초록 ▼

A compact, sound-attenuating muffler for an internal combustion engine is disclosed in which the muffler includes a stream dividing partition positioned proximate the inlet of the muffler to divide the incoming exhaust gases into two streams of substantially equal volume. The stream dividing partiti

A compact, sound-attenuating muffler for an internal combustion engine is disclosed in which the muffler includes a stream dividing partition positioned proximate the inlet of the muffler to divide the incoming exhaust gases into two streams of substantially equal volume. The stream dividing partition directs the streams laterally of the inlet in directions diverging from each other, and the muffler sound-attenuating assembly further includes corridor defining partitions receiving the streams from the stream dividing partition and maintaining the streams in corridors as coherent substantially eddy-free streams. The corridor defining partitions further direct the streams laterally to converge towards each other for discharge of the coherent streams against each other from opposed directions in a common volume inside the muffler casing. Further sound attenuation is accomplished by a common channel receiving the streams after they are intersected or discharged against each other. A method of attenuating the sound entrained in the exhaust gases of an internal combustion engine is also disclosed. The method includes dividing the gases into two streams, diverging the gases, converging the gases while maintaining them in substantially eddy-free coherent streams, and discharging the gases against each other to produce like-frequency sound attenuation without substantial back pressure increase.

대표청구항 ▼

A compact, sound-attenuating muffler for an internal combustion engine, said muffler including a casing having an inlet opening, an outlet opening, and sound-attenuating means intermediate the openings, wherein the improvement in said muffler comprises: said sound attenuating means including: (i) we

A compact, sound-attenuating muffler for an internal combustion engine, said muffler including a casing having an inlet opening, an outlet opening, and sound-attenuating means intermediate the openings, wherein the improvement in said muffler comprises: said sound attenuating means including: (i) wedge-shaped stream dividing partition positioned proximate said inlet opening and diverging in opposite directions from an apex along a first axis toward opposite side walls of said casing, said stream dividing partition extending completely across said casing along a second axis perpendicular to said first axis and terminating short of said opposite side walls along said first axis to divide incoming exhaust gases into two discrete streams of substantially equal volume, said stream dividing partition directing said streams toward said opposite side walls and in directions each having a component toward said outlet opening; and (ii) corridor defining means including two pairs of partitions mounted in side-by-side substantially parallel relation inside said casing, and pairs of partitions defining with said casing two corridors, said pairs of partitions receiving said discrete streams from said stream dividing partition and maintaining said stream in said two corridors with each corridor having substantially a constant cross section area over the length of said two corridors for unrestricted constant-volume flow of said exhaust gases as coherent substantially eddy-free streams in said two corridors, said two pairs of partitions further directing said streams laterally away from said side walls to converge toward each other and producing intersecting of said coherent streams against each other from opposed directions in a substantially unobstructed common volume inside said casing in advance of said outlet opening, said two corridors maintaining the direction of flow of said exhaust gases in said casing always in a direction having a component progressing from said inlet opening toward said outlet opening to thereby minimize backpressure in said muffler and to minimize eddy currents in said streams as intersected against each other in said common volume.