US2446612A

US2446612A - Fuel tank

Info

Publication number: US2446612A
Application number: US670059A
Authority: US
Inventors: Donald J Sauser; Joseph A Sauser
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1946-05-16
Filing date: 1946-05-16
Publication date: 1948-08-10
Anticipated expiration: 1965-08-10

Description

Aug. 10, 1948. J s s ETAL' 2,446,612

FUEL TANK Filed May 16, 1.946

DONALD J. SAUSER.

JOSEPH A. SAUSER.

Patented Aug. 10, 1948 UNITED STATES earn-NT, @orrles EvanstonJll.

ApplicatiofiMayiG, 1946, Serial No. 670,059 V This invention relates to tank structures and more particularly to fuel'tanksrespecially; adapted for use in tiltabl'e vehicles, .such, forzexamplenas aeroplanes. More. specifically, the invention is particularly adapted for use in :miniat-ure '1 aeroplanes. J

,:.In the. operation of J aeroplanes t and especially miniature aeropianesctherfuel *supply toithe engine efthe plane willxbe cnt 'oif whenstheplane is inrcer-tain positions, such, for example'as when it is'making alooporisi in inverted position. Obviously thecuttingoff of the supply of fuel-to the :engine 'zafiects :its performance and might even :shut off the engine. The reason'for this is that whenthetank 'is tilted ortturned upside down the :discharge: passage of the tank is not in fuel pick-up communication with the tank :AccordinglvWe aim. toizprovid'e incsuch a tank structure an improved liquid or fuel pick-upzand vent device which canswingably move in the tank in response to tiltin of the same for enabling effective pick-up of the fuel in the different positions to which the tank is tilted or--turned in the gyrations of the plane.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved but simple fuelpick-up for a tank which can readily adiust itself to different positions of the tank. I y

Still another object of the invention relates to the provision of a swingable-vent element in a tank movable to differentpositions upon tilting of the tank so as to be maintained uppermost in the tank.

Another object of this invention is to provide a fuel tank for use With internal combustion engines of such construction that the tank will effectively deliver fuel to the engine irrespective of tilting or cooking of the same.

In accordance with the general features of this invention there is provided in a tank structure a liquid containing chamber and. a pendulum device in the chamber swingable to different positions in response to tilting of the chamber for picking up liquid from said chamber in each of said different positions.

Another feature of the invention relates to the disposition of the pendulum in a lowermost position in the tank and to the provision of a vent element movable with the shaft and located in an uppermost position; both the pendulum device and the vent element bein movable together upon relative movement between the shaft and the tank occasioned by tilting of the tank.

Other objects and features of the invention will more fully appear from the following detailed description taken in' -conn'ection withtheacoompanyingtdrawingsyand in which v Figure 1 is za frag'mentaryiside' -ew ofza miniatureaeroplane with .the. fuselage in:.;s'ection;

Figure 2 is an .r enlarged: plan :view of x-awfuel tank; and

Figure 3 is :a--cross-'-sectionalview taken on substantiallythe line III-III of sFig-urez, looking in the directioniindicated by=.-the arrows.

- As shown onthe drawings: r

i We have shown 'our invention as being: applied to a miniaturezaeroplanegiiesignated generally by the reference characten'tOKFig. '1); .Itais of .eours'e, to 'be understood thaton1 invention isnot limited to this-application, ismce itImaybe em ployed with equal advantage in other usesawhere a liquidcontaining 'chamber is sent to beitilted. For illustration; itmlg'h'tibe used with: engines of vehioles',---such -as tar'ms -aboats,.lawnimowers and the like.

The engine 1 0 l includes'the. usual-propeller L internal combustion engine' I2,1 'and fuselage lt'. These: elements' of sthe structurer'maybe: ofan conventionalorsuitahleconstruction. :Position ed" betweenrthe "engine '12 and: thefuselage i3 is a tank villustrated "generall'yaby the reference character 1 5, embracing the features of this invention.

