Positioning device for positioning a sheet metal element at a flange joint

Abstract

The invention comprises a flange (1) having a medium passage opening (6), a counter flange (2) having a medium passage opening (7), and a sheet metal element (3) having an abutment portion (18), the counter flange (2) being connected to the flange (1) by a number of fastening screws (13, 22, 28, 33), the medium passage openings (6, 7) of the flange (1) and the counter flange (2) being in communication with each other, the sheet metal element (3) having the abutment portion (18) and a first tab (17), the abutment portion (18) being arranged on the abutment surface between the flange (1) and the counter flange (2) around the medium passage openings (6, 7) of the flange (1), the first tab (17) being arranged on the abutment surface between the flange (1) and the counter flange (2) around the medium passage openings (6, 7) of the flange (1), a first through hole (15) of the sheet metal element (3) and protruding across the abutment surface into a first receiving hole (14) of the mating flange (2), the sheet metal element (3) having at least three first tabs (17) received in the first receiving hole (14) with radial gaps therebetween, the sheet metal element (3) being positioned on a first fastening screw (13) of the multiple fastening screws via the first tabs (17), the first fastening screw (13) being screwed into a screw hole (16) of the flange (1) through the first receiving hole (14) and the first through hole (15).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a positioning device for positioning a sheet metal element on a flange joint. The positioning device includes a flange having a passage for a medium to pass through and a mating flange having a passage for a medium to pass through, the mating flange being connected to the flange by a plurality of fastening screws, so that the passages for the medium in the flange and the mating flange are in communication with each other. The positioning device further includes a sheet metal element having an abutment portion sealingly disposed within an abutment surface between the flange and the mating flange around the passage for the medium to pass through, the sheet metal element having a first tab disposed at a first through hole in the sheet metal element, the first tab protruding across the abutment surface into a first receiving hole in the mating flange.

[0002] A positioning device for such a sealing arrangement is known from German Patent Publication DE 102017214662 A1. In this patent, a flat gasket-like sheet metal element has two clamping devices, each with two tabs that engage with corresponding clamping holes in a mating flange. To prevent unintentional loosening during pre-assembly of the flat gasket on the mating flange, each tab has a protrusion at its end that fits snugly behind the undercut of the clamping hole. The clamping holes have a radial recess for engaging the tabs, and the clamping screw is centered by the clamping holes and is not affected by the tabs. Another positioning structure in the form of a sealing device is known from US Patent Application Publication No. 2003 / 0102636. This device comprises a number of openings, each of which has three radially inwardly extending tabs that retain a bolt inserted into the respective opening, allowing for pre-assembly.

[0003] Conventional flat gaskets without tabs are also known. These gaskets are simply held to the flange by through holes and clamping screws. However, in these cases, the large tolerances and narrow sealing areas can lead to misalignment of the flat gasket, resulting in leakage.

[0004] In particular, in the case of very flat gaskets, there is a risk that the flat gasket will move laterally in the area of ​​the through-hole and enter the threads of the fastening screw, which will cause the flat gasket to move laterally even within manufacturing and assembly tolerances. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] German Patent Publication No. DE102017214662A1 [Patent Document 2] US Patent Application Publication No. 2003 / 0102636 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for positioning sheet metal elements which is of simple design and highly reliable. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The above object is achieved by a positioning device for positioning a sheet metal element on a flange joint. The positioning device includes a flange having medium passage openings and a counter flange having a medium passage opening. The counter flange is connected to the flange by a plurality of clamping screws, and the medium passage openings of the flange and the counter flange are connected to each other. The positioning device of the present invention further includes a sheet metal element and first tabs, the sheet metal element having abutments arranged to seal around the medium passage openings within the abutment surface between the flange and the counter flange, the first tabs being arranged in first through holes in the sheet metal element and projecting across the abutment surface into first receiving holes in the counter flange. The sheet metal element has at least three first tabs received within the first receiving holes with radial gaps. The sheet metal element is positioned on the first clamping screws within the clamping screws by the first tabs. the first fastening screw extends through the first receiving hole and the first through hole and is threaded into the threaded hole of the flange, whereby the sheet metal element is positioned relative to the flange by the first tab; To further secure the positioning of the sheet metal element relative to the flange, the sheet metal element has a second through-hole, in which two diametrically opposed second tabs are located. These tabs extend across the abutment surface and through a radial gap into the second receiving hole in the mating flange. In this case, the sheet metal element is positioned on the second clamping screw in the clamping screw via the two second tabs, and the second clamping screw is threaded through the second receiving hole and the second through-hole into the threaded hole in the flange. Thus, the sheet metal element is positioned relative to the flange. Further, the second tabs are located on both sides of the first connecting surface, which includes the first longitudinal axis of the first clamping screw and the second longitudinal axis of the second clamping screw.

