US3279168A - Muffler and oxidizer means - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 18, 1966 s. G. GERLACH 3,279,168

MUFFLER AND OXIDIZER MEANS Filed May l, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 18, 1966 s. G. GERLACH MUFFLR AND OXIDIZER MEANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 1, 1964 INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,279,168 MUFFLER AND OXIDIZER MEANS Stephen G. Gerlach, 723 E. Providencia Ave., Burbank, Calif. Filed May 1, .1964, ser. No. 364,078 2 Claims. (Ql. 60-30) This invention relates to devices for oxidizing the unburned exhaust gases of internal combustion engines and for muffling the noise of emission thereof.

In my prior Patent No. 2,986,000, dated May 30, 1961, there is shown the use of a heavy c ast iron muffler body enclosing sound mufing and gas oxidizing means includ ing a heating means deriving power from an external source.

As its principal objectives, the present invention proposes both to achieve the same oxidizing result without the need for added heat energy and, additionally, to oxidize fumes developed in and received from the engine crankcase and conducted by suitable conduit means through the muler of the present invention.

With the foregoing objects in View, together with such additional objects and advantages as may subsequently appear, the invention resides in the parts, and in the con struction, combination and arrangement of parts described, by way of example, in the following specification of a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings which form a part of said specification and in which drawings:

FIG. 1 is a reduced scale, perspective view of the mufer component of the invention,

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of the left hand end of the mufiler shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a medial plan view of the lower half of the muler component with the heating tubes of the muier shown in place therein,

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional View of the muffler taken as on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3,

FIG. 5 is a reduced scale, perspective View of the center tube assembly of the muffler device,

FIG. 6 is a perspective view on the same scale as FIG. 5 of one of the side tube components,

FIG. 7 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the center tube assembly as taken on the line 7-7 of FIG. 3 to show details of internal construction,

FIG. 8 is a top plan view with a portion broken away of the connection of the muiiler to a crankcase breather of an engine,

p FIG. 9 is a side elevational View of FIG. 8, a portion thereof being shown in section indicated by the line 9-9 of FIG. 8,

FIG. l0 is a bottom plan View of the crankcase breather engaging component,

FIG. 11 is a perspective View of the crankcase breather engaging element, and

FIG. l2 is a sectional view as taken on the line 1212 of FIG. 9 showing the supporting clamp means for the crankcase to muffler conduit means.

Referring to the drawings, the illustrated embodiment of the invention includes an elongated, hollow muffler component 1 having a sleeve 2 at one end thereof adapted to be connected to the engine exhaust pipe E, a sleeve 3 at the opposite end thereof connected to a tail pipe T, a receptor 4, engaging the engine crankcase breather B and a conduit means 5 connecting the receptor d with the interior of the muffler component 1.

The muffler component includes a body structure of rectangular cross section of greater width than height and, like that of my said prior patent, formed of heavy iron castings to provide a capacity `for heat retention not possible with sheet metal. The mufer component is com- 3,279,168 Patented Oct. 18, 1966 ICC posed of identical upper and lower halves 6 and 7 and these halves are secured together by pairs of bolts and nuts 8, 8 and 9, 9 extending through the end walls of the castings adjacent the sleeves 2 and 3, respectively, and by similar bolts and nuts 10 extending through holes in bosses 11 are formed on the inner faces of the side walls 12 of the muliler body halves. Preferably, the top and bottom surfaces of the mufer body halves both internal and external, are provided with longitudinally extending ribs 13 t-o increase the heat exchanging areas thereof and at the rear or discharge end of the muffler component, the side walls 12, 12 converge rearwardly toward the sleeve 3 as indicated at 14, for a purpose to be hereinafter explained.

The interior surface of each of the muffler body halves is interrupted by a front end cross Wall 1S, an intermediate cross wall 16, and a rear end cross wall 17. Each of these cross walls at the center thereof is provided with a semicircular notch 18 and the opposed notches of the upper and lower halves form circles in which the complementary peripheral grooves 19 in the outer tubular component 20 of the center tube assembly are received. The center tube assembly includes the said outer tubular component 20 and a smaller coaxially disposed inner tubular component 21 secured therein by rivets 22 extending therethrough at right angles to each other, said inner tube being held in coaxial relation by other means presently to be described.

