MUFFLER OF AN EXHAUST SYSTEM

Abstract

A muffler for an exhaust system of a vehicle comprises an outer housing in an interior of which a Helmholtz chamber is formed. A feed body has an opening fluidically connected to the Helmholtz chamber. At least two exhaust pipes extend at least in sections within the outer housing, are spaced apart from each other, and form a flow path for an exhaust gas through the outer housing. The exhaust pipes each have at least two exhaust pipe sections which are entirely spaced apart from each other by a gap in one flow direction of the exhaust gas. The feed body surrounds the exhaust pipes over an entire circumference in a region of the gaps and fluidically connects the exhaust pipes to the Helmholtz chamber.

Claims

1. A muffler for an exhaust system of a vehicle, comprising: an outer housing in an interior of which a Helmholtz chamber is formed; a feed body which has an opening fluidically connected to the Helmholtz chamber and forms a neck of a Helmholtz resonator comprising the Helmholtz chamber; and at least two exhaust pipes which extend at least in sections within the outer housing, are spaced apart from each other, and which form a flow path for an exhaust gas through the outer housing; wherein the at least two exhaust pipes each have at least two exhaust pipe sections which are entirely spaced apart from each other by a gap in one flow direction of the exhaust gas, and wherein the feed body surrounds the at least two exhaust pipes over an entire circumference in a region of the gaps and fluidically connects the at least two exhaust pipes to the Helmholtz chamber.

2. The muffler according to claim 1, wherein the at least two exhaust pipes extend parallel to each other in the interior of the outer housing.

3. The muffler according to claim 1, wherein the at least two exhaust pipes extend in a linear manner through the outer housing.

4. The muffler according to claim 1, wherein the at least two exhaust pipes extend in a curved manner through the outer housing.

5. The muffler according claim 1, wherein the feed body has two half-shells which together surround the at least two exhaust pipes.

6. The muffler according claim 1, wherein the feed body is connected to the exhaust pipe sections by an intermaterial bond.

7. The muffler according claim 1, wherein the feed body has two annular sections, each annular section surrounding the gap.

8. The muffler according to claim 7, wherein the feed body has a feed section which extends from both annular sections, opens into the Helmholtz chamber, and extends between the at least two exhaust pipes.

9. The muffler according to claim 8, wherein the feed section extends parallel to a flow direction of the exhaust gas in the at least two exhaust pipes.

10. The muffler according claim 1, wherein the Helmholtz chamber is delimited at least in sections by an inner envelope surface of the outer housing.

11. The muffler according claim 1, wherein a partition wall which delimits the Helmholtz chamber in sections and separates a further muffler chamber in the interior of the outer housing from the Helmholtz chamber is arranged within the outer housing.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Further features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent from the description below and from the accompanying drawings to which reference is made below and in which:

[0033] FIG. 1 shows a schematic lateral view of a vehicle having a muffler according to the disclosure,

[0034] FIG. 2 shows the muffler of FIG. 1 in a top view with one half of the outer housing removed,

[0035] FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of the muffler along the cutting line in FIG. 2, and

[0036] FIG. 4 shows a sectional view of the muffler along the cutting line IV-IV in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] FIG. 1 shows a vehicle 10, here a motor vehicle. The vehicle 10 is a passenger car, for example.

[0038] The vehicle 10 includes an internal combustion engine 12 and an exhaust system 14. A muffler 16 is arranged in the exhaust system 14. The exhaust system 14 guides an exhaust gas produced in the internal combustion engine 12 through the muffler 16 to an end of the exhaust system 14, here to a tailpipe 17. The sound emissions produced by the combustion process taking place in the internal combustion engine 12 are thus attenuated in the muffler 16.

[0039] The muffler 16 may constitute a front muffler, a central muffler or a rear muffler of the exhaust system 14.

[0040] In other words, the muffler 16 can be arranged in any place in the exhaust system 14 and does not have to be directly connected to the tailpipe 17, as shown schematically in FIG. 1.

[0041] The muffler 16 represented in FIGS. 2 to 4 has a gas-tight outer housing 18 which is formed by an envelope 20 and two closure plates 22 arranged at the end side. The muffler 16 is coupled to an exhaust pipe of the exhaust system 14 via openings in the closure plates 22.

[0042] The outer housing 18 of the muffler 16 may also be formed, for example, by two half-shells, a winding envelope or a tube, instead of being formed by the envelope 20 and the closure plates 22.

