BREAKABLE DUCT FOR USE WITH A MOTOR VEHICLE AIR INDUCTION SYSTEM

Abstract

The disclosed inventive concept provides a crushable air duct having formed thereon a series of strategically positioned and patterned crack-initiating grooves. The grooves allow the air duct to be crushed in an impact event and a specified impact force, thereby protecting adjacent and higher cost under hood components from damage. In an impact event, the series of grooves allows the cracks in the air duct to readily propagate throughout the pattern in a controlled and predictable manner. The crushable air duct is formed from a rigid polymerized material. The duct includes an inlet and an outlet. The grooves are formed on either or both the exterior surface and the interior surface of the duct. Some of the grooves extend generally between the inlet and the outlet. These grooves are preferably parallel. Other grooves are circumferentially formed around the duct. At least some of the parallel and circumferential grooves intersect.

Claims

1. A duct for an air induction system of a vehicle, the duct comprising: a body having a length, an inlet, an outlet and an outer surface; a first set of grooves formed on said surface; a second set of grooves formed on said surface at least some of which intersect at least some of said first set of grooves, said first set of intersecting grooves and said second set of intersecting grooves defining separable segments.

2. The duct for an air induction system for a vehicle of claim 1 wherein said body has a length, an inlet and an outlet, said outer surface extending between said inlet and said outlet, said duct further including a set of parallel grooves formed in said outer surface and extending lengthwise between said inlet and said outlet and a set of circumferential grooves formed in said outer surface, said set of circumferential grooves intersecting said set of parallel grooves.

3. The duct for an air induction system for a vehicle of claim 2, wherein said parallel grooves extend from said inlet to said outlet.

4. The duct for an air induction system for a vehicle of claim 2, wherein said body includes an inner surface and wherein a set of parallel grooves is formed on said inner surface.

5. The duct for an air induction system for a vehicle of claim 2, wherein said body is formed from a rigid polymerized material.

6. The duct for an air induction system for a vehicle of claim 5, wherein said rigid polymerized material is polypropylene, high-density polyethylene or acrylonitrile styrene acrylate.

7. The duct for an air induction system for a vehicle of claim 2, wherein said body is formed from a first shell and a second shell.

8. The duct for an air induction system for a vehicle of claim 7, wherein said first shell is attached to said second shell by clasps, mechanical fasteners, adhesives or welding.

9. The duct for an air induction system for a vehicle of claim 7, wherein said first shell is attached to said second shell by snap-fit assemblies, each assembly comprising a cantilever snap portion and a latch portion.

10. An air induction system for a vehicle, the system comprising: an air filter box having an incoming air side; and an air duct formed from a rigid polymerized material, said duct being attached to said incoming air side of said box, said duct having a long axis, an inlet, and an outlet, said duct having a set of grooves formed thereon, said grooves generally extending along said long axis between said inlet and said outlet.

11. The air induction system for a vehicle of claim 10, wherein said grooves are parallel.

12. The air induction system for a vehicle of claim 11, further including a set of circumferential grooves circumferentially formed around said air duct, said set of circumferential grooves intersecting said set of parallel grooves.

13. The air induction system for a vehicle of claim 10, wherein said duct has an outer surface, said set of grooves being formed on said outer surface.

14. The air induction system for a vehicle of claim 10, wherein said duct has an inner surface, said set of grooves being formed on said inner surface.

15. The air induction system for a vehicle of claim 10, wherein said rigid polymerized material is polypropylene, high-density polyethylene or acrylonitrile styrene acrylate.

16. The air induction system for a vehicle of claim 10, wherein said air duct is formed from a first shell and a second shell.

17. An air induction system for a vehicle, the system comprising: an air filter box having an incoming air side; and an air duct formed from a rigid polymerized material, said duct being attached to said incoming air side of said box, said duct having a long axis, an inlet, and an outlet, said duct having a first set of grooves formed thereon and a second set of grooves formed thereon, said sets of grooves intersecting.

18. The air induction system for a vehicle of claim 17, wherein said first set of grooves is a parallel set of grooves that extend along said long axis between said inlet and said outlet.

19. The air induction system for a vehicle of claim 18, wherein said second set of grooves comprises grooves circumferentially formed around said duct.

