Sheet blank for an exhaust gas housing part of a motor vehicle and process for the production of the exhaust gas housing part with the sheet blank

Abstract

As a sheet blank for an exhaust gas housing part of a motor vehicle, in particular for an exhaust gas muffler or an exhaust gas catalyst of an automobile, constituting an upper half shell or a lower half shell of a half shell muffler produced by a stamping process in a tool, or a wrapped exhaust gas funnel or exhaust gas cylinder produced by an unrolling process in a tool, or an exhaust gas pipe joint, at least two assembled blanks which are securely connected together and which, in combination or alone, locally reinforce the finished exhaust gas housing part (half shell, funnel, cylinder or pipe joint), at least in a wall region. The blanks are securely connected together by laser welding, tack welding, or by spot welding.

1 . Sheet blank ( 1 ) for an exhaust gas housing part of a motor vehicle, comprising at least two assembled blanks ( 10 ,  11 ;  12 ,  13 ;  14 ,  15 ) that are securely connected together and, in combination or alone, locally reinforce a finished exhaust gas housing part at least in a wall region of the exhaust gas housing part.  
     
     
         2 . Sheet blank according to  claim 1 , wherein the exhaust gas housing part comprises an exhaust gas muffler ( 2 ) or an exhaust gas catalyst of an automobile.  
     
     
         3 . Sheet blank according to  claim 1 , wherein the exhaust gas housing part is selected from an upper half shell or a lower half shell of a half shell muffler produced by a stamping process in a tool ( 3 ,  4 ,  5 ), a wrapped exhaust gas funnel, an exhaust gas cylinder produced by an unrolling process in a tool, and an exhaust gas pipe joint.  
     
     
         4 . Sheet blank according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least two assembled blanks comprise a first blank ( 10 ) corresponding to a total extension of an exhaust gas housing part to be manufactured, and at least one second smaller blank ( 11 ) that comprises a wall region of a local reinforcement of the exhaust gas housing part to be manufactured.  
     
     
         5 . Sheet blank according to  claim 4 , wherein the second blank ( 11 ) comprises a wall strip with rectangular or square shape.  
     
     
         6 . Sheet blank according to  claim 4 , wherein the second blank ( 11 ) comprises an axially symmetrical wall strip, widened or narrowed at a middle with two opposed convex or concave edges ( 7  or  8 ).  
     
     
         7 . Sheet blank according to  claim 4 , wherein the second blank ( 11 ) comprises a trapezoidal wall region of an equal-sided trapezoid, which comprises the wall region of a local reinforcement of an exhaust gas funnel to be manufactured.  
     
     
         8 . Sheet blank according to  claim 1 , wherein the first and the second blanks ( 10 ,  11 ) have an equal wall thickness.  
     
     
         9 . Sheet blank according to  claim 1 , wherein the first and the second blanks have different wall thicknesses.  
     
     
         10 . Sheet blank according to  claim 1 , wherein the blanks ( 10 ,  11 ) lie flat against one another and are securely connected together at least partially at an edge.  
     
     
         11 . Sheet blank according to  claim 1 , wherein a first and a second blank ( 12 ,  13 ), of equal wall thickness, partially overlap at an edge in the wall region of the local reinforcement, and are securely connected together at least partially at the edge.  
     
     
         12 . Sheet blank according to  claim 11  wherein the wall region of the local reinforcement or of the overlapping region of the two blanks ( 12 ,  13 ) comprises, seen in plan view, a shape selected from strip shape with opposed convex or concave edges ( 7  or  8 ) and widened or narrowed middle, trapezoid shape or rectangular or square shape, corresponding to the exhaust gas housing part to be manufactured.  
     
     
         13 . Sheet blank according to  claim 12 , wherein the exhaust gas housing part is selected from a half shell, funnel, cylinder or pipe joint.  
     
     
         14 . Sheet blank according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least two assembled blanks ( 14 ,  15 ) have different wall thickness, which at an edge positively abut against one another and are securely connected together in an abutment region (S), a blank ( 15 ) with greater wall thickness (S 1 ) comprising the wall region of the local reinforcement of the exhaust gas housing part to be manufactured.  
     
     
         15 . Sheet blank according to  claim 14 , comprising three blanks ( 14 ,  15 ) that positively abut against one another and are securely connected together at the edge.  
     
     
         16 . Sheet blank according to  claim 15 , comprising two lateral blanks ( 14 ) with a smaller wall thickness (S 2 ) and arranged between them a middle blank ( 15 ) with the greater wall thickness (S 1 ) and comprising the wall region with the local reinforcement of the exhaust gas housing part to be manufactured.  
     
     
         17 . Sheet blank according to  claim 15 , wherein the two lateral blanks ( 14 ) with the smaller wall thickness (S 2 ) are alike.  
     
     
         18 . Sheet blank according to  claim 14 , wherein the wall region of the local reinforcement of the two blanks ( 14 ,  15 ) has, seen in plan view, a shape selected from a strip shape with opposed convex or concave edges ( 7  or  8 ) and widened or narrowed middle, trapezoid shape or rectangular or square shape, corresponding to the exhaust gas housing part to be manufactured.  
     
     
         19 . Sheet blank according to  claim 1 , wherein the blanks ( 10 ,  11 ,  12 ,  13 ,  14 ,  15 ) are securely connected together at least partially in the edge region by a welding technique selected from laser welding ( 16 ), tack welding ( 17 ), or by spot welding ( 18 ).  
     
     
         20 . Process for production of an exhaust gas housing part with a sheet blank comprising: 
 for a prefabrication of a partially reinforced sheet blank ( 1 ), laying positioned flat against one another or overlapping at least two prefabricated blanks ( 10 ,  11 ;  12 ,  13 ) with the same or different wall thickness, in a wall region of a local reinforcement of the exhaust gas housing part to be manufactured.    
     
     
         21 . Process for the production of an exhaust gas housing part with a sheet blank comprising the following step: 
 laying at least two prefabricated blanks ( 14 ,  15 ) of different wall thickness positively abutting one another at their edges at least partially, with a blank ( 15 ) with greater wall thickness comprising the wall region of the local reinforcement of the exhaust gas housing part to be manufactured, and    securely connecting together the blanks ( 10 ,  11 ;  12 ,  13 ;  14 ,  15 ) in the edge region by at least one of laser welding ( 16 ), tack welding ( 17 ), or by spot welding ( 18 ).