JP2009051460A - Fuel tank - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a fuel tank which can alleviate stress generated at flange when the tank is shifted in a longitudinal direction to be in contact with the other member, and whose productivity is high. <P>SOLUTION: The fuel tank 12 is constituted of shell members 14, 16. The shell members 14, 16, are provided with welding flanges 14F, 16F. By using these welding flanges, the shell members are welded along one welding line (seam line) 18 so as to secur a high productivity. A extension angle θ measured from outer peripheral surfaces 12S of the welding flanges 14F, 16F is set at 90 degrees, allowing the welding flanges to be in surface-contact with a tank stopper 20 at the time of shifting the fuel tank 12 to the front side of a vehicle. This alleviates the stress acting on the welding flanges 14F, 16F. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel tank.

  As a fuel tank mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile, Patent Document 1 is configured by using a bent upper panel and a lower panel and welding the lower panel to the upper panel by a flange formed on the lower panel. The fuel tank of the vehicle is shown. In this structure, since the fuel tank can be constituted by two panels formed by bending, the number of parts is reduced, and the number of parts is one, and the productivity is high.

By the way, in the structure of patent document 1, the flange for welding is extended along the longitudinal direction of a fuel tank. Therefore, when the fuel tank moves in the longitudinal direction and the front end of the flange comes into contact with another member, the front end of the flange hits the other member perpendicularly, so that excessive stress acts on the flange.
JP 59-1111728 A

  In view of the above facts, an object of the present invention is to obtain a fuel tank that can relieve the stress generated on the flange when it moves in the longitudinal direction and comes into contact with another member and has high productivity.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, two outer shell members formed by bending and welded to each other in one welding line to form the external shape of the fuel tank, and each of the outer shell members partially face each other. And a welding flange for welding the outer shell members to each other. The welding flange extends outward with respect to the longitudinal direction of the external shape. It is characterized by that.

  In this fuel tank, the outer shape of the fuel tank is configured by welding two outer shell members with respective welding flanges. All outer shell members are formed by bending, and there is only one welding line for welding each other. For example, the outer shell members require processing other than bending (drawing, etc.) Productivity is high compared to configurations that require multiple lines.

  Further, the welding flange extends outward in the longitudinal direction of the external shape. Therefore, when the fuel tank moves in the longitudinal direction with respect to the vehicle body and the welding flange comes into contact with another member, it comes into contact with the other member obliquely or the side surface of the welding flange comes into surface contact. For this reason, the stress which acts on a welding flange is relieved compared with the structure by which the flange for welding was extended along the longitudinal direction.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the welding flange extends so that an extension angle measured from an outer surface parallel to the longitudinal direction of the external shape is approximately 90 degrees. It is characterized by being.

  That is, in the invention described in claim 1, the extension angle of the welding flange is not particularly limited. However, if the extension angle is approximately 90 degrees as described in claim 2, the welding flange is perpendicular to the outer surface of the fuel tank. Therefore, when the fuel tank moves, it can come into surface contact with other members. Further, one of the outer shell members has a substantially flat shape (a flat shape when the extension angle is 90 degrees) without particularly bending a portion to be a welding flange, and thus it is possible to further improve productivity. Become.

  In the above description, “substantially 90 degrees” includes a range in which the welding flange can be regarded as substantially standing upright from the outer surface of the cylindrical member with 90 degrees as the center. From about 100 degrees. If it is the range of such an extension angle, it can be considered that the periphery of an outer shell member has the planarity of the grade which can improve productivity.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the outer shell member is formed with an accommodating recess for accommodating a protruding member protruding from a vehicle body. .

  Therefore, by accommodating the projecting member of the vehicle body in the housing recess, it is possible to arrange the fuel tank while avoiding the projecting member while ensuring a large capacity of the fuel tank.

  Further, since the outer shell member substantially bulges inside the fuel tank at the portion where the accommodating recess is formed, the bulging portion acts to resist the flow of the internal fuel, and the flow noise is generated. It becomes possible to suppress.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the present invention, the housing recess is formed so as to face the protruding member in the longitudinal direction of the external shape with respect to the vehicle body side member. And

  Therefore, when the fuel tank moves in the longitudinal direction, the housing recess can be brought into contact with the protruding member. For this reason, a member (so-called tank stopper) for limiting the movement of the fuel tank in the longitudinal direction can be eliminated.

