Marine propulsion – Jet drive
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-08
2001-01-23
Avila, Stephen (Department: 3617)
Marine propulsion
Jet drive
C440S112000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06176749
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a mounting structure for a water jet pump of a watercraft, and more particularly to a mounting structure for mounting a water jet pump in the bottom portion of the watercraft, in which a vertical wall is formed in a hull at the rear end of a water intake duct to form a pump mounting space, and a pump bracket fitted to the inlet of the water jet pump is sealingly connected to the vertical wall.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A personal watercraft is propelled by a water jet pump designed to draw water (including sea water) through a water intake opening formed in the bottom of the watercraft, and to pressurize and accelerate the water to eject rearwardly through an ejecting nozzle formed at the rear of the pump for propelling the watercraft forward.
A certain type of personal watercraft includes, a water intake duct which extends diagonally upward and rearward in the center of the rear portion of a hull that constitutes the lower portion of the watercraft body, a vertical wall connected to the rear end of the duct to form a pump mounting space on the rear of the vertical wall, and a pump bracket fitted to the inlet of the water jet pump connected to the vertical wall.
For connecting the pump bracket to the vertical wall formed in the hull, in this structure, a sealing element is inserted in a gap formed between the connecting surfaces of the pump bracket and the vertical wall.
There is another sealing structure proposed for holding cables which penetrate the hull such as an operating cable for water jet pump and the like, and for joint elements holding pipes which penetrate the hull such as a bilge pipe connected to a bilge pump or a cooling water pipe connected to the engine, which holders and joint elements are directly and separately secured to the hull by an adhesive to seal the penetrated portion of the hull (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. Hei 8-104287).
In the sealing structure connecting the pump bracket fitted to the inlet of the water jet pump to the vertical wall formed in the hull, it is sometimes difficult to insert the sealing element into the gap formed between connecting surfaces of the pump bracket and the vertical wall.
Moreover, the above structure of employing the sealing element between connecting surfaces of the hull and pump bracket, there remains a possibility of causing a small amount of leakage of water into the body of the watercraft or leakage of air into the pump, due to an insufficient sealing function of the sealing element between the connecting surfaces.
Separate sealing of holders and joint elements of the above prior structure increases complexity in design which requires a number of steps in the pump mounting operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a mounting structure for mounting a water jet pump of the personal watercraft, wherein a non-solid sealant is accommodated between the connecting surfaces of the vertical wall and the pump bracket ensuring sufficient and long lasting sealing effect of the connecting surfaces to prevent air and water leakage between the connecting surfaces.
The present invention provides a mounting structure for a water jet pump of a personal watercraft, comprising a vertical wall formed in a hull at the rear end of a water intake duct to form a pump mounting space, a pump bracket fitted with an inlet of a water jet pump mounted on the bottom of the watercraft, the pump bracket having a connecting surface to be connected to the vertical wall, the connecting surface having a sealant recess formed to accommodate a non-solid sealant leaving a peripheral connecting surface along the periphery of the connecting surface.
Prior to the mounting of the pump bracket to the vertical wall formed in the hull, the non-solid sealant is applied to the entire connecting surface of the pump bracket and the sealant is made to settle in the sealant recess. Then, by simply abutting the connecting surface of the pump bracket to the vertical wall, the sealant is uniformly accommodated across the entire connecting surface of the pump bracket, thus, the operation for sealing between the hull and the pump bracket is simplified thereby eliminating special care. Moreover, by the sealing structure in-which non-solid sealant is accommodated between connecting surfaces of the hull and the pump bracket, it becomes possible to ensure sufficient and long lasting sealing function of the connecting surfaces of the hull and the pump bracket under non-operating and operating conditions of the personal watercraft, thereby, preventing water leakage into the body of the watercraft and air drawn into the pump at the pump bracket mounting section.
Furthermore, continuous sealant recess in the connecting surface of the pump bracket facilitates the pump mounting operation, because the non-solid sealant is effectively distributed in the sealant recess after the application to the connecting surface of the pump bracket. Quicker and uniform application of the non-solid sealant also facilitates the mounting operation.
Threaded holes for screwing bolts therein to secure the pump bracket to the vertical wall, and a through hole for retaining a holder for passing an operation cable and for retaining a joint member for passing a bilge pipe or a cooling pipe and others which pass through the connecting surfaces are suitably arranged and are surrounded by the sealant recess. Therefore, the non-solid sealant is also accommodated around the holder and joint member which penetrate the connecting surface of the pump bracket, enhancing the water sealing property for the hole sections through which each of these members penetrate the vertical wall in the hull, and thereby also enhancing air and water tightness of these portions.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2977923 (1961-04-01), Bergstedt
patent: 3204598 (1965-09-01), Sharp
patent: 4925408 (1990-05-01), Webb et al.
patent: 8-104287 (1996-04-01), None
Avila Stephen
Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Marshall O'Toole Gerstein Murray & Borun
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