Claims
- 1. A permeation barrier fuel tank for a vehicle comprising:
a tank shell having a wall formed from a plurality of layers; said layers comprising at least an inner layer, an outer layer, a fuel permeation barrier layer disposed between said inner layer and said outer layer, and a nanocomposite outer layer disposed adjacent to said outer layer.
- 2. A permeation barrier fuel tank as set forth in claim 1 wherein said nanocomposite outer layer is made of a nanocomposite polymer.
- 3. A permeation barrier fuel tank as set forth in claim 1 wherein said inner layer and said outer layer are made of a polyethylene material.
- 4. A permeation barrier fuel tank as set forth in claim 2 wherein said nanocomposite polymer comprises a polymer material including a predetermined amount of a platy filler material.
- 5. A permeation barrier fuel tank as set forth in claim 4 wherein said platy filler material is uniformly dispersed in said polymer material.
- 6. A permeation barrier fuel tank as set forth in claim 4 wherein said platy filler material is present in an amount from about 0 wt. % to about 15 wt. %.
- 7. A permeation barrier fuel tank as set forth in claim 4 wherein said platy filler material has an aspect ratio from about 200 to about 1000.
- 8. A permeation barrier fuel tank as set forth in claim 1 wherein said nanocomposite outer layer has a thickness of about fifteen percent of a total thickness of said layers.
- 9. A permeation barrier fuel tank as set forth in claim 1 wherein said fuel permeation barrier layer is made of either one of a polyamide or an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer.
- 10. A permeation barrier fuel tank for a vehicle comprising:
a tank shell having a wall formed from a plurality of layers; said layers comprising at least an inner layer and an outer layer; a fuel permeation barrier layer disposed between said inner layer and said outer layer; and a nanocomposite outer layer disposed adjacent to said outer layer and being made of a nanocomposite polymer.
- 11. A permeation barrier fuel tank as set forth in claim 10 wherein said inner layer and said outer layer are made of a polyethylene material.
- 12. A permeation barrier fuel tank as set forth in claim 10 wherein said nanocomposite polymer comprises a polymer material including a predetermined amount of a platy filler material.
- 13. A permeation barrier fuel tank as set forth in claim 12 wherein said platy filler material is uniformly dispersed in said polymer material.
- 14. A permeation barrier fuel tank as set forth in claim 12 wherein said platy filler material is present in an amount from about 0 wt. % to about 15 wt. %.
- 15. A permeation barrier fuel tank as set forth in claim 12 wherein said platy filler material has an aspect ratio from about 200 to about 1000.
- 16. A permeation barrier fuel tank as set forth in claim 10 wherein said nanocomposite outer layer has a thickness of about fifteen percent of a total thickness of said layers.
- 17. A permeation barrier fuel tank as set forth in claim 10 wherein said inner layer and said outer layer are made of a high density polyethylene.
- 18. A permeation barrier fuel tank as set forth in claim 10 wherein said fuel permeation barrier layer is made of either one of a polyamide or an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer.
- 19. A fuel tank for a vehicle comprising:
a tank shell having a wail formed from a plurality of layers; said layers comprising at least an inner layer and an outer layer comprising a polyethylene material; a fuel permeation barrier layer disposed between said inner layer and said outer layer; and a nanocomposite outer layer disposed adjacent to said outer layer and being made of a nanocomposite polymer comprising a polymer material including a predetermined amount of a platy filler material having a thickness of about one nanometer.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)
[0001] The present invention claims the priority date of copending U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/172,567, filed Dec. 18, 1999.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60172567 |
Dec 1999 |
US |