  Since the present invention is configured as described above, the stress generated on the flange when moved in the longitudinal direction and brought into contact with another member can be relaxed, and the productivity is increased.

  FIG. 1 shows a schematic shape of a fuel tank 12 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The fuel tank 12 is mounted on a vehicle (not shown) and stores fuel used in the vehicle. In the drawings, the front side of the vehicle is indicated by an arrow FR, the vehicle width direction is indicated by an arrow W, and the upper side is indicated by an arrow UP. The fuel tank 12 is mounted on the vehicle, and the longitudinal direction of the external shape thereof coincides with the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Hereinafter, the term “longitudinal direction” and “width direction” simply refer to the longitudinal direction and the width direction of the fuel tank 12.

  The fuel tank 12 has two outer shell members 14 and 16 made of metal such as steel, stainless steel, and aluminum alloy. These outer shell members 14 and 16 are both formed by bending a metal plate.

  As shown also in FIG. 2, the upper outer shell member 14 has a shape having an inverted U-shaped cross section when viewed in the longitudinal direction. In contrast, the lower outer shell member 16 has a flat U-shaped cross section when viewed along the width direction. Then, the outer shell member 14 and the outer shell member 16 are assembled and joined (welded) so that the peripheral portions thereof are in linear contact with each other, whereby the fuel tank 12 having a closed curved surface appearance is configured. Is done. In the drawing, a center line along the longitudinal direction of the fuel tank 12 is shown as an axis J1. Therefore, the outer peripheral surface 12S of the fuel tank 12 is parallel to the axis J1.

  A welding flange 14 </ b> F is formed on the peripheral portion of the outer shell member 14 by bending a metal plate constituting the outer shell member 14 at a right angle. The welding flange 14F is formed so as to surround the outer edge portion of the outer shell member 14 over the entire circumference. In the joined state of the outer shell members 14 and 16, the welding flange 14 </ b> F is in surface contact with the vicinity of the outer edge portion of the outer shell member 16. Thus, the portion in surface contact with the welding flange 14 </ b> F constitutes the welding flange 16 </ b> F of the outer shell member 16. In other words, the outer shell members 14, 16 are welded along one welding line (seam line) 18, so that the fuel tank 12 having a closed curved surface shape as a whole is configured.

  3A and 3B, the vicinity of the end portion in the axial direction of the fuel tank 12 is shown as a sectional view in which the fuel tank 12 is broken along a plane passing through the axis J1. As shown in detail in FIG. 3, when the angle of the welding flange 14F measured from the outer peripheral surface 12S of the fuel tank 12 is defined as the extension angle θ, the extension angle θ is 90 degrees.

  For example, various pipes (not shown) for supplying fuel to the outside and parts such as an inlet lower for supplying fuel into the fuel tank 12 are attached to the fuel tank 12. Furthermore, a separator for preventing inadvertent flow of fuel may be provided in the fuel tank 12.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, a tank stopper 20 is arranged on the vehicle body (not shown) so as to face the welding flanges 14F and 16F on the front side in the longitudinal direction of the fuel tank 12. . When an acceleration of a predetermined value or more acts in the axial direction and the fuel tank 12 moves in the axial direction, the fuel tank 12 hits the tank stopper 20 to stop its movement.

  Next, the operation of the fuel tank 12 of this embodiment will be described.

  In the fuel tank 12 of the present embodiment, since the external shape of the fuel tank 12 can be configured only by the two outer shell members 14 and 16 formed by bending, processing other than bending (drawing or the like) is required. Productivity is improved compared with a structure and the structure which requires another member. Moreover, since the outer shell members 14 and 16 can be joined (welded) by only one welding line 18 (welding flanges 14F and 16F), productivity is further improved as compared with a configuration that requires a plurality of seam lines. Is done.

