Fuel tank having a stiffening structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11104221-B2
Application number	US-201716306897-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 22, 2017
Priority date	Jun 1, 2016
Publication date	Aug 31, 2021
Grant date	Aug 31, 2021

Abstract

The present invention discloses a fuel tank for a motor vehicle, with a tank wall bounding a fuel tank interior, characterized by the following features: the fuel tank has a first fiber-reinforced stiffening structure and a second fiber-reinforced stiffening structure; the first stiffening structure is connected to an inner surface of the tank wall, said inner surface facing the fuel tank interior, and the second stiffening structure is connected to an outer surface of the tank wall, said outer surface facing away from the fuel tank interior; and the tank wall is arranged at least in sections in a sandwich-like manner between the first stiffening structure and the second stiffening structure such that the first stiffening structure and the second stiffening structure are arranged overlapping at least in sections.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An operating liquid tank ( 1 ) for a motor vehicle having a tank wall ( 10 ) that bounds an operating liquid tank interior ( 13 ), comprising:
a first fiber-reinforced stiffening structure ( 21 ) and a second fiber-reinforced stiffening structure ( 22 ), wherein
the first stiffening structure ( 21 ) is bonded to an inner face ( 11 ) of the tank wall ( 10 ), wherein the inner face ( 11 ) of the tank wall ( 10 ) faces and directly contacts the operating liquid tank interior ( 13 ), and the second stiffening structure ( 22 ) is bonded to an outer face ( 12 ) of the tank wall ( 10 ), wherein the outer face ( 12 ) of the tank wall ( 10 ) faces away from the operating liquid tank interior ( 13 );
the tank wall ( 10 ), at least in sections, is in a sandwich arrangement between the first stiffening structure ( 21 ) and the second stiffening structure ( 22 ), in such a way that the first stiffening structure ( 21 ) and the second stiffening structure ( 22 ), at least in sections, are in an overlapping arrangement;
the operating liquid tank is configured for installation in a motor vehicle to provide operating liquid to the motor vehicle; and
the tank wall ( 10 ) is a wall devoid of seams.

2. The operating liquid tank ( 1 ) of claim 1 , wherein the tank wall ( 10 ) is in a sandwich arrangement between the first stiffening structure ( 21 ) and the second stiffening structure ( 22 ), in such a way that, in a top view of the tank wall ( 10 ), the first stiffening structure ( 21 ) and the second stiffening structure ( 22 ) run flush to one another.

3. The operating liquid tank ( 1 ) of claim 1 , wherein the first stiffening structure ( 21 ) takes the form of a fiber-reinforced tensile first ribbon ( 21 ), and/or in that the second stiffening structure ( 22 ) takes the form of a fiber-reinforced tensile second ribbon ( 22 ).

4. The operating liquid tank ( 1 ) of claim 1 , wherein the first stiffening structure ( 21 ) takes the form of a first organosheet, and/or in that the second stiffening structure ( 22 ) takes the form of a second organosheet.

5. The operating liquid tank ( 1 ) of claim 1 , wherein
the first stiffening structure ( 21 ) is secured to two spaced-apart securing regions on the inner face ( 11 ) of the tank wall ( 10 ); and/or
the second stiffening structure ( 22 ) is secured to two spaced-apart securing regions on the outer face ( 12 ) of the tank wall ( 10 ).

6. The operating liquid tank ( 1 ) of claim 1 , wherein
the first stiffening structure ( 21 ) is bonded on the inner face ( 11 ) of the tank wall ( 10 ) along a bonding line having at least one extension component that runs at right angles to a fiber direction of reinforcing fibers within the first stiffening structure ( 21 ); and/or
the second stiffening structure ( 22 ) is bonded on the outer face ( 12 ) of the tank wall ( 10 ) along a bonding line having at least one extension component that runs at right angles to a fiber direction of reinforcing fibers within the second stiffening structure ( 22 ).

7. The operating liquid tank ( 1 ) of claim 1 , wherein
the first stiffening structure ( 21 ) is in a circumferential arrangement within the operating liquid tank ( 1 ); and/or
the second stiffening structure ( 22 ) is in a circumferential arrangement within the operating liquid tank ( 1 ).

