Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Ford Motor Company Limited

Kerry Timothy Havener

Erich James Nowka

Steven Allen Hornby

Shawn David Norman

Joel John Beltramo

Brian Ross

Hani Mohammad Ayesh

Michael D Collareno

Nicholas Jon Walther

Timothy F Kilroy

A vehicle includes an exhaust, a frame hanger connected to a body of the vehicle, and an isolator connecting the exhaust to a body of the vehicle via the frame hanger such that the exhaust rotates about the frame hanger. The vehicle further includes a first frame bracket having a fixing portion fixed to the body of the vehicle and an engaging portion located near the isolator at a first distance. The first distance defines a first maximum allowable displacement of the exhaust as it rotates in a first direction about the frame hanger. The vehicle may include a second frame bracket having an engaging portion located adjacent to the isolator at a second distance opposite to the first frame bracket. The second distance may define a second maximum allowable displacement of the exhaust as it rotates in a second direction about the frame hanger.

Vehicle exhaust bracket

A vehicle exhaust system is provided. The exhaust system may include a muffler including a casing, an inlet tube extending therethrough, and an outlet pipe partially disposed therein. The exhaust system may also include an orifice tube that may have a tapered body inserted within an end of the outlet pipe that is disposed between a baffle and a wall of the casing. The orifice tube may also include an inlet portion flared from the tapered body configured to attenuate noise of exhaust gas funneling into the outlet pipe.

Exhaust orifice tube for vehicle mufflers

A two-piece, stamped muffler having an integrally-attached aerodynamic shield having a flat bottom shape is disclosed. The muffler may be formed with a substantially flat lower surface. The aerodynamically-improved muffler set forth herein is provided as an aerodynamic shield that is incorporated into an extended flange provided in the shell blank, as a deflector that is attached to a muffler lower shell body and the clamshell flange such as by welding, that is separately attached to the clamshell flange only such as by welding, or that is separately attached to the lower shell only, again possibly by welding. For dual stamped mufflers, the shield may be used jointly with an incremental shield separate from, or integrated into, the spare tire well to connect the twin dual muffler shields to achieve vehicle aerodynamic requirements. A muffler having the aerodynamic shield deflects underbody air flow outside of the rear fascia cavity.

Stamped aerodynamic deflector for vehicle muffler

An isolator is disclosed for attaching an exhaust system to a frame pin on a vehicle frame. The isolator includes a vibration damping body that defines a frame pin receiving opening and an exhaust pin receiving opening. A tab is provided on an upper end of the vibration damping body that is manually engaged to bend the upper end of the body away from and toward the frame pin to facilitate inserting the frame pin in the frame pin receiving opening.

Vehicle exhaust isolator

In one or more embodiments, a muffler shield includes a shield body extending in a longitudinal direction and defining a middle portion positioned between first and second side portions along a transverse direction, a cross-section of the middle portion and at least one of the first and second side portions respectively defining a middle profile and a side profile shorter than the middle profile.

Muffler shield and muffler assembly employing the same

A muffler shell is formed from a sheet metal blank. The shell comprises a tubular body section which is rolled into a tube so that a first edge of the blank can be welded to an intermediate seam line across the blank. An aerodynamic shield extension projects integrally from the tubular body section between the intermediate seam line and a second edge of the blank to cover a gap between the muffler and adjacent structures when installed on a vehicle.

Muffler shell body with integral aerodynamic shield

Embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure may provide a muffler comprising an enclosure. The enclosure, in one example, may include a relatively thin volume fittable under a preselected feature of a vehicle, and at least one relatively thick volume fittable alongside the preselected feature. The enclosure may also include an exhaust gas entry port and a tailpipe exit port. In one example, partitions may be within the thin volume forming an expansion chamber at the entry port and a tailpipe extension at the exit port.

Conformal transverse muffler

Embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure may provide a conformal transverse muffler including an enclosure shaped to fit around a bottom and a side of a feature of a vehicle. The enclosure may include a mid section fittable below the feature, and two side sections fittable in opposite locations only radially outside of a circumference of the spare tire well. The side sections may be thicker than the mid section and may have a vertical center above a vertical center of the mid section.

A resonator for a dual-flow exhaust system of an engine is provided. The resonator includes a housing defining an enclosure and a baffle spanning the housing and separating a first and second expansion chamber of the enclosure, the baffle including at least one opening. The resonator further includes a first and a second exhaust conduit extending through the baffle and housing, each conduit in fluidic communication with a separate cylinder bank and including a perforated portion fluidly coupled to the enclosure, each perforated portion positioned in separate expansion chambers.

Growing community of inventors

Canton, MI, United States of America

Kerry Timothy Havener