  Furthermore, in the fuel tank 12 of the present embodiment, the overall shape of the fuel tank 12 can be easily changed simply by changing the shape of the outer shell members 14 and 16, and the degree of freedom in shape is improved. In addition, since it is not necessary to perform complicated processing on the outer shell members 14 and 16, and a high shape accuracy is not required, the material yield is also improved. In particular, since it is not necessary to draw the outer shell members 14 and 16 or press-fit one of the outer shell members into the other, the shape and surface properties of the outer shell members 14 and 16 can be stably maintained.

  Various members such as a pump and a filter are disposed inside the fuel tank 12. As can be seen from FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the outer shell members 14 and 16 are largely opened before welding. Therefore, the various members described above are arranged at predetermined positions of the outer shell members 14 and 16 before joining. After that, by joining the outer shell members 14 and 16, it is possible to easily perform the operation of disposing these members inside.

  When an acceleration of a predetermined value or more is applied to the vehicle on which the fuel tank 12 is mounted, the fuel tank 12 may move toward the vehicle front side with respect to the vehicle body and may come into contact with the tank stopper 20. Here, in the fuel tank 12 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the extension angle θ of the welding flanges 14F and 16F is 90 degrees, and the welding flanges 14F and 16F are the outer periphery of the fuel tank 12. It extends perpendicularly from the surface 12S. Therefore, as can be seen from FIG. 3B, the welding flanges 14F, 16F and the tank stopper 20 come into surface contact (so-called “surface contact”) when the fuel tank 12 moves toward the vehicle front side. For this reason, the welding flanges 14F and 16F are welded flanges 14F in comparison with the configuration in which the flanges 14F and 16F are extended along the outer peripheral surface 12S of the fuel tank 12, that is, along the longitudinal direction of the fuel tank 12 toward the vehicle front side. , 16F is relaxed.

  Here, FIG. 4 shows, as a comparative example, a fuel tank 52 in which welding flanges 14F and 16F extend along the longitudinal direction. When the fuel tank 52 of the comparative example moves in the longitudinal direction, the welding flanges 14F and 16F are extended in the longitudinal direction, so that the deformation state of the welding flanges 14F and 16F when they hit the tank stopper 20 (So-called “deformation mode”) may not be stable. In the present embodiment, as described above, since the welding flanges 14F and 16F come into contact with the surface, the stress generated in the welding flanges 14F and 16F can be relaxed.

  Further, in the structure of the fuel tank 12 of the present embodiment, as can be seen from FIG. 3, an outer shell member is provided on the vehicle front side portion of the lower surface of the fuel tank 12 (a region FE surrounded by a two-pointed line in FIG. 3). There is no site for welding 14 and 16. In this region FE, interference with the road surface while the vehicle is running is assumed, but the strength can be maintained because there is no welded portion compared to the configuration in which the outer shell members 14, 16 and the like are welded in the region FE. .

  In addition, in the fuel tank 12 of the present embodiment, in the region FE, the outer shell member 16 is locally curved and is rounded. Therefore, as shown by a one-dot chain line 16C in FIG. 3, the fuel gathers to the central portion in the longitudinal direction as compared with the configuration in which the region FE is not given a radius (or the radius of curvature of the radius is extremely small). It becomes easy. For example, even when the amount of fuel becomes small, the fuel collects in the center in the longitudinal direction of the fuel tank 12, so that the fuel can be used effectively and fuel shortage can be suppressed. In order to suppress the fuel shortage in this way, for example, the configuration in which the bottom surface of the fuel tank 12 is curved or bent so that the center in the longitudinal direction is located relatively lower than both ends. It is good.

  FIG. 5 shows a fuel tank 32 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The fuel tank 32 of the second embodiment is the same as the fuel tank 12 of the first embodiment in that the external shape is constituted by the two outer shell members 34 and 36, but also shown in detail in FIG. Further, the upper outer shell member 34 has a flat inverted U shape when viewed along the width direction, and the lower outer shell member 36 has a U shape when viewed along the longitudinal direction. A welding line 38 is constituted by welding flanges 34F and 36F provided on the two outer shell members 34 and 36, respectively.