[0008] The positioning device can be a sealing device, for example, in which the sheet metal element is a flat gasket that seals the medium passage between the respective medium passage openings of the flange and the mating flange. In this case, the abutment serves as a sealing section, which can also be provided with a peripheral sealing bead or element, for example made of elastomer. Such a sealing arrangement can be arranged, for example, in the exhaust pipe of an internal combustion engine.

[0009] The sheet metal element may also be another element, for example an orifice plate, a choke, a baffle, etc. The medium passage may serve as a passage for various media, for example a gaseous medium such as exhaust gas or a liquid medium such as a coolant.

[0010] (delete)

[0011] The radial clearance of the first tab relative to the first receiving hole may be greater than the radial clearance of the first tab relative to the first clamping screw.

[0012] (delete)

[0013] (delete)

[0014] The first and / or second receiving holes may be cylindrically formed.

[0015] The radial clearance of the second tab relative to the second receiving hole in a direction transverse to the first connecting surface may be greater than the radial clearance of the second tab relative to the second clamping screw.

[0016] In another embodiment, the mating flange has a first positioning hole, and the mating flange is positioned over a clamping screw via the first positioning hole and the through-hole in the sheet metal element, which is threaded into the threaded hole in the flange and thereby positioned relative to the flange.

[0017] Thus, in addition to positioning the sheet metal element relative to the flange via the first clamping screw, the positioning of the mating flange relative to the flange is also ensured via one of the clamping screws, which means that the mating flange is positioned relative to the flange independently of the sheet metal element.

[0018] In a first alternative, the mating flange can be positioned on a third clamping screw by means of a first positioning hole, which passes through a third through-hole in the sheet metal element and is screwed into a threaded hole in the flange, i.e., positioning of the mating flange relative to the flange is achieved independently of the positioning of the sheet metal element by a separate clamping screw.

[0019] In a second alternative, the mating flange can be positioned on the first clamping screw by means of the first positioning hole, i.e., the mating flange is positioned relative to the flange via the same clamping screw as the sheet metal element. Here, the first receiving hole and the first positioning hole are arranged coaxially with each other, thus forming part of a common elongated bore. The diameter of the first receiving hole is dimensioned to be larger than the diameter of the first positioning hole, thus forming a stepped longitudinal bore.

[0020] The radial clearance of the first tab within the first receiving hole can be greater than the radial clearance of the clamping screw within the first positioning hole.

[0021] This ensures that when the mating flange moves parallel to the abutment surface, the first tab is always radially supported in the first positioning hole via the fastening screw without abutting against the inner wall of the first receiving hole.

[0022] The mating flange may further include a second positioning hole, and the mating flange is positioned over one of the clamping screws. The clamping screw extends through the second positioning hole and the through hole in the sheet metal element and screws into the threaded hole in the flange. This positions the mating flange relative to the flange. The second positioning hole is formed as an elongated hole with a longest diameter and a shortest diameter within the abutment surface, with the longest diameter facing the first positioning hole.