8. The operating liquid tank ( 1 ) of claim 1 , wherein
the operating liquid tank ( 1 ) has at least two first fiber-reinforced stiffening structures ( 21 ), each of which is bonded to the inner face ( 11 ) of the tank wall ( 10 ) that faces the operating liquid tank interior ( 13 ); and
the two first stiffening structures ( 21 ) are in a crossed arrangement such that the reinforcing fibers thereof run at an angle to one another.

9. The operating liquid tank ( 1 ) of claim 1 , wherein
the operating liquid tank ( 1 ) has at least two second fiber-reinforced stiffening structures ( 22 ), each of which is bonded to the outer face ( 12 ) of the tank wall ( 10 ) that faces away from the operating liquid tank interior ( 13 ); and
the two second stiffening structures ( 22 ) are in a crossed arrangement such that the reinforcing fibers thereof run at an angle to one another.

10. The operating liquid tank ( 1 ) of claim 1 , wherein the first stiffening structure ( 21 ) and/or the second stiffening structure ( 22 ) is cohesively bonded to the tank wall ( 10 ).

11. The operating liquid tank ( 1 ) of claim 1 , wherein
the first stiffening structure ( 21 ) is bonded to the tank wall ( 10 ) by means of an adhesion promoter layer disposed between the first stiffening structure ( 21 ) and the inner face ( 11 ) of the tank wall ( 10 ), and/or
the second stiffening structure ( 22 ) is bonded to the tank wall ( 10 ) by means of an adhesion promoter layer disposed between the second stiffening structure ( 22 ) and the outer face ( 12 ) of the tank wall ( 10 ).

12. The operating liquid tank ( 1 ) of claim 1 , wherein
the first stiffening structure ( 21 ) is bonded to the tank wall ( 10 ) by means of a rivet bond that penetrates the first stiffening structure ( 21 ), and/or
the second stiffening structure ( 22 ) is bonded to the tank wall ( 10 ) by means of a rivet bond that penetrates the second stiffening structure ( 22 ).

13. The operating liquid tank ( 1 ) of claim 1 , wherein
the first stiffening structure ( 21 ) has at least one bonding pin ( 30 ) that faces the inner face ( 11 ) of the tank wall ( 10 ) and has an undercut ( 31 ), where the bonding pin ( 30 ) has penetrated into the tank wall ( 10 ) such that the undercut ( 31 ) has merged into the tank wall ( 10 ) and the first stiffening structure ( 21 ) is bonded in a form-fitting manner to the tank wall ( 10 ), and/or
the second stiffening structure ( 22 ) has at least one bonding pin ( 30 ) that faces the outer face ( 12 ) of the tank wall ( 10 ) and has an undercut ( 31 ), where the bonding pin ( 30 ) has penetrated into the tank wall ( 10 ) such that the undercut ( 31 ) has merged into the tank wall ( 10 ) and the second stiffening structure ( 22 ) is bonded in a form-fitting manner to the tank wall ( 10 ).

14. The operating liquid tank ( 1 ) of claim 8 , wherein
the two first stiffening structures ( 21 ) are in a crossed arrangement such that the reinforcing fibers thereof run at right angles to one another.

15. The operating liquid tank ( 1 ) of claim 9 , wherein
the two second stiffening structures ( 22 ) are in a crossed arrangement such that the reinforcing fibers thereof run at right angles to one another.

Assignees

• Kautex Textron Gmbh & Co Kg

Inventors

• Elsasser Carsten
• Rosenstrater Sebastian

Classifications

• B60K15/03

  Fuel tanks · CPC title

• B60K15/03177 Primary

  made of non-metallic material, e.g. plastics, or of a combination of non-metallic and metallic material (B60K15/03006 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60K2015/03046

  made from more than one layer · CPC title

• B60K2015/03486

  characterised by the materials the tank or parts thereof are essentially made from · CPC title

• B60K2015/03453

  for fixing or mounting parts of the fuel tank together · CPC title