  In the second embodiment, the vehicle on which the fuel tank 32 is mounted has one or a plurality (two in the present embodiment) of cross members 40 extending in the vehicle width direction above the fuel tank 32. Presupposes things. Therefore, the outer shell member 34 is configured with an accommodation recess 32 </ b> B that can accommodate the cross member 40 by bending the metal plate along the cross member 40. In particular, in the longitudinal direction, a predetermined gap S is formed between the cross member 40 and the accommodating recess 32B. However, when the fuel tank 32 moves in the vehicle front-rear direction with respect to the vehicle body, the gap is eliminated and the accommodating recess 32B is formed. Contact with the cross member 40 stops the movement of the fuel tank 32. Since the housing recess 32B is configured, a projecting wall 32W extending in the width direction is formed on the upper surface in the fuel tank 32.

  Here, in the second embodiment, the extending direction of the welding flanges 34 </ b> F and 36 </ b> F in the housing recess 32 </ b> B extends at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the fuel tank 32. That is, the housing recess 32 </ b> B (particularly the welding flanges 34 </ b> F and 36 </ b> F) faces the cross member 40 in the longitudinal direction of the fuel tank 32. Accordingly, when the fuel tank 32 moves in the vehicle front-rear direction, the housing recesses 32B, in particular, the welding flanges 34F and 36F in the housing recesses 32B come into surface contact with the cross member 40.

  Also in the fuel tank 32 of the second embodiment having such a configuration, the fuel tank 12 includes only two outer shell members 34 and 36 formed by bending as in the fuel tank 12 of the first embodiment. Further, the outer shell members 14 and 16 can be joined (welded) by only one welding line 18, so that productivity is improved. Furthermore, also in the fuel tank 32, the overall shape of the fuel tank 12 can be easily changed only by changing the shape of the outer shell members 34 and 36, and the degree of freedom of the shape is improved. The material yield of the outer shell members 34 and 36 is also improved, and the shape and surface properties of the outer shell members 34 and 36 can be stably maintained. In addition, it is possible to easily perform the work of disposing various members in the fuel tank 32 inside.

  In the second embodiment, since the cross member 40 is substantially housed in the housing recess 32B, the fuel tank 32 is avoided from the cross member 40 while securing a large capacity of the fuel tank 32, while the fuel tank 32 is mounted on the vehicle body. Can be placed and mounted.

  When the fuel tank 32 of the second embodiment moves toward the vehicle front side with respect to the vehicle body, the housing recess 32B comes into contact with the cross member 40, and the movement of the fuel tank 32 is stopped. In particular, in the fuel tank 32 of the second embodiment, the welding flanges 34F, 36F are extended at right angles from the outer peripheral surface 32S of the fuel tank 32 in the housing recess 32B, and the welding flanges 34F, 36F are attached to the cross member 40. Surface contact. Compared with the configuration in which the welding flanges 34F and 36F extend to the vehicle front side along the longitudinal direction of the fuel tank 32 in the housing recess 32B, the stress acting on the welding flanges 34F and 36F is relieved.

  In addition, in the fuel tank 32 of the second embodiment, a part of the fuel tank 32 (welding flanges 34F and 36F in the housing recess 32B) is brought into contact with the cross member 40 in this way to stop the movement of the fuel tank 32. Therefore, the tank stopper 20 according to the first embodiment can be eliminated. Of course, the tank stopper 20 may be used in combination in the second embodiment.

  In the fuel tank 32 of the second embodiment, as can be seen from FIG. 7, when the fuel flows largely in the vehicle front-rear direction in the fuel tank 32, a part of the fuel that has flowed projects as shown by the arrow LF. Since it hits the wall 32W, resistance to flow occurs. Thereby, compared with a fuel tank without such a protruding wall 32W, for example, the amount of fuel that strikes the front surface 32F of the fuel tank 32 is reduced, so that it is possible to suppress fuel flow noise.

