Exhaust Pipe Bracket Mounting for Vibration Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Straddled vehicles face challenges in stably supporting exhaust pipes with catalysts positioned upstream, as increased pipe thickness to mitigate stress leads to weight gain, and direct support on the vehicle body frame can cause vibration, necessitating additional weight and components to suppress it.
Innovation Solution
A straddled vehicle design where the catalyst is positioned in the exhaust pipe's upstream portion, supported by a bracket directly attached to the internal combustion engine, avoiding the need for increased pipe thickness and weight, with the bracket's fixed portion positioned between the catalyst and engine to stabilize the pipe.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the thickness of the exhaust pipe is increased to reduce stress, then the stress resistance is improved, but the weight of the exhaust pipe increases
Solution Approach 1:
The exhaust pipe support system is segmented into multiple support portions along the exhaust pipe. By distributing the support points, the stress on any single section is reduced, allowing the use of thinner pipe walls while maintaining overall structural strength. This segmentation approach enables weight reduction without sacrificing stress resistance.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the exhaust pipe is directly supported on the vehicle body frame, then the support stability is improved, but vibration occurs due to resonance
Solution Approach 1:
A bracket is introduced as an intermediary component between the exhaust pipe and the vehicle body frame. The bracket serves as a mediator that decouples the direct connection, preventing resonance transmission while maintaining support stability. This intermediary structure allows the exhaust pipe to be firmly supported without direct contact that would cause vibrational resonance with the frame.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If additional support components are added to suppress vibration, then the vibration control is improved, but the weight of the support system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support for the exhaust pipe, acts as a vibration isolation element through its mounting configuration, and distributes mechanical loads across multiple attachment points. By making the bracket multi-functional, separate vibration suppression components are eliminated, preventing additional weight increase while maintaining effective vibration control.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
An object is to stably support a portion of an exhaust pipe where a catalyst is arranged, and to suppress resonation between this portion of the exhaust pipe and a vehicle body frame. An exhaust pipe (10) includes a front portion (12) located forward relative to a cylinder head (3) of an internal combustion engine (4), and a side portion (13) located sideward of a cylinder head (3). A catalyst (45) is arranged inside the front portion (12) or the side portion (13) of the exhaust pipe (10). A motorcycle (50) includes a bracket (20) including a fixed portion (21) that is fixed to the side portion (13) or the front portion (12) of the exhaust pipe (10). A front end (21f) of the fixed portion (21) is located forward relative to a rear end (45b) of the catalyst (45), and a rear end (21b) of the fixed portion (21) is located rearward relative to a front end (45f) of the catalyst (45). The bracket (20) is supported directly on the internal combustion engine (4).