[0043] A partition wall 24 is arranged within the outer housing 18 and divides the interior of the outer housing 18 into two chambers 26, 28, more specifically into a Helmholtz chamber 26 and a further muffler chamber 28.

[0044] Therefore, the partition wall 24 is directly adjacent to the inner envelope surface 30 of the outer housing 18.

[0045] In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the Helmholtz chamber 26 is delimited by a section of an inner envelope surface 30 of the outer housing 18, the partition wall 24, and one of the closure plates 22.

[0046] Furthermore, the muffler 16 has two exhaust pipes 32 which extend in the longitudinal direction L of the muffler 16 and through the outer housing 18.

[0047] In other words, the exhaust pipes 32 are thus arranged at least in sections within the outer housing 18.

[0048] The exhaust pipes 32 are laterally spaced apart from each other, i.e. they are separated by a distance “d” transversely to the direction of extension of the exhaust pipes 32.

[0049] In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the exhaust pipes 32 are formed parallel to each other within the outer housing 18, i.e. the direction of extension of the exhaust pipes 32 within the outer housing 18 is parallel, and the exhaust pipes 32 extend linearly through the outer housing 18.

[0050] Generally, it is also conceivable that the exhaust pipes 32 extend in a curved manner through the outer housing 18.

[0051] The exhaust pipes 32 form a flow path for an exhaust gas. Each exhaust pipe 32 respectively includes two exhaust pipe sections 34 which are entirely spaced apart from each other in the flow direction of the exhaust gas (represented by arrows 33).

[0052] In other words, a laterally entirely circumferential gap 36 is respectively provided between the exhaust pipe sections 34 in the respective flow path through the exhaust pipes 32.

[0053] In addition to the outer housing 18 and the exhaust pipes 32, the muffler 16 has a feed body 38 which is formed by two half-shells 39 (FIG. 3).

[0054] The feed body 38 is thus a two-piece element, the respectively one-piece half-shells 39 being placed onto the exhaust pipes 32 from two opposite sides of the exhaust pipes 32, being firmly connected to each other and being connected to the exhaust pipes 32.

[0055] The half-shells 39 are in particular connected to each other by an intermaterial bond and are also connected to the exhaust pipe sections 34 by an intermaterial bond, by soldering or welding, for example.

[0056] In the design of FIG. 2, the half-shells 39, i.e. the feed body 38, are connected to each exhaust pipe section 34 by an intermaterial bond.

[0057] In the region of the gaps 36, the feed body 38 has two annular sections 40. The annular sections 40 enclose the exhaust pipes 32 over the entire circumference in the region of the gaps 36, seals them with respect to the environment and form a flow path for the exhaust gas via the gaps 36 into the space between the exhaust pipes 32.

[0058] A feed section 42 in the shape of tab-like, plate-like projections of the feed body 38 extends from the downstream end of the annular sections 40. As the feed sections 42 are attached to the exhaust pipes 32, a channel 43 is produced which forms the neck of a Helmholtz resonator 41 (cf. FIG. 3). The feed section 42 opens via an opening 44 into the Helmholtz chamber 26.

[0059] The feed section 42 also has an opening 44 (FIG. 4) via which the exhaust pipes 32 are fluidically connected to the Helmholtz chamber 26.

[0060] The feed body 38 and the Helmholtz chamber 26 thus form a Helmholtz resonator 41 which attenuates specific frequencies occurring in the exhaust gas in a manner known per se.

[0061] The length I (FIG. 2) of the feed section 42, the distance e (FIG. 4) of the half-shells 39 to each other in the region of the opening 44, and/or the distance d between the exhaust pipes 32 is, for example, adapted to the resonance frequency to be attenuated.

[0062] In other words, the cross-section and the volume of the feed body 38 are thus adapted to the resonance frequency in the region of the feed section 42.

[0063] The Helmholtz chamber 26 is of course also adapted to the resonance frequency.

[0064] The Helmholtz chamber 26 is fluidically connected to both exhaust pipes 32 (via the feed body 38). The muffler 16 therefore provides a Helmholtz resonator 41 for two exhaust pipes 32. In this way, the structure of a muffler 16 having two exhaust pipes 32 is simplified. It is in particular not necessary to arrange holes on the exhaust pipe sections 34; rather, the gap 36 is simply formed by a spaced apart arrangement of the exhaust pipe sections 34 with respect to each other.

[0065] Mechanically, the exhaust pipe sections 34 are firmly connected to each other by the feed body.

[0066] Although various embodiments have been disclosed, a worker of ordinary skill in this art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of this disclosure. For that reason, the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this disclosure.