Fuel container

Abstract

The invention concerns a fuel container of plastic material such as a motor vehicle fuel tank, comprising one or more welded seams as seam locations for the body of the container and/or as connecting or sealing seams between the container wall in the region of openings and closure elements or covers welded thereto. At least some of the welded seams are at least partially penetrated by a duct which extends in the longitudinal direction in the seam and which can be filled with air and vented.

What is claimed is  
     
         1 . A fuel container of plastic material comprising 
 a container body having at least one welded seam,    a duct which at least partially penetrates at least one welded seam and extends in a longitudinal direction of the welded seam, and    means for filling the duct with air and venting same of air.    
     
     
         2 . A fuel container as set forth in  claim 1   wherein the welded seams are seam locations of the container body.    
     
     
         3 . A fuel container as set forth in  claim 1   wherein the container body has at least one opening and a cover and    wherein the welded seams are connecting seams between a wall of the container body in the region of the at least one opening and the cover.    
     
     
         4 . A fuel container as set forth in  claim 1   wherein the container body has at least one opening and a closure element, and    wherein the welded seams are connecting seams between a wall of the container body in the region of the at least one opening and the closure element.    
     
     
         5 . A container as set forth in  claim 1   wherein the duct has respective end portions and said means of the duct are respective connections at the end portions of the duct.    
     
     
         6 . A container as set forth in  claim 5   wherein the connections are provided with valves.    
     
     
         7 . A container as set forth in  claim 1   which is of a multi-layer structure having at least one barrier layer for hydrocarbons, which is completely embedded in the container body wall.    
     
     
         8 . A container as set forth in  claim 1   which was produced by extrusion blow molding of a multi-layer preform, having a wall in which at least one barrier layer for hydrocarbons is completely embedded,    wherein the duct was formed by openings in squeeze edges of the blow molding mold.    
     
     
         9 . A container as set forth in  claim 1   produced from first and second shell portions which are welded together, wherein the shell portions are respectively welded together at connecting flanges, and wherein at least one connecting flange has at least one groove-shaped opening forming the duct.    
     
     
         10 . A container as set forth in  claim 1   produced from first and second shell portions welded together,    wherein the shell portions are respectively welded together at connecting flanges, in each of which are provided in pairs groove-shaped openings forming the duct.    
     
     
         11 . A container as set forth in  claim 1   produced from first and second shell portions welded together at their ends,    wherein the shell portions define first and second peripherally extending steps and at least one duct is kept free between the steps of the shell portions.    
     
     
         12 . A container as set forth in  claim 9   wherein the shell portions were obtained by cutting open a blow-molded container.    
     
     
         13 . A container as set forth in  claim 1   wherein the seam of the container body is respectively penetrated in a portion-wise manner by a duct, and    further including a common venting conduit communicating with a plurality of duct portions.    
     
     
         14 . A container as set forth in  claim 1  and further including 
 a filter element operatively associated with at least one duct for filtered venting thereof.  
 
     
     
         15 . A container as set forth in  claim 14   wherein said filter element is an activated carbon filter operatively associated with the container.    
     
     
         16 . A container as set forth in  claim 1  and further including 
 means for pressure filling at least one duct with air.