Assignee:
Nelson Industries, Inc. (Stoughton, WI)
Primary Class:
181/265
Other Classes:
181/272
International Classes:
F01N1/02; F01N1/08; F01N1/08
Field of Search:
181/231, 181/266, 181/268, 181/269, 181/272-275, 181/282, 181/255, 181/265, 181/264, 181/273, 181/281
Primary Examiner:
Hix L. T.
Assistant Examiner:
Fuller, Benjamin R.
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
Andrus, Sceales, Starke & Sawall
Claims:
I claim:
1. A muffler construction, a casing, inlet conduit means connected to
the casing for introducing an exhaust gas to the casing, outlet conduit
means connected to the casing for discharging the gas from the casing,
an inner body disposed within the casing and having an upstream end
communicating with the inlet conduit means and having a downstream end
communicating with the outlet conduit means, baffle means disposed
between the ends of the inner body, each end of said body having a
generally oval cross-sectional configuration with a major axis and a
minor axis, the portions of said body that define said major axes being
secured to the casing and the portions of said body that define said
minor axes being spaced from the casing to provide a passage for the
flow of exhaust gas, the major axis of the upstream end of the body
being displaced circumferentially from the major axis of the downstream
end of the body.
2. The muffler construction of claim 1, wherein the major axis of the
upstream end of the body is displaced 90° from the major axis of the
downstream end of the body.
3. The muffler construction of claim 1, wherein the central portion of
the length of the body has a generally circular cross sectional
configuration, said baffle means being secured within said central
portion.
4. The muffler construction of claim 3, wherein said baffle means is a
closed structure to prevent flow of said gas directly through said
body.
5. A muffler construction, comprising a generally cylindrical closed
casing, inlet conduit means connected to the casing for introducing an
exhaust gas to the casing, outlet conduit means connected to the casing
for discharging the gas from the casing, an inner body disposed within
the casing and having an upstream end communicating with the inlet
conduit means and having a downstream end communicating with the outlet
conduit means, baffle means disposed generally centrally of the length
of the inner body, each end of the body having a generally oval cross
sectional configuration with a major axis and a minor axis, the
portions of said body that define said major axes being secured
directly to the inner surface of the casing and the portions of said
body that define said minor axes being spaced from the inner surface of
the casing to provide a passage for the flow of exhaust gas, the major
axis of the upstream end of the body being displaced approximately 90°
from the major axis of the downstream end of the body.
6. The muffler construction of claim 5, wherein the central
longitudinal portion of the body between said ends has a generally
circular cross sectional configuration, said baffle means being secured
within said central portion, said baffle means preventing the passage
of exhaust gas directly through said inner body.
7. The muffler construction of claim 5, wherein said inlet conduit
means comprises an inlet tube disposed axially of said casing, the
downstream end of said inlet tube projecting within the upstream end of
said inner body, said outlet conduit means comprising an outlet tube
disposed axially of the casing, the upstream end of said outlet tube
projecting within the downstream end of said body.
8. The muffler construction of claim 1, wherein the upstream end
portion of the body and the downstream end portion of the body are
provided with a plurality of perforations.
Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The
conventional concentric pass-type muffler includes an outer casing
having its ends enclosed by heads, and an inlet tube, which is
connected to the exhaust pipe, is mounted on one head and an outlet
tube is mounted in the opposite head. A generally cylindrical inner
body is disposed in spaced relation within the outer casing and a
baffle or flange is disposed centrally of the inner body to prevent the
flow of gas directly through the inner body.
In the
conventional concentric pass-type muffler, annular flanges connect the
ends of the inner body to the outer casing, and the flanges are
provided with openings for the passage of the exhaust gas.
The
exhaust gas entering the inlet tube enters the inner body and is
defflected rearwardly by the central baffle, and then passes through
the annular space between the inner body and the casing to the outlet
tube for discharge to the exterior.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The
present invention is directed to an improved concentric pass-type
muffler which eliminates the supporting flanges which have been used in
the past to connect the inner body of the outer casing. The muffler
includes an outer casing having its open ends enclosed by heads, and an
exhaust gas inlet tube is mounted in one of the heads, while an outlet
tube is mounted coaxially in the opposite head. In accordance with the
invention, an inner body, which is spaced inwardly of the outer casing,
is provided with a complex cross-sectional contour. The longitudinal
center portion of the body has a generally circular cross sectional
configuration, and a closed baffle or flange is mounted within the
central portion to prevent the gas from passing directly through the
inner body.
The upstream end of the body has a generally oval
configuration with the major diameter of the upstream end being welded
or otherwise secured to the inner surface of the casing. The downstream
end of the body is also provided with a generally oval configuration
with the major diameter of the downstream end being displaced 90° from
that of the upstream end and being welded to the inner surface of the
casing.
The exhaust gas entering the inlet tube is deflected
by the flange or baffle in the inner body and will flow through the
space between the inner body and the casing for discharge through the
outlet tube to the exterior.