20. The air induction system for a vehicle of claim 19, wherein said air duct is formed from a rigid polymerized material is polypropylene, high-density polyethylene or acrylonitrile styrene acrylate.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] For a more complete understanding of this invention, reference should now be made to the embodiments illustrated in greater detail in the accompanying drawings and described below by way of examples of the invention wherein:

[0013] FIG. 1 is an environmental view of the crushable duct according to the disclosed inventive concept in its position within an engine compartment according to a perspective view;

[0014] FIG. 2 is an alternate view of the environmental view according to FIG. 1;

[0015] FIG. 3 is an environmental view similar to that of FIG. 1 but viewed from the top;

[0016] FIG. 4 is an environmental view similar to that of FIG. 1 but viewed from a side;

[0017] FIG. 5 is a front view of the crushable duct of the disclosed inventive concept;

[0018] FIG. 6 is a first side view of the crushable duct of the disclosed inventive concept;

[0019] FIG. 7 is a back view of the crushable duct of the disclosed inventive concept;

[0020] FIG. 8 is a second side view of the crushable duct of the disclosed inventive concept;

[0021] FIG. 9 is a top view of the crushable duct of the disclosed inventive concept;

[0022] FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the crushable duct of the disclosed inventive concept;

[0023] FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the crushable duct of the disclosed inventive concept taken along line 11-11 of FIG. 5; and

[0024] FIG. 12 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1 but illustrating the crushable duct in its environment after an impact event.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0025] In the following figures, the same reference numerals will be used to refer to the same components. In the following description, various operating parameters and components are described for different constructed embodiments. These specific parameters and components are included as examples and are not meant to be limiting.

[0026] The accompanying figures and the associated description illustrate an intake manifold according to the disclosed inventive concept. Particularly, FIGS. 1 through 4 illustrate the crushable duct of the air induction system illustrated in position in an engine compartment of a vehicle under normal operating conditions. The crushable duct itself is illustrated in isolation in various views in FIGS. 5 through 11. The crushable duct is illustrated in its crushed condition within an engine compartment following an impact event in FIG. 12.

[0027] It is to be understood that the under-hood features and arrangement may be different from those illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 4 and 12 without deviating from the spirit or scope of the disclosed inventive concept. It is also to be understood that additional configurations of the crushable duct of the disclosed inventive concept could be adopted without deviating from the spirit or scope of the disclosed inventive concept.

[0028] Referring to FIGS. 1 through 4, an engine compartment of a vehicle is illustrated. The engine compartment, generally illustrated as 10, include crushable duct 12, an air cleaner box 14 shown partially in broken lines, and a radiator 16. A fan shroud 17 is fixed to the vehicle-rearward side of the radiator 16. A replaceable air filter (not shown) is conventionally provided within the air cleaner box 14.

[0029] The crushable duct 12 is a dirty side duct (DSD) and receives incoming air at its inlet end 18 (illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3) and delivers exhaust air from its outlet end 20 (illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4). An air inlet (not shown) is conventionally attached to the inlet end 18 of the crushable duct 12. The outlet end 20 of the crushable duct 12 is fluidly associated with the air cleaner box 14. The air cleaner box 14 passes incoming air, now filtered, to the engine intake (not shown).

[0030] The crushable duct 12 is illustrated in isolation in various views in FIGS. 5 through 11. Referring to these figures, a front view of the crushable duct 12 is illustrated. The air inlet end 18 preferably but not necessarily includes a circumferential stop flange 22 against which the air inlet rests upon insertion. The air inlet end 18 additionally includes a locking arrangement for locking attachment to the air inlet. Such a locking arrangement may include, for example, attachment tabs 24 and 24.

[0031] The air outlet end 20 preferably but not necessarily includes a circumferential stop flange 26 against which the air inlet rests upon insertion. The air inlet end 18 additionally includes a locking arrangement for locking attachment to the air cleaner box 14. Such a locking arrangement may include, for example, attachment tabs 28, 28, 28 and 28.

[0032] The crushable duct 12 may be formed from any of several rigid polymerized materials that allow for good strength but frangibility along the engineered grooves. Non-limiting examples of such rigid materials include polypropylene (PP), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and acrylonitrile styrene acrylate (ASA) or any combination thereof.

[0033] The crushable duct 12 is preferably though not necessarily molded from multiple pieces. Multi-piece construction helps to reduce manufacturing cost. Preferably, although not necessarily, the crushable duct 12 is formed from two connected shells, a first shell 30 and a second shell 32. The first shell 30 and the second shell 32 may be attached to one another. Attachment of the first shell 30 to the second shell 32 may be accomplished by any number of methods, including mechanical fasteners or, as illustrated, by a series of attachment fasteners that comprise tabs 34 and snap-fit assemblies 36, either standing alone or in combination. As illustrated in FIG. 11, each snap-fit assembly 36 includes a cantilever snap portion 38 and a latch portion 40.

[0034] As previously noted, the crushable duct 12 is made collapsible or crushable by a series of strategically positioned and patterned break-initiating grooves. The grooves provide a focused area of reduced wall thickness that is engineered to fail at a specified load. This design-in and tunable failure allows the crushable duct 12 to be crushed and generally flattened to prevent subsequent damage to higher cost under-hood components. The engineered groove pattern and the orientation of the grooves allow the cracks to be controlled and to easily propagate throughout the crushable duct 12 upon impact. Preferably, the crushable duct 12 must crush at less than an acceptable predetermined impact force.