[0023] In a first alternative, a mating flange having a second positioning hole can be placed on the fourth clamping screw, which extends through the fourth through-hole in the sheet metal element and screws into the threaded hole in the flange.

[0024] In a second alternative, the mating flange can be positioned using the second locating hole of the second clamping screw. That is, the mating flange is positioned relative to the flange via the same clamping screw as the sheet metal element. In this case, the second receiving hole and the second locating hole are arranged coaxially and are formed as a common oblong hole. The diameter of the second receiving hole is larger than the diameter of the second locating hole, thus forming a stepped longitudinal hole.

[0025] A radial gap of the clamping screw in the second positioning hole across the second connecting surface (including a longitudinal axis of the clamping screw in the first positioning hole and a longitudinal axis of the clamping screw in the second positioning hole) can be formed to be smaller than a radial gap of the second tab in the second receiving hole across the first connecting surface.

[0026] As a result, if the mating flange rotates relative to the flange, the flange is always supported radially via the clamping screw in the second positioning hole, and the second tab does not abut against the inner wall of the second receiving hole. This means that the mating flange is also arranged to prevent relative rotation with respect to the flange, regardless of the sheet metal element.

[0027] The term "radial clearance" means the clearance between each clamping screw or each tab and each receiving hole or tooling hole, regardless of whether or not movement of the clamping screw is permitted within each receiving hole or tooling hole.

[0028] To prevent the sheet metal elements from reaching the threads of the clamping screws radially when they move within the abutment surface, thereby increasing the radial gap of the sheet metal elements, the tabs can be longer transversely to the abutment surface than the thread pitch of the respective clamping screws, in particular the length of the tabs can be at least 1.2 times the thread pitch of the respective clamping screws.

[0029] Preferred embodiments will now be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0030] [Figure 1] FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a first clamping device of the positioning device of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a second clamping device of the positioning device of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a third clamping device of the positioning device of FIG. 1. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a fourth clamping device of the positioning device of FIG. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0031] FIG. 1 is an exploded view of one embodiment of a positioning device having a flange 1 to which a mating flange 2 is attached, with a sheet metal element 3 disposed between the flange 1 and the mating flange 2. The sheet metal element 3 is made of a metallic material and functions as a flat gasket. In the illustrated embodiment, the flange 1 is part of an EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) cooler 4 of a combustion engine, in particular an internal combustion engine. The EGR cooler 4 is connected to an EGR line 5, which includes the mating flange 2, via the flange 1. For this purpose, the flange 1 of the EGR cooler 4 has a media passage opening 6 through which exhaust gases from the EGR cooler 4 can pass. The mating flange 2 also has a media passage opening 7, which is connected to the EGR line 5 and thus forms a media passage.

[0032] To seal the medium passage from the outside, the sheet metal element 3 has an abutment 18, which in this embodiment functions as a sealing part and also forms the medium passage passage 8. The abutment 18 is therefore arranged in an abutment surface transverse to the longitudinal axis L of the sealing device so as to seal between the flange 1 and the counter flange 2. In this case, the abutment 18 is in sealing contact with a sealing surface 19 around the medium passage opening 6 of the flange 1 and with a sealing surface 20 around the medium passage opening 7 of the counter flange 2. These sealing surfaces 19, 20 face each other and are arranged in the abutment surface to receive the sheet metal element 3 between them.

[0033] In the illustrated embodiment, the counter flange 2 is connected to the flange 1 by means of clamping structures, namely a first clamping structure 9 , a second clamping structure 10 , a third clamping structure 11 and a fourth clamping structure 12 .