The cross wall 16 at each side of the notch 18 therein is provided with one each of a pair of similar but smaller semicircular notches 23 which combine to form circular openings engaging the peripheral grooves 24 at the midlength of the side tubes 25 which extend parallel to the center tube assembly; each of said tubes having the forward end thereof resting in one each of a pair of counterbores 26 constituting enlargements at the downstream side of openings 27 in the front wall 15 formed by appropriate semicircular notches in the front wall. The `downstream ends of the tubes 25 terminate upstream of the rear wall 17 opposite axially aligned openings formed in said rear wall and the downstream ends of said side tubes terminate in plug elements 27 having a reduced diameter, coaxially disposed bore 28 extending therethrough. Clamping the two halves of the mufer body together by the bolts 8, 9 and 10, serves automatically to secure the center tube assembly and the side tubes in place within the body.

All of the tubes above described are formed with inwardly extending tongue elements 29 stamped out of the sheet metal from which the tubes are formed and the tongues 29 formed in the outer tube 20 of the center tube assembly engage the outer surface of the inner tube oomponent 21 and serve to hold it in coaxial relation as best shown in FIG. 7. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, these tongues are disposed with the faces thereof at an acute angle to the direction of ow of gas through the muffler and are arranged helically with respect to each other and the axis of the tube in which they are formed thus tending to impart a swirling movement to gases passing through these tubes.

Additionally, the tubes are provided with perforations 29 disposed midway between adjacent ones of the tongues 29 and said perforations are also provided forwardly of the front cross Wall 15.

In addition to the tube securing notches formed in the edge faces thereof, the cross walls 15, 16 and 17 at each juncture thereof with the side walls 12 are notched as at 30 and between each of the side tubes and the center tube assembly, these walls are also notched as at 31 and additionally, these walls are provided with notches 32 at the bottom of the center tube assembly receiving notches to further permit the flow of gas through the muffler. The notches 30, 3l and 32 provide openings to permit the ilow of such of the exhaust gases as do not flow through the tubes from the front or entrant end to the discharge end and tail pipe. In addition to the foregoing, the rear cross wall 17 is provided with opposite the disposed semicircular notches 33 which are in axial alignment with the side tubes forming the said openings opposite the tubes 25 and which receive gases being emitted from the side tubes. Thus, exhaust gases entering through the sleeve 2 will trave-l through the muffler passing through the various tubes and also externally thereof to the sleeve 3 and the tail pipe associated therewith.

The theory of operation of the device, so far as exhaust gases is concerned, is that the heavy wall construction of the muler retains and builds up heat from the hot exhaust gases and that eventually the tubes and more particularly the tongue elements thereof become sufficiently hot to ignite and oxidize any unburned component of the exhaust gases.

The receptor means 4 is provided to conduct fumes and gases developed in the engine crankcase to the muffler; said receptor means being more particularly shown in FIGS. 8-12. This receptor means comprises a cylindrical cap element having an end wall 34 and a cylindrical side wall portion 35 adapted to be fitted over the external surface of the crankcase breather tube B in place of the cap normally employed, said s-ide wall portion being provided with `a plurality of inwardly biased spring fingers 36 bent out of the plane of the side wall and adapted to yieldingly engage the side surface of the breather tube. Adjacent the upper end thereof, the side wall 35 carries a tube 37 etxending diametrically thereacross from an opening 38 in the side wall and stopping short of the diametrically opposite portion of the side wall. The said opposite portion of the side wall is provided with an opening 39 in axial alignment with the tube 37 and externally of said side wall portion, said opening 39 carries a nipple 40 which is connected, by conduit means to be presently described, to a portion of the muler body.

Immediately above the tube 37 within the 4body 35 is a screen partition 41 which is spaced from the end wall 34 and disposed in the space between the screen and the end wall is Ia ring-shaped electrical resistance heater 42 adapted to be connected by leads 43 extending through the top wall 34 to a source `of electrical energy. A rivet 44 disposed in the axial 4line of the body 35 extends through the end wall 34, the screen 41 and the tube 37 to hold them in position; said spring also extending through the midportion of a leaf spring element 36 of inverted U-shape which engages the inner surface of the breather tube B to hold said leaf spring in assembly with the body 35 and end wa-ll 34. The side wall 35 is circumferentially perforated as at 45 producing inwardly and downwardly projecting tongues 46 as best shown in FIGS. 9, 10 and 11 and -generally similar to the tongues 29 except that they are not necessarily helically disposed. The end of the tube 37 adjacent the opening 39 is provided with a cylindrical body 47 disposed therein; said body having axially disposed bore 48 extending therethrough and said bore tapering toward the opening 39.