[0035] Each of the first shell 30 and the second shell 32 includes a series of grooves that define patterns. While the grooves are illustrated as being formed on the outside of the shells 30 and 32 as illustrated in FIGS. 5 through 11, it is to be understood that the grooves may also be formed on the inside of one or both of the shells 30 and 32, as illustrated in FIG. 11.

[0036] A first series of grooves is formed on the first shell 30. A first set of parallel grooves comprising grooves 42, 42, 42, 42 and 42 is illustrated. The parallel grooves 42, 42, 42, 42 and 42 are generally formed between the air inlet end 18 and the outlet end 20 although the grooves may be shorter. The widths and depths of the parallel grooves 42, 42, 42, 42 and 42 may be adjusted as needed to produce the desired crushed result.

[0037] Generally perpendicular to the parallel grooves 42, 42, 42, 42, and 42 is a set of circumferential grooves 44, 44, and 44. It is to be understood that a greater or lesser number of parallel grooves 42, 42, 42, 42 and 42 and circumferential grooves 44, 44 and 44 may be formed on the first shell 30.

[0038] A second series of grooves is formed on the second shell 32. A first set of parallel grooves comprising grooves 46, 46, 46, 46 and 46 is illustrated. The parallel grooves 46, 46, 46, 46 and 46 are also generally formed between the air inlet end 18 and the outlet end 20 although the grooves may be shorter. The widths and depths of the parallel grooves 46, 46, 46, 46 and 46 may be adjusted as needed to produce the desired crushed result.

[0039] Generally perpendicular to the parallel grooves 46, 46, 46, 46, and 46 is a set of circumferential grooves 48, 48, 48, 48, 48 and 48. It is to be understood that a greater or lesser number of parallel grooves 46, 46, 46, 46, and 46 and circumferential grooves 48, 48, 48, 48, 48 and 48 may be formed on the second shell 32.

[0040] As noted above, the grooves may be formed internally as well as externally on the first shell 30 and the second shell 32. While FIGS. 5 through 10 illustrate the parallel and circumferential grooves formed externally, FIG. 11 illustrates a set of grooves formed internally. With reference thereto, the first shell 30 includes an internal set of parallel grooves 50 and 50 and the second shell 32 includes an internal set of parallel grooves 52 and 52. A greater or lesser number of grooves 50, 50, 52 and 52 may be formed.

[0041] While FIGS. 1 through 11 illustrate the crushable duct 12 as it would appear before an impact event, FIG. 12 illustrates the crushable duct 12 following an impact event. As shown, the vehicle has been impacted as illustrated by the arrow. Following the impact event, the radiator 16 has been pushed vehicle-inward in the direction of the air cleaner box 14. However, the air cleaner box 14 remains intact as does the fan shroud 17 as well as all of the air conditioner components after the impact event. This is possible because the crushable duct 12 has been has absorbed the energy of the impact and has thus been crushed between the radiator 16 and the air cleaner box 14 as well as other fixed components, thereby substantially vacating the space it formerly occupied.

[0042] As noted above, the number, path, placement and depth of each of the grooves, whether formed on the outside of the crushable duct or on the inside, may be modified as required to provide optimum performance in an impact event. While the grooves have been illustrated as being elongated and circumferential, it is to be understood that many variations of the groove pattern are possible including both regular and irregular. It is also to be understood that while grooves have been specified, it is possible that the recessed areas illustrated in the figures as being grooves may also be channels that are, either in the alternative or in combination, polygonal, round or oval in shape or have a mixture of such shapes. The thickness of the first shell 30 and the second shell 32 may be constant or variable.

[0043] The duct of the disclosed inventive concept is highly tunable and can be designed and produced to meet a wide variety of demands. Variables include the geometry of the grooves, the choice of material, the thickness of the material, and the groove pattern. Several variations of the duct were produced and subsequent analysis and physical testing confirmed the tunability of the duct in its many variations.

[0044] Given the described variables, the crushable duct 12 of the disclosed inventive concept provides the engine designer with maximum flexibility and enables specific tuning for a under hood arrangement. In this way, the repair cost following an impact event may be reduced by reducing or eliminating damage caused to more expensive components without adding weight, cost, or complexity to the air induction system of the vehicle. The disclosed inventive concept may be used with any type of engine.

[0045] One skilled in the art will readily recognize from such discussion, and from the accompanying drawings and claims that various changes, modifications and variations can be made therein without departing from the true spirit and fair scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.