PLASTIC TANK

Abstract

A plastic tank for a motor vehicle and a method for producing such a plastic tank for a motor vehicle. The tank shell has a multi-layered structure, including at least one layer composed of high-density polyethylene, at least one barrier layer, and at least one regrind layer composed of recycled plastic arranged between the at least one layer composed of high-density polyethylene and the at least one barrier layer. The at least one regrind layer and/or the at least one layer composed of high-density polyethylene contains spherical fillers or fibrous fillers.

Claims

1. A tank for a motor vehicle, the tank comprising: a tank shell having a multi-layered structure, including at least one layer composed of high-density polyethylene, at least one barrier layer, and at least one regrind layer composed of recycled plastic arranged between the at least one layer composed of high-density polyethylene and the at least one barrier layer, wherein the at least one regrind layer and/or the at least one layer composed of high-density polyethylene contains spherical fillers or fibrous fillers.

2. The tank of claim 1, further comprising an adhesion promoter layer to connect the at least one barrier layer to the at least one regrind layer.

3. The tank of claim 1, wherein the fibrous fillers comprise glass beads, perlite, and/or glass fibres.

4. The tank of claim 1, wherein the spherical fillers comprise glass beads, perlite, and/or glass fibres.

5. A method for producing a tank for a motor vehicle, the method comprising: forming at least one layer composed of high-density polyethylene; forming at least one barrier layer; forming at least one regrind layer composed of recycled plastic; selectively adding spherical fillers or fibrous fillers into the at least one regrind layer and/or the at least one layer composed of high-density polyethylene; and forming a multi-layered structure by arranging the at least one regrind layer between the at least one layer composed of high-density polyethylene and the at least one barrier layer.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein forming the at least one regrind layer comprises extruding a recycled plastic granulate.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein forming the at least one regrind layer comprises: admixing the spherical fillers or the fibrous fillers to a recycled plastic granulate; and extruding the admixed recycled plastic granulate and the spherical fillers or the fibrous fillers.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the extruding comprises supplying the spherical fillers or the fibrous fillers to the recycled plastic granulate through a color channel of an extruder during the extrusion.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising connecting the at least one barrier layer to the at least one regrind layer via an adhesion promoter layer.

10. A tank for a motor vehicle, the tank comprising, a multi-layered structure that includes: an outermost layer composed of high-density polyethylene; an innermost layer composed of high-density polyethylene; a first regrind layer composed of recycled plastic arranged on the outermost layer; a second regrind layer composed of recycled plastic arranged on the innermost layer; and a barrier layer arranged between the first regrind layer and the second regrind layer, wherein the first regrind layer contains spherical fillers or fibrous fillers and the second regrind layer contains spherical fillers or fibrous fillers.

11. The tank of claim 10, further comprising a first adhesion promoter layer to connect the barrier layer to the first regrind layer.

12. The tank of claim 11, further comprising a second adhesion promoter layer to connect the barrier layer to the second regrind layer.

13. The tank of claim 10, wherein the barrier layer is composed of ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer.

14. The tank of claim 10, wherein the fibrous fillers comprise glass beads, perlite, and/or glass fibres.

15. The tank of claim 10, wherein the spherical fillers comprise glass beads, perlite, and/or glass fibres.

Description

DRAWINGS

[0018] Embodiments will be illustrated by way of example in the drawings and explained in the description below.

[0019] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic sectional view of a tank shell of a plastic tank for a motor vehicle, in accordance with embodiments.

DESCRIPTION

[0020] As illustrated in FIG. 1, a plastic tank for a motor vehicle is provided having a multi-layered structure. The tank shell of the plastic tank has a plurality of layers, including from the inside (shown on the bottom of FIG. 1) to the outside (shown on the top of FIG. 1), an outermost layer 1.1 composed of HDPE, a first intermediary layer 3.1 composed of a regrind material, a first adhesion promoter layer 5.1, a barrier layer 2 composed of EVOH, a second adhesion promoter layer 5.2, a second intermediary layer 3.2 composed of a regrind material, and an innermost layer 1.2 composed of HDPE.

[0021] In accordance with embodiments, the first regrind layer 3.1 contains spherical or fibrous fillers 4, for example, glass beads, perlite, and/or glass fibres. The second regrind layer 3.2 may also contain such fibrous fillers 4. One or both of the HDPE layers 1.1, 1.2 may also contain the same fibrous fillers 4. Alternatively, the first regrind layer 3.1 and the second regrind layer 3.2 may exclusively contain spherical or fibrous fillers 4 such that the remaining layers of the plastic tank do not contain fibrous fillers.

[0022] In accordance with embodiments, the proportion of the fibrous fillers 4 in a layer, such as, for example, the first regrind layer 3.1 and the second regrind layer 3.2, may be between 1% and 80%, and particularly, between 10% to 50%.

[0023] In accordance with embodiments, the layer thicknesses may be allocated as follows: the first HDPE layer 1.1 and the second HDPE layer 1.2 may each occupy approximately 22% of the overall tank shell thickness, the first regrind layer 3.1 and the second regrind layer 3.2 may each occupy approximately 25% of the overall tank shell thickness, the harrier layer 2 may occupy approximately 3% of the overall tank shell thickness, and the first adhesion promoter layer 5.1 and the second adhesion promoter layer 5.2 may each approximately 1.5% of the overall tank shell thickness.

[0024] The terms coupled, attached, or connected may be used herein to refer to any type of relationship, direct or indirect, between the components in question, and may apply to electrical, mechanical, fluid, optical, electromagnetic, electromechanical or other connections. In addition, the terms first, second, etc. are used herein only to facilitate discussion, and carry no particular temporal or chronological significance unless otherwise indicated.

[0025] Those skilled in the art will appreciate from the foregoing description that the broad techniques of the embodiments can be implemented in a variety of forms. Therefore, while the embodiments have been described in connection with particular examples thereof, the true scope of the embodiments should not be so limited since other modifications will become apparent to the skilled practitioner upon a study of the drawings, specification, and following claims.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0026] 1.1 Inner HDPE layer

[0027] 1.2 Outer HDPE layer

[0028] 2 Barrier layer

[0029] 3.1 First regrind layer

[0030] 3.2 Second regrind layer

[0031] 4 Fillers

[0032] 5.1 First adhesion promoter layer

[0033] 5.2 Second adhesion promoter layer