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US 8,906,287 B2Granted
Gas tank and method of manufacturing liner for gas tank
AssigneeToyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorKen Hatta
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A gas tank, includes: a liner; and a fiber reinforced plastic layer. A hollow portion is formed within a thickness of the liner along an axial direction of the tank.
Claims3
A method of manufacturing a liner for gas tank that includes the liner and a fiber reinforced plastic layer, comprising:
- injecting resin from an injection gate into a cavity formed between an inner periphery of a main platen of a mold and an outer periphery of a core of the mold, which core is located inside the main platen;
- injecting pressurized inert gas through the gate while enlarging the cavity by pulling back a part of the core;
- and
- cooling down and hardening the resin while gas pressure is maintained for a specified time period, and then discharging the pressurized gas to collect the liner;
- wherein a plurality of hollow portions extend in an axial direction of the gas tank, following a shape of the tank, and are enclosed by a wall of the liner;
- wherein each of the plurality of hollow portions functions as a leak port that discharges leaked gas;
- and
- wherein a resin portion separates each of the plurality of hollow portions from the fiber reinforced plastic layer.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.