Process for producing vehicular fuel tanks
OwnerDaniel Luchinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A hollow container for storage and transport of fluid hydrocarbon vehicular fuels is composed of a laminated structure of polymeric resin body component and electrodeposited metal. An interior stratum of polymer chemically resistant to the fuel is joined to a stratum of electroplateable polymer disposed to the exterior of the interior stratum. The laminated polymeric structure is then electroplated to form a skin of metal encapsulating the interior polymeric strata. The tank combines the structural design flexibility of plastic with the metal barrier properties regarding evaporative emissions, permitting the use of high contents of oxygenated species in the fuel.
Claims9
A process for the production of a vehicular fuel tank having reduced evaporative emissions of hydrocarbon fuel comprising the following steps:
- co-extruding multiple polymeric compositions to form a multilayered polymeric melt parison, said multilayered polymeric melt parison having a directly electroplateable resin at an exterior surface,
- clamping said parison in a mold having an interior mold surface,
- injecting a pressurized gas to force and expand said polymeric melt parison against said interior mold surface to create a molded polymeric structure,
- removing said molded polymeric structure from said mold,
- immersing said molded polymeric structure in an electroplating bath containing Group VIII metal ions and,
- electrodepositing a first stratum of Group VIII-based metal or Group VIII-based metal alloy adherent onto said directly electroplateable resin, wherein a vehicular fuel tank having reduced evaporative emission of hydrocarbon fuel is produced.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.