Inward fired radial gas burner assembly for cooktop appliance and method for fabrication

Abstract

A method for fabricating a fuel manifold for a burner assembly is provided, including forming, via a casting or additive manufacturing process, a unitary body; forming, at the unitary body, a fuel passage extending from an inlet opening to an outlet opening; forming, at the unitary body, a post extending along an axial direction corresponding toward a heat sink plate, the post configured to statically position the heat sink plate adjacent along the axial direction to the unitary body; and forming, as a separable component, the heat sink plate including a through-opening corresponding along a circumferential direction to the outlet opening at the fuel passage, wherein forming the heat sink plate includes forming a post opening corresponding along the circumferential direction to the post at the unitary body.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for fabricating a fuel manifold for a burner assembly, the method comprising:
 forming, via a casting or additive manufacturing process, a unitary body;   forming, at the unitary body, a fuel passage extending from an inlet opening to an outlet opening;   forming, at the unitary body, a post extending along an axial direction corresponding toward a heat sink plate, the post configured to statically position the heat sink plate adjacent along the axial direction to the unitary body; and   forming, as a separable component, the heat sink plate comprising a through-opening corresponding along a circumferential direction to the outlet opening at the fuel passage, wherein forming the heat sink plate comprises forming a post opening corresponding along the circumferential direction to the post at the unitary body.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein forming the fuel passage comprises forming, via a first machining process, the fuel passage. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein forming the fuel passage comprises extending a tool bit along a linear pathway to form one or more fuel conduits at the fuel passage. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein forming the fuel passage comprises extending the tool bit along the linear pathway to intersect two or more fuel conduits with one another at the fuel passage. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , the method comprising:
 plugging a tool opening at the fuel passage to form the fuel passage as having a single inlet opening.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein forming the fuel passage comprises forming, from the unitary body comprising an aluminum or aluminum alloy material, the fuel passage. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein forming the fuel passage comprises forming, via a first machining process, the inlet opening at the unitary body at which the fuel passage is formed. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein forming the fuel passage comprises forming, via a second machining process, the outlet opening. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the second machining process comprises extending, along a radial direction perpendicular to an extension of the inlet opening of the fuel passage, the tool bit to form the outlet opening. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein extending the tool bit to form the outlet opening comprises extending the tool bit along the radial direction and corresponding to a position along the circumferential direction of a mixing tube opening formed at the heat sink plate. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein forming the heat sink plate comprises forming one or more igniter openings through the heat sink plate, wherein each igniter opening is configured to receive a corresponding igniter. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , the method comprising:
 forming, at the unitary body, a second fuel passage extending from a second inlet opening to a second outlet opening, wherein the second fuel passage is fluidly separate from the fuel passage.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein forming the second fuel passage comprises extending a tool bit along a linear pathway co-directional to a fuel conduit at the fuel passage. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein forming the second fuel passage comprises extending the tool bit along a linear pathway perpendicular to the fuel conduit to form the outlet opening. 
     
     
         15 . A method for fabricating a burner assembly, the method comprising:
 forming, via a casting or additive manufacturing process, a unitary body;   forming, at the unitary body, a fuel passage extending from an inlet opening to an outlet opening;   forming, at the unitary body, a post extending along an axial direction corresponding toward a heat sink plate, the post configured to statically position the heat sink plate adjacent along the axial direction to the unitary body;   forming, as a separable component, the heat sink plate comprising a through-opening corresponding along a circumferential direction to the outlet opening at the fuel passage, wherein forming the heat sink plate comprises forming a post opening corresponding along the circumferential direction to the post at the unitary body; and   fluidly coupling a mixing tube of an annular burner body to the outlet opening at the unitary body, wherein fluidly coupling the mixing tube comprises extending the mixing tube into the through-opening of the heat sink plate.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein forming the fuel passage comprises forming, from the unitary body comprising an aluminum or aluminum alloy material, the fuel passage. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein forming the fuel passage comprises forming, via a first machining process, the inlet opening at the unitary body at which the fuel passage is formed. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein forming the fuel passage comprises forming, via a second machining process, the outlet opening. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15 , the method comprising:
 forming, at the unitary body, a second fuel passage extending from a second inlet opening to a second outlet opening, wherein the second fuel passage is fluidly separate from the fuel passage.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein forming the second fuel passage comprises:
 extending a tool bit along a linear pathway co-directional to a fuel conduit at the fuel passage; and   extending the tool bit along a linear pathway perpendicular to the fuel conduit to form the outlet opening.