and one shell to divide the space into at least two subchambers, and
- wherein said rigidifying structure does not significantly fill a volume of any enclosed area or subchambers.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.