With the construction of the
invention, the inner body itself is welded to the inner casing, thereby
eliminating the need for annular flanges as have been used in the past
to connect the inner body to the outer casing. This results in a
substantial cost reduction without adversely effecting the accoustical
characteristics of the muffler.
By eliminating the supporting
flanges that have been used in the past, the cross-sectional area
between the inner body and the outer casing can be reduced. This
permits the use of a smaller diameter casing or alternately, a larger
diameter inner body can be used in the outer casing.
As the
major diameters of the upstream and downstream ends of the inner body
are preferably displaced 90°, the exhaust gas travelling within the
space between the inner body and the outer casing is forced either to
rotate or to divide and this is believed to increase the attenuation of
the sound energy.
Other objects and advantages will appear in the course of the following description.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The drawings illustrate the best mode presently contemplated of carrying out the invention.
In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section of the muffler construction of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a section taken along line 2--2 of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 3 is a section taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 1.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The
drawings illustrate a concentric pass-type exhaust muffler comprising a
generally cylindrical outer casing 1 and the ends of the casing are
closed off by heads 2 and 3 which are welded to the inner surface of
the casing.
Exhaust pipe 4, which is adapted to receive
exhaust gases from an internal combustion engine, is secured within
aligned openings in the head 2 and a baffle 5, which is welded to the
inner surface of the casing 1 and is spaced downstream from the head 2.
Perforations 6 are located within the portion of the exhaust pipe 4
disposed between the head 2 and baffle 5 and the perforations provide
communication between the interior of the exhaust pipe 4 and the closed
resonating chamber 7.
The downstream end of the exhaust pipe 4 is also provided with a series of perforations 8.
In
accordance with the invention, an inner body 9 is secured centrally of
the length of the casing 1 and the downstream end of the exhaust pipe 4
projects into the upstream end of the inner body 9. The central portion
of the inner body 9 is closed off by a baffle 10 having a peripheral
flange which is welded to the inner surface of the inner body so that
the exhaust gas cannot flow directly through the inner body.
The
upstream end 11 of the inner body 9 is formed with a generally oval
configuration having a major axis and a minor axis. The major axis of
the upstream end 11 is secured by welding to the inner surface of the
casing 1, while the minor axis of upstream end 11 is spaced inwardly
from the casing to provide a passage for the flow of exhaust gas.
As
illustrated in FIG. 3, the central portion 12 of inner body 9, whithin
which the baffle or flange 10 is secured, has a generally circular
configuration, while the downstream end 13 of body 9 has an oval
configuration having a major axis welded to the inner surface of the
casing 1 and a minor axis spaced inwardly from the casing to provide a
passage for the flow of exhaust gases. The major axis of the upstream
end 11 of the body 9 is displaced circumferentially from the major axis
of the downstream end 13 and preferably the major axes are displaced
90°.
Both the upstream end portion and the downstream end
portion of the inner body can be provided with a plurality of
perforations, indicated by 14 and 15 respectively.
The exhaust
gas is discharged from the muffler through an outlet pipe 16 which is
welded centrally within aligned openings in head 3 and a flange or
baffle 17 which is secured to the inner surface of casing 1 and spaced
upstream from head 3.
Perforations 18 can be formed in the
outlet pipe 16 to establish communication between the pipe 16 and the
resonating chamber 19 which is located between the flange 17 and the
end head 3.
Operation
The exhaust gases
enter the exhaust pipe 4, and a portion of the sound energy will pass
through the perforations 6 into the resonating chamber 7 and be
deflected back into the exhaust tube, thereby causing an attenuation of
the sound energy.
On discharge from the downstream end of the
exhaust pipe 4, the exhaust gases will strike the baffle 10 and are
deflected in an upstream direction, with the major portion of the sound
energy being deflected by baffle 5 and entering the peripheral passage
20 between the minor axis of the upstream end 11 and the outer casing,
while a minor portion of the sound energy will pass through the
perforations into the peripheral passage.
The sound energy
will be discharged from the passage 20 through the clearance between
the minor axis of the downstream end 13 and the casing. As the major
axis of the downstream end 13 is displaced 90° from that of the
upstream end 11 of the body, the gases will be forced to rotate or
swirl as they move through the passage 20 and this swirling action is
believed to cause a further attenuation of the sound energy. Baffle 17
serves to deflect the exhaust gas and sound energy upstream into the
downstream end 13 of the body where they are again deflected downstream
by baffle 17 and then pass through the outlet tube 16 to the exterior.
The
inner body, having oval ends which are displaced 90° from each other,
enables the inner body to be attached directly to the outer casing
without the use of annular flanges or other auxilliary connecting
members as used in the past. By eliminating the flanges, the
construction is simplified and the cost of fabrication is
correspondingly reduced.
By eliminating the support flanges
that are normally used in a pass-type muffler, the cross sectional area
between the casing and the inner body can be reduced. This permits the
use of a smaller diameter casing, or alternately, a larger diameter
inner body for improved sound attenuation.
Various modes of
carrying out the invention are contemplated as being within the scope
of the following claims particularly pointing out and distinctly
claiming the subject matter which is regarded as the invention.