Internal-combustion engines – Intake manifold – Manifold material or composition
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-02
2001-07-31
Kamen, Noah P. (Department: 3747)
Internal-combustion engines
Intake manifold
Manifold material or composition
C264S328200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06267093
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to plastic automotive air intake units and, more specifically, to an improved bonded joint design for an intake manifold assembly.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
As discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,947,073 to Chaffin et al., it is conventional to join plastic automotive air intake assemblies by means of linear vibration welding. Linear welding requires a relatively flat or 2-dimensional mating surface between the upper and lower housing parts. The two parts are placed within a vibration welding fixture and subjected to lateral displacement causing the mating surfaces between the parts to heat, soften, and fuse to one another.
In the case of highly contoured or 3-dimensional parts, vibration welding has proved unsatisfactory because of resulting lateral or linear displacement, creating weakened gaps in the vertical portions of the welds. The Chaffin patent teaches using a high frequency RF field to dielectrically heat an adhesive for bonding a first member tongue edge portion to a mating groove surface of a second member. The patent discloses an apparatus including a first continuous electrode that overlies the mating surfaces of the housing members. While the fabricating method of the Chaffin patent results in satisfactory welds, its use in the mass production of automotive parts is expensive as to labor and tooling costs as well as time consuming.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved adhesive bonding arrangement and method for readily fabricating plastic air intake assemblies and the like for use in combination with internal combustion engines.
The above object is achieved and disadvantages of prior air intake assemblies overcome by employing scarf joints adapted for ready adhesive bonding between 3-dimensional contoured housing members, thereby obviating the use of the costly plastic fabricating methods, such as for example, dielectric heating procedures discussed above.
Another object of the invention is the reduction in manufacturing tolerances required for involved inter-fitting joint designs, such as a tongue and groove arrangement disclosed in the above patent, by providing overlapping scarf joints between the housing members adapted for ready bonding by suitable adhesives.
It is yet another feature of the invention to provide overlapping, scarf joints between the housing members creating low contour profiles for ease of molding and economy of space during mass production assembly of the air intake composite units.
A still further feature of the invention to provide a novel plastic intake assembly as set forth above which reduces the necessary manufacturing tolerances on the plastic housing members.
According to the present invention, there is provided a plastic automotive air intake housing assembly for routing air or air/fuel mixtures to engine cylinder head ports. The assembly comprises two or more housing shell-type plastic members each having a 3-dimensional perimeter mating surface, with the mating surfaces bonded together in a continuous scarf joint parting-line with its flush mating surfaces sealed by an adhesive.
In the disclosed embodiment herein the air intake unit includes a 3-piece air intake manifold assembly involving a first upper housing member, a second intermediate housing member, and a third lower housing member. The upper housing member is molded with an underside 3-dimensional surface having a chamfered-shape in cross section. The intermediate member is molded with an upper side perimeter mating surface having a chamfered-shape in cross section that is complementary to the first housing member mating surface, and an underside perimeter mating surface having a chamfered-shape in cross section. The lower housing member is molded with an upper side perimeter mating surface having a chamfered-shape in cross-section that is the complement of the intermediate member underside chamfered-shape mating surface. With the flush mating surfaces being bonded with adhesive and heat cured the assembly is secured by first and second parting lines.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2623571 (1952-12-01), Webber
patent: 4111163 (1978-09-01), Ederer et al.
patent: 4301775 (1981-11-01), Smart et al.
patent: 4780161 (1988-10-01), Mizuhara
patent: 5294273 (1994-03-01), Tripp
patent: 5704325 (1998-01-01), Sattler et al.
patent: 5947073 (1999-09-01), Chaffin et al.
patent: 1286368 (1962-01-01), None
Ford Global Technologies Inc.
Hanze Carlos L.
Kamen Noah P.
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