'I'histank -'-I 5includes'two dished housing *sections l5a and 1 5i; aidaptedto be secured together .1 .flefin a u -r aini hamber; The tank section l- 5b has an' en larg-ed .peripherial flange It in which the edge of the dished or cup-shaped section |5a is suitably secured. The tank l5 may be made of any suitable material, such, for example, as light metal or synthetic plastic. We contemplate that excellent results may be obtained by molding the sections from synthetic plastic material, and thereafter suitably securing them together but subsequent to the introduction of a movable shaft element l9, to be hereinafter described.

The sections |5a and l5b are provided with internal tubular bosses l1 and I8, respectively, in which the ends of the shaft I!) are journaled. The metal shaft l9 has its ends provided with longitudinally aligned but spaced apart passage- Way 20 and 2|.

Fastened to the shaft I9 is a tubular vent element 22 having its uppermost end provided with a vent hole 22 and having its lowermost end in communication with the passageway 2| in the shaft.

The other passageway 20 in the shaft communicates with the interior of the tubular element 23,

the housing section lib. This hole is aligned with the shaft passageway 2| so that the contents of the tank may be subjected to atmospheric pressure. In practice we find that the end of the shaft [8 can be sufliciently tightlyfitted in the tank.

passageway '20 is aligned with a tubular extension 30 on the outerside of the tank section la. In other words, the pendulum device 25 isadapted to pick up fuel or liquid in the tank and deliver it in response to suction through the shaft passage 20 and out of thetubularextension 30 into a flexibleconnection 3.! leading to thecarburetor of'the engine.

Itwill beappreciated that the shaft, IS, the tubular vent element 20 and the pendulum-like pick-up. device 25 are all movable together as a unit upon relative movement between the shaft P9 and the'housing of the tank l5. -The vane of the pendulum is of'sufliclen't weight that it will alwaystend .to be lowermost in the tank so that upon tilting of the tank, it will swingto a lower-v most position and maintain the vent'tube 2| uppermost.

In the assembly of the tank, theesha-ftjand its integralelements: 22 and 25:is first inserted in the bosses In! and l8 .as the two sections are brought together in telescoping relation. Thereafter, the sections may be suitably fastened to- -getherat the flange Hi, i

:One of the-sections may be'provided with an integral mountinguflange .32by mean-srof which the tank may be rigidly fastenedto a part of the aeroplane-,such as the fuselage. In addition, one of the sections is provided with; a filler nipple 3'3 normally covered by a removal cup 34'. Liquid or fuel may be introduced'in the tank through this filler 33 upon removal of the cup; LThi tank will feed gasoline to the engine of a plane, modelorotherwise, whilethe plane is in The other end of the shaft carrying the fuel 3 4v any position including inverted flight, without effecting performance of the engine at any time in going from one position to another.

The all position gas tank is mounted stationary to the structure of plane, model or otherwise and a constant flow of fuel is provided for by the rotating fuel pick-up 23 which operates through a 360 arc. e

The inner mechanism on shaft IQ of the all position gas tank, which is the rotating fuel pickup, rotates 'by means of a combination pendulumvane 25, on an axis which allows a full 360 swing boss l8 as to preclude leakage of fuel from the and thereby provides a constant fuel pick-up without effecting the performance of the engine no matter what the position of the tank.

The rotating fuel pick-up serves two functions: (1')-,The lower end 23 to pick-up fuel and bring it outone side of .the axis of shaft I 9. (2) The upperend or tube 22 to vent the tank; also through the axis of the shaft.

We claim as our invention:

In a fuel tank structure especlallyadapted for use with aeroplanes, such as miniature'acroplanes and the like, a fuel supply tank where fuel is forced from the tank under atmospheric pressure, a pendulum-like device in the tank containing substantially opposite fuel pick-up and vent openings and being swing-ably supported in said tank for movement to different positions in response to tilting of the tank and to enable atmospheric pressure to effectively force liquid from the'tan-k in said different positions, said pendulunr-like device comprising a shaft journalled in the tank walls and having at its ends axially aligned passageways, one communicating at its inner end with said pick-up opening and the other at its inner end withsaid vent opening and at its outer end opening into the atmosphere surrounding the tank.,

' 'DONALD J. SAUSER.

J. A. SAUSER.

REFERENCES CITED Name Date 1,916,061 I Memini June 27, 1933 1,923,384: Miller Aug. 22, 1933 2,183,034 Voit et al. Dec. 12, 1939