In the above description, the welding flange according to the present invention is exemplified by a flange having an extension angle θ of 90 degrees, but the extension angle θ is not limited to 90 degrees. In short, regarding the extension angle θ,
0 <θ <180 (degrees)
If the fuel tanks 12 and 32 extend outward from the outer peripheral surface with respect to the longitudinal direction of the external shape of the fuel tank, they come into surface contact when they contact the tank stopper 20 or the cross member 40 (0 <When θ ≦ 90 (degrees)) or because the welding flange is deformed so as to be spread outward (when 90 <θ <180 (degrees)), the deformation state (deformation mode) must be stable. It becomes.

  Of course, in order to achieve such an effect, the extension angle θ is preferably in the range of at least 45 degrees to 135 degrees, and more preferably in the range of about 80 degrees to 100 degrees (substantially perpendicular). For example, FIG. 8 partially shows a fuel tank 44 in which the extension angle θ of the welding flanges 14F, 16F is approximately 45 as a third embodiment of the present invention (this third embodiment). In the embodiment and the fourth embodiment described later, the configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment except for the extension angle θ of the welding flanges 14F and 16F, and detailed description thereof is omitted). In this configuration, since the fuel tank 44 is in surface contact with the tank stopper 20 at a portion below the welding flanges 14F and 16F, the stress generated in the welding flanges 14F and 16F can be relieved.

  FIG. 9 shows a fuel tank 46 in which the extension angle θ of the welding flanges 14F, 16F is approximately 135 as a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Even in this configuration, when the fuel tank 46 hits the tank stopper 20, the welding flanges 14F and 16F are deformed so as to be spread outward, so that the deformed state (deformation mode) is stable and the welding flange is stable. The stress generated in 14F and 16F can be relaxed.

  From this point of view, the extension angle θ is more preferably in the range of about 80 to 100 degrees, and the extension angle θ is most preferably 90 degrees (configuration of the first embodiment).

It is a perspective view showing a schematic structure of a fuel tank of a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows schematic structure of the fuel tank of 1st embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which fractures | ruptures and shows the fuel tank of 1st embodiment of this invention by the plane which passes along an axial line in the edge part vicinity of an axial direction, (A) is a normal state, (B) is moving to an axial direction. It is in a state where it hits the tank stopper. It is sectional drawing which shows the fuel tank of a comparative example. It is sectional drawing which shows the modification of an end plate member in the fuel tank of 1st embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of the fuel tank of 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows schematic structure of the fuel tank of 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which fractures | ruptures and shows the fuel tank of 2nd embodiment of this invention by the plane which passes along an axis line. It is sectional drawing which fractures | ruptures and shows the fuel tank of 3rd embodiment of this invention in the plane which passes along an axial line in the axial direction vicinity, (A) is a normal state, (B) is moving to an axial direction. It is in a state where it hits the tank stopper. It is sectional drawing which fractures | ruptures and shows the fuel tank of 4th embodiment of this invention in the plane which passes along an axial line in the axial direction vicinity, (A) is a normal state, (B) is moving to an axial direction. It is in a state where it hits the tank stopper.

Explanation of symbols

12 Fuel tank 12S Outer peripheral surface 14 Outer shell member 14F Welding flange 16 Outer shell member 16F Welding flange 18 Welding line 20 Tank stopper 32 Fuel tank 32S Outer peripheral surface 32W Projection wall 32B Housing recess 34 Outer shell member 34F Welding flange 36 Outside Shell member 38 Welding line 40 Cross member (vehicle body side member)
44 Fuel tank 46 Fuel tank 52 Fuel tank S Clearance θ Extension angle

Claims (4)

Two outer shell members formed by bending and welded together in one welding line to form the external shape of the fuel tank;
A welding flange for welding the outer shell members by configuring the welding line by partially contacting each of the outer shell members,
Have
The fuel tank, wherein the welding flange extends outward in the longitudinal direction of the external shape.   2. The fuel tank according to claim 1, wherein the welding flange extends so that an extension angle measured from an outer surface parallel to a longitudinal direction of the external shape is approximately 90 degrees.   3. The fuel tank according to claim 1, wherein the outer shell member is formed with a housing recess for housing the projecting member projecting from the vehicle body. 4.   The fuel tank according to claim 3, wherein the housing recess is formed so as to face the protruding member in a longitudinal direction of the outer shape with respect to the vehicle body side member.

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