[0034] [Figure 2] is an enlarged plan view of the sheet metal element 3 as viewed in the direction of the mating flange 2, and this view shows the first fastening structure 9. The first fastening structure 9 includes a first fastening screw 13, a first receiving hole 14 in the mating flange 2, a first through hole 15 in the sheet metal element 3, and a first threaded hole 16 in the flange 1. The first fastening screw 13 is guided through the first receiving hole 14 and the first through hole 15 along a first axis L1 parallel to the longitudinal axis L of the positioning device of the present invention, and is screwed into the first threaded hole 16. Here, the first fastening screw 13 is axially supported via the screw head 21 on the side of the mating flange 2 opposite to the flange 1, so that the mating flange 2 is biased against the flange 1 and the sheet metal element 3 is fixed between the flange 1 and the mating flange 2.

[0035] In the illustrated embodiment, three first tabs 17 are connected to the abutments 18 of the sheet metal element 3. These first tabs 17 are located above the first through holes 15. , th1 are uniformly distributed around the longitudinal axis L1. There may be more than two first tabs 17. In principle, the first tabs 17 can be distributed non-uniformly. The first tabs 17 can be an integral part of the sheet metal element 3, i.e., formed integrally with the abutment 18. The first tabs 17 can be bent in the forming process and extend transversely to the abutment surface. Alternatively, the first tabs 17 can be part of a separate component, for example a sleeve, which is connected to the abutment 18.

[0036] The first tabs 17 extend across the abutment surface and protrude into the first receiving holes 14 of the mating flange 2, and the clamping screws 13 pass through the first through holes 15 and between the first tabs 17. The sheet metal element 3 is therefore positioned on the centre of the first clamping screws 13 by the first tabs 17. Since at least three first tabs 17 are provided, it is ensured that the sheet metal element 3 is positioned on the first clamping screws. Furthermore, the sheet metal element 3 is also positioned relative to the flange 1.

[0037] In order to prevent the sheet metal element 3 from reaching the threads of the first clamping screw 13 when it moves within the abutment surface and to prevent the gap of the sheet metal element 3 from increasing within the abutment surface, the dimension of the first tab 17 transverse to the abutment surface is set to be longer than the thread pitch of the first clamping screw 13. This means that the first tab 17 is longer than the distance between the two threads of the first clamping screw 13, and therefore the first tab 17 always rests radially on the tip of the thread of the first clamping screw 13.

[0038] Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiment, the mating flange 2 is connected to the flange 1 by a second clamping device 10 .

[0039] [Figure 3] is an enlarged plan view of the sheet metal element 3 as seen in the direction of the mating flange 2, showing the second clamping device 10. This second clamping structure 10 includes a second clamping screw 22, a second receiving hole 23 in the mating flange 2, a second through hole 24 in the sheet metal element 3, and a second threaded hole 25 in the flange 1. The second clamping screw 22 is arranged parallel to the longitudinal axis L of the positioning device of the present invention and is guided through the second receiving hole 23 and the second through hole 24 along the second longitudinal axis L2, and is screwed into the second threaded hole 25. That is, the second clamping screw 22 is axially supported relative to the mating flange 2 by the screw head 27.

[0040] In this embodiment, two second tabs 26 are connected to the abutment portion 18 of the sheet metal element 3 and may have the same design as the first tab 17. However, in principle, the second tabs 26 could have a different shape from the first tab 17. For example, they could be wider to increase the contact area with the second clamping screw 22. The second tabs 26 protrude axially from the abutment surface into the second receiving hole. In this case, the two second tabs 26 are located on both sides of the connecting plane, which is indicated by the diagonal D1 in FIG. 1 and includes the first longitudinal axis L1 of the first clamping screw 13 and the second longitudinal axis L2 of the second clamping screw 22. The sheet metal element 3 is thus positioned on the second clamping screw 22 accurately relative to the flange 1.

[0041] In the illustrated embodiment, the counter flange 2 is further connected to the flange 1 by means of a third fastening structure 11 .

