Method for manufacturing gas and liquid storage tanks
US7926180B2 · kind B2 · utility
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 4, 2006 |
| Grant date | Apr 19, 2011 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 17, 2030 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T29/49622
- WIPO fieldMaterials, metallurgy
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
A method for making gas and liquid storage tanks such as automotive fuel tanks includes providing two or more blanks of air hardenable martensitic stainless steel in the annealed condition. The steel blanks have a thickness in the range of 0.5-5.0 mm., and are formed utilizing stamping, forging, pressing, or roller forming techniques or the like into the form of a tank shell components. The shell components are hardened and assembled into a storage tank. The shell components are hardened by application of heat, preferably to between 950° C. and 1100° C. for standard air hardenable martensitic stainless steels. Thereafter, the automotive fuel tank is preferably cooled at a rate greater than 25° C. per minute to achieve a Rockwell C hardness of at least 39. The automotive fuel tank may undergo additional heat treating processes including high temperature or low temperature tempering processes which may incorporate electro-coating.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.