The nipple 40 is connected to one end of a flexible metal conduit 5 which extends rearwardly therefrom. Since the breather tube is generally at the forward end of the engine, the opening 38 will be in the path of travel of air impelled by the radiator cooling fan of the vehicle. The nipple 40 is similarly provided with an axial bore tapering downstream and air from the fan blast through the tube 37 is heated by the heater 42 and enters this nipple drawing with it not only fumes from the open end of the crankcase breather tube but also air yfrom the space between the wall of the breather tube and the side wall 35 and the jet issuing from the tube 37 thus directs such fumes and air into the conduit 5. The conduit 5 is led rearwardly of the chassis and is connected to and carried by the exhaust pipe E by any suitable means such as, for example, the clamp elements 5t) which serve also as heat ltransfer means to heat the conduit 5 and the air and fumes passing therethrough. At its rearward end, it is connected to the stem 51 of a Y-tting 52 having the Y-ends 53 thereof provided with external peripheral beads 54 which engage grooves 55 formed as part of openings 56 which constitute a pair of inlet parts in the front end wall ofthe muffler body in alignment with the side walls 12 thereof.

The meeting faces of the side walls 12 are provided with longitudinally extending grooves which combine to form conduit means 57 extending rearwardly from the openings 56 and thus being in communication with the conduit 5. The tapering rear portions 14 of the muffler side walls are somewhat thicker than the parallel portions of the side `walls and the wall portions forming the faces of the conduit 57 adjacent the inside of the muler extend part way across the face of said thickened portions 14 of t-he side walls as at 53 and other wall portions 59 at the inner faces of said side wall portions combine with the portions 58 to form channels 59 extending from a point adjacent to and downstream of the cross wall 17 to the upstream end of the sleeve portion 3. The side walls 12 between the conduit 57 and the interior of the muler are prov-ided with a plurality of laterally outwardly and rearwardly extending ports 61 between the interior of the mufller body and the conduit means 57 spaced from the cross wall 15 to the downstream side -of the cross wall 17 and downstream of the last of such ports 61 are rearwardly and inwardly extending ports 62. Additionally, the wall portions 59 are each provided with transverse ports 63.

The hot exhaust gases traveling through the muffler body or at least a portion of them will pass through the ports 61 into the channels constituting the conduit means 57 accelerating the ow of gases therethrough and applying at least a slight vacuum in the conduit means 5 assisting the fan blast in drawing fumes from the crankcase and air along the sides of the breather tube through the conduit means 5 and 57 for eventual discharge at the downstream end of these means with some incidental discharge through the ports 62 and 63. The hot exhaust gases having heated the interior of the mufiler and particularly the side and center tube components thereof, the oxygen supp-ly as well as the unburned gas supplied from the crankcase will be ignited within the muffler and thus will be more completely oxidized than if an after burner effect had not thus been created.

While in the foregoing specification there has been disclosed a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, the invention is not to be deemed to be limited to the precise details of construction thus shown by way of example, and it will be understood that the invention includes as well all such changes and modifications in the parts and the construction, combination and arrangement of parts as shall come within the purview of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A combined muler and oxidizer means for the exhaust gases of an internal combustion engine comprising an elongated hol-low body of generally uniform transverse cross section formed of identical halves bolted together along the sides of said body and oxidizing means within said body comprising a series of longitudinally extending tubes disposed within said body and provided with inwardly projecting, integrally formed fin elements arranged in helical rows, at least one of said pipes having a second smaller pipe arranged concentrically therewithin and held in said concentric relation by the iin elements of said rst pipe.

2. A combined mufller and oxidizer means as claimed,

in claim 1 in which said body forming members are provided With a plurality of oppositely disposed transverse partitions having oppositely disposed semicircular notches and in which said pipes are provided with peripheral grooves adapted to engage said notches Whereby clamping the halves of said muffler body together by the connecting `bolts serves to position said pipes in place within said body.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 6 2,203,554 6/1940 Uhri et al. 60-30 2,396,952 3/1946 Huber 60--30 X 2,837,169 6/1958 Sawyer 60--30 X 2,986,000 5/ 1961 Gerlach 60-30 3,050,376 8/1962 Bishop et al. 60-30 X FOREIGN PATENTS 233,888 4/1911 Germany.

MARK NEWMAN, Primary Examiner'.

0 EDGAR W. GEOGHEGAN, SAMUEL LEVINE,

Claims (1)

1. A COMBINED MUFFLER AND OXIDIZER MEANS FOR THE EXHAUST GASES OF AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE COMPRISING AN ELONGATED HOLLOW BODY OF GENERALLY UNIFORM TRANSVERSE CROSS SECTION FORMED OF IDENTICAL HALVES BOLTED TOGETHER ALONG THE SIDES OF SAID BODY AND OXIDIZING MEANS WITHIN SAID BODY COMPRISING A SERIES OF LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING TUBES DISPOSED WITHIN SAID BODY PROVIDED

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