[0042] However, in principle, it is also conceivable to provide only the first and second clamping structures 9 and 10. In this case, the mating flange is positioned relative to the flange by the same clamping screws as the sheet metal element. In this case, the first receiving hole and the first locating hole, as well as the second receiving hole and the second locating hole, are arranged coaxially with each other and therefore form the receiving hole and the locating hole as a common longitudinal bore. The diameter of the receiving hole must be larger than the diameter of the respective locating holes, forming a stepped longitudinal bore.

[0043] [Figure 4] is an enlarged plan view of the third fastening structure 11 when the sheet metal element 3 is viewed in the direction of the mating flange 2. This third fastening structure 11 includes a third fastening screw 28, a first positioning hole 29 in the mating flange 2, a third through hole 30 in the sheet metal element 3, and a third threaded hole 31 in the flange 1. The third fastening screw 28 passes through the first positioning hole 29 and the third through hole 30 along a third longitudinal axis L3 parallel to the longitudinal axis L of the positioning device. The third fastening screw 28 is axially supported relative to the mating flange 2 by a screw head 32. In contrast to the first fastening structure 9 and the second fastening structure 10, no tab is arranged in the third threaded hole 30. In the illustrated embodiment, the third through hole 30 has a larger diameter than the first positioning hole 29, which is cylindrical. The mating flange 2 is centered around the third fastening screw 28 by the first positioning hole 29, and is therefore positioned relative to the flange 1.

[0044] In the illustrated embodiment, the mating flange 2 is further connected to the flange 1 by a fourth fastening structure 12 .

[0045] [Figure 5] is an enlarged plan view of the fourth fastening structure 12 when the sheet metal element 3 is viewed toward the mating flange 2. This fourth mounting device 12 includes a fourth fastening screw 33, a second positioning hole 34 in the mating flange 2, a second through hole 35 in the sheet metal element 3, and a fourth threaded hole 36 in the flange 1. The fourth fastening screw 33 passes through the second positioning hole 34 and the fourth through hole 35 along a fourth longitudinal axis L4 parallel to the longitudinal axis L of the positioning device and is screwed into the fourth threaded hole 36. The fourth fastening screw 33 is also axially supported relative to the mating flange 2 by a screw head 37. Similar to the third fastening screw 28, the fourth fixing structure 12 has a fourth through hole 35 on the sheet metal element 3 without a tab. The second positioning hole 34 is formed as an elongated hole with its longest diameter directed toward the first positioning hole 29. Therefore, the mating flange 2 is also positioned on the fourth fastening screw 33 by the second positioning hole 34 , and is therefore positioned relative to the flange 1 .

[0046] In the illustrated embodiment, the first receiving hole 14 and the second receiving hole 23 are identical, i.e., they have the same diameter. The first positioning hole 29 has a smaller diameter than the first receiving hole 14 and the second receiving hole 23. For example, the diameter of the first positioning hole 29 can correspond approximately to the distance between the two second tabs 26 or the inner diameter circumscribed by the first tab 17. The first positioning hole 29, like the first receiving hole 14 and the second receiving hole 23, is cylindrical. The second positioning hole 34 is designed as an elongated hole extending with its greatest diameter in the direction of a further connecting surface, indicated by the diagonal line D2 in FIG. 1. The further connecting surface includes a third longitudinal axis L3 and a longitudinal axis L4. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 1 flange 2 Mating flange 3 Sheet Metal Elements 4 EGR cooler 5 EGR line 6 Media passage opening 7 Media passage opening 8 Media passage opening 9 First tightening structure 10 Second tightening structure 11 Third tightening structure 12 Fourth tightening structure 13 First tightening screw 14 First receiving hole 15 First through hole 16 First screw hole 17 First Tab 18 Contact part 19 Sealing surface 20 sealing surface 21 Screw head 22 Second tightening screw 23 Second receiving hole 24 Second through hole 25 Second screw hole 26 Second Tab 27 Screw head 28 Third tightening screw 29 First positioning hole 30 Third through hole 31 Third screw hole 32 screw head 33 Fourth tightening screw 34 Second positioning hole 35 4th Through Hole 36 4th screw hole 37 Screw head

Claims

1. the flange (1) having a medium passage opening (6), the mating flange (2) having a medium passage opening (7), and a sheet metal element (3) having an abutment portion (18), the mating flange (2) being connected to the flange (1) by a plurality of fastening screws (13, 22, 28, 33), the medium passage openings (6, 7) of the flange (1) and the mating flange (2) communicating with each other, the abutment portion (18) being arranged around the medium passage openings (6, 7) in an abutment surface between the flange (1) and the mating flange (2), the sheet metal element (3) further having at least three first tabs (17) arranged at first through holes (15) of the sheet metal element (3), the at least three first tabs (17) protruding across the abutment surface into first receiving holes (14) of the mating flange (2) and being received in the first receiving holes (14) via radial gaps; The sheet metal element (3) is positioned on the first fastening screw (13) via the at least three first tabs (17), and the first fastening screw (13) passes through the first receiving hole (14) and the first through hole (15) and is screwed into the screw hole (16) of the flange (1), so that the sheet metal element is positioned on the flange (1) by the at least three first tabs (17) and the first fastening screw (13).

1. An apparatus for positioning a sheet metal element on a flange joint, comprising: the sheet metal element (3) has a second through hole (24) in which two diametrically opposed second tabs (26) are arranged, the second tabs (26) extending across the abutment surface and through a radial gap into second receiving holes (23) of the mating flange (2); The sheet metal element (3) is positioned on the second fastening screw (22) via the two second tabs (26), and the second fastening screw (22) is screwed through the second receiving hole (23) and the second through hole (24) into the threaded hole (25) of the flange (1); The mating flange (2) has a first positioning hole (29), the mating flange (2) is positioned on the third fastening screw (28) via the first positioning hole (29), and the third fastening screw (28) passes through the first positioning hole (29) and passes through a through hole (30) in the sheet metal element (3) and is screwed into a threaded hole (31) in the flange (1); the radial clearance of the at least three first tabs (17) relative to the first receiving hole (14) is greater than the radial clearance of the at least three first tabs (17) relative to the first fastening screw (13); The second tabs (26) are arranged on both sides of a first connecting surface (D1) that includes a first longitudinal axis (L1) of the first fastening screw (13) and a second longitudinal axis (L2) of the second fastening screw (22); A positioning device characterized by:

2. 2. The positioning device according to claim 1, wherein a radial gap between the two second tabs (26) and the second receiving hole (23) in a direction transverse to the first connecting surface (D1) is greater than a radial gap between the two second tabs (26) and the second fastening screw (22).

3. 2. The positioning device according to claim 1, wherein the mating flange (2) has a second positioning hole (34), the mating flange (2) is positioned on the fourth fastening screw (33) via the second positioning hole (34), the fourth fastening screw (33) passes through the second positioning hole (34) and through a through hole (35) in the sheet metal element (3) and is screwed into a threaded hole (36) in the flange (1), thereby positioning the mating flange (2) relative to the flange (1), and the second positioning hole (34) is formed as an elongated hole having a longest diameter and a shortest diameter in the abutment surface, the longest diameter facing in the direction of the first positioning hole (29).

4. 4. The positioning device according to claim 3, wherein a radial gap of the fourth fastening screw (33) in the second positioning hole (34) across the second connecting surface (D2), which includes the longitudinal axis (L3) of the third fastening screw (28) in the first positioning hole (29) and the longitudinal axis (L4) of the fourth fastening screw (33) in the second positioning hole (34), is smaller than a radial gap of the second tab (26) in the second receiving hole (23) across the first connecting surface (D1).

5. 2. The positioning device according to claim 1, wherein the first tab (17) and the second tab (26) are longer transversely to the abutment surface than the thread pitch of the respective fastening screws (13, 22).

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