# Patent

## Title
Socket isolator mounting apparatus

## Abstract

An isolator mounting apparatus is disclosed for supporting an exhaust component from a body portion of a vehicle. The apparatus has an elastomeric isolator element having at least one hole for receiving a first external hanger. An isolator bracket has a portion which is used for receiving and supporting the isolator element, and a neck portion extending therefrom. A mounting element is configured to engage with at least a portion of the neck portion of the isolator bracket. The mounting element is adapted to be secured to the isolator bracket. The mounting element is further adapted to be fixedly secured to the exhaust component.

## Background
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/046,418 filed Sep. 5, 2014, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.


FIELD
The present disclosure relates to mounting apparatuses for motor vehicle exhaust systems, and more particularly to an exhaust system isolator apparatus which reduces or eliminates the need for multiple hangers to be fixedly secured to a portion of the vehicle body.
BACKGROUND
The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Many configurations of hanger devices have been developed for mounting and orienting an isolator, used to isolate an exhaust component of a motor vehicle, to a portion of a vehicle body. Traditionally, single hole isolators have required mounting to some sufficiently stiff and rigid portion of the vehicle body through the use of a hanger, as shown in FIG. 1. Typically the isolator support bracket having a rubber isolator element mounted therein is bolted using one or more threaded bolts to a selected portion of the vehicle body. A separate hanger, typically welded to the exhaust component, has a distal end thereof pushed through a hole in the rubber isolator element. The length of the hanger also to be sufficiently long to provide space the rubber isolator element far enough from the exhaust component so that the rubber isolator element is not damaged by the heat from the exhaust component. This mounting configuration has the drawback of necessitating that the vehicle manufacturer designate a specific portion of the vehicle body that provides sufficient area, strength and stiffness to accommodate the required mounting bracket and threaded bolt(s). This has proven to be challenging with some vehicles. Other well known forms of isolators, such as shown in FIG. 2A, require multiple hangers. Each isolator shown in FIG. 2A requires two independent hangers, one fixedly secured (e.g., by welding) to the exhaust structure and the other fixedly secured (e.g., by welding) to a body portion of the vehicle. The system of FIG. 2 thus requires a total of four independent hangers for its use. FIG. 2B shows a prior art hanger configuration where a pair of hangers and a corresponding pair of brackets were required to achieve the needed degree of modal stiffness and strength, when supporting an exhaust component.
Conventional two hole isolators lack travel control and durability compared to single hole isolator designs. Three and four hole isolator designs require multiple inefficient heavy hangers, along with the time and labor required to install the required hangers on the vehicle body itself. Three and four hole isolator designs also typically provide less than optimal durability compared to bolt-to-body designs (i.e., as shown in FIG. 1). The need for providing two or more holes in the isolator can reduce its strength and durability.
SUMMARY
In one aspect the present disclosure relates to an isolator mounting apparatus for supporting an exhaust component from a body portion of a vehicle via a hanger. The apparatus may comprise an elastomeric isolator element having at least one hole for receiving an end of the hanger. An isolator bracket may be included for receiving and supporting the isolator element, with the isolator bracket including a neck portion extending therefrom. A mounting element is included which is configured to engage with at least a portion of the neck portion of the isolator bracket therein, and adapted to be secured to the isolator bracket, the mounting element further adapted to be secured to the exhaust component.
In another aspect the present disclosure relates to an isolator mounting apparatus for supporting an exhaust component from a body portion of a vehicle via a hanger. The apparatus may comprise an elastomeric isolator element having at least one hole for receiving an end of the hanger, and an isolator bracket. The isolator bracket may receive and support the elastomeric isolator element. The isolator bracket may include a frame portion having a pair of flanges each having a hole therein and a portion having a hole for receiving the elastomeric isolator element. The holes in the flanges are adapted to receive portions of fastening components to enable the flanges to be secured to the exhaust component.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.



BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.
FIG. 1 is an illustration of a prior art, single hole, bolt-to-body isolator system;
FIG. 2A is an illustration of a pair of prior art isolators which require two hangers to be used with each isolator, one hanger fixedly secured to an exhaust component and the other fixedly secured to a portion of the vehicle body;
FIG. 2B is an illustration of a prior art configuration for supporting an exhaust component which requires the use of two hangers and two brackets to achieve a desired degree of modal strength, stiffness and positional tolerance, with a required long hanger reach to achieve sufficient thermal clearance for the isolator element (not shown);
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one embodiment of an isolator mounting apparatus in accordance with the present disclosure;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the isolator mounting apparatus of FIG. 3 with just a portion of an exhaust component being shown;
FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of the isolator mounting apparatus detached from the exhaust component;
FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a rear perspective view of just the isolator bracket with the elastomeric isolator element mounted therein;
FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of the assembly of FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is a front view of just the isolator bracket with the elastomeric isolator element mounted therein;
FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view of the assembly of FIG. 9 taken in accordance with section line A-A in FIG. 9;
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of another embodiment of an isolator mounting apparatus in accordance with the present disclosure;
FIG. 12 is a front view of still another embodiment of an isolator mounting apparatus in accordance with the present disclosure which has hanger holes to accommodate two hangers to enable the apparatus to be suspended from a vehicle body portion, while a neck portion thereof can be secured via a “tube-to-socket” connection;
FIG. 13 is a side view of another embodiment of an isolator mounting apparatus in accordance with the present disclose in which the neck portion of the isolator bracket can be secured to a hanger via a lap joint;
FIG. 14 is a perspective view of still another embodiment of an isolator mounting apparatus of the present disclosure in which the isolator bracket includes a pair of integrally formed flanges that allow two points of attachment to a U-shaped bracket commonly used with exhaust components;
FIG. 15 is a front perspective view of an isolator mounting apparatus in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 16 is a rear perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 15;
FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing the isolator mounting apparatus of FIG. 15 being used to support an exhaust component therefrom;
FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing a modified version of the isolator mounting apparatus of FIG. 15, which may be fixedly secured, such as by welding, to an exhaust component, to thus eliminate the use of a threaded bolt and nut; and
FIGS. 19 and 20 are end and plan views, respectively, of the apparatus of FIG. 15 illustrating another possible attachment configuration where the apparatus includes a hanger welded thereto, in addition to its clamp on mounting bracket, and thus enables the apparatus to be attached to a tubular exhaust component as well as to an independent isolator attachment point.



DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features.
Referring to FIG. 3 there is shown an isolator mounting apparatus 10 (hereinafter simply “apparatus 10”) in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. The apparatus 10 in this example includes an elastomeric isolator element 12, an isolator bracket 14 in which the isolator element 12 is mounted, and an independent mounting element 16. In this embodiment the mounting element 16 is formed by a bracket, and will be referred to throughout as “mounting bracket 16”.
The mounting bracket 16 is fixedly secured, such as by welding, to an outer surface of a tubular exhaust component 18 of a motor vehicle (not shown). One end of an independent hanger 20 may be press fit through a hole 22 in the isolator element 12 to thus be frictionally secured to the isolator element. The other end of the hanger 20 is secured to a portion of the vehicle body. In this example the hanger 20 does not form part of the apparatus 10.
Referring to FIGS. 4-6, the apparatus 10 can be seen in greater detail. The isolator bracket 14 may include a circumferential frame portion 24 into which a portion of the isolator element 12 is mounted with a press fit, frictional attachment. A neck portion 26 of the isolator bracket 14 maybe integrally formed with the circumferential frame portion 24 so that the isolator bracket 14 forms a single piece component. Alternatively, the circumferential frame portion 24 and the neck portion 26 could be formed as separate components and secured together via a suitable fastener. In this example the neck portion 26 has a square shape and is telescopically engaged (i.e., a “tube-to-socket” connection) with an open end of the mounting bracket 16. The mounting bracket 16 is fixedly attached such as by welds to the exhaust component 18 (shown in FIG. 4). The neck portion 26 of the isolator bracket 14 also includes a through bore 28 which is aligned with a pair of holes in the mounting bracket 16 (not visible in FIG. 3). A threaded bolt 30 is inserted through the holes in both the mounting bracket 16 and the through bore 28 of the neck portion 26. A mating threaded nut 36 (FIG. 6) is attached to the distal end of the threaded bolt 30 and thus helps to secure the neck portion 26 of the isolator bracket 14 to the mounting bracket 16. The threaded nut 36 may be welded to the mounting bracket 16 or it may be an independent component that is held stationary with a suitable tool while the threaded bolt 30 is being tightened. The orientation of the threaded bolt 30 along a plane perpendicular to the hole 22 in the isolator element 12 optimizes support to handle the radial loading experienced by the isolator element. Optionally, two or more threaded bolts 30 arranged either parallel to or perpendicular to each other, or perpendicular to a longitudinal axis extending through the hole 22, could be used depending on the needs of a specific application.
The mounting bracket 16 may also include one or more holes 34 to remove weight, to help promote air circulation and reduce the heat conduction path though the mounting bracket to aid in dissipating heat. While the mounting bracket 16 is shown as having a square shape, it will be appreciated that other shapes such as circular, rectangular, etc. could be used just as well. The specific cross sectional shape selected for the mounting bracket 16 will dictate the cross sectional shape and dimensions of the neck portion 26 of the isolator bracket 14 (or vice versa). The mounting bracket 16 in one example is formed from stainless steel, while the isolator bracket 14 may be formed from stainless steel, low carbon steel or another metal such as aluminum. Aluminum is preferable from a weight standpoint. However, if an aluminum isolator bracket 14 is coupled to a stainless steel mounting bracket 16, then to avoid galvanic concerns it is preferred that either the aluminum isolator bracket 14 be electrically coated, or that the stainless steel mounting bracket 16 be black painted after welding, as is common on muffler black-outing. The slip fit, telescopic attachment (i.e., “tube-to-socket” connection) of the neck portion 26 with the mounting bracket 16 provides significant added structural strength and rigidity, as well as largely eliminating any issues that might arise with mismatched thermal growth between the two components 26 and 16. The slip fit connection of the isolator bracket 14 to the mounting bracket 16 also facilitates improved serviceably of the apparatus 10. The tubular construction of the mounting bracket 16 forms an efficient structure that also provides excellent modal stiffness and strength for the isolator bracket 14 to mount on to. The length provided by the mounting bracket 16 also forms a longer conduction path to better dissipate the heat from the exhaust component 18, which in turn reduces the heat that reaches the isolator bracket 14, and thus the heat that reaches the elastomeric isolator element 12. This helps to prolong the life of the elastomeric isolator element 12.
The circumferential frame portion 24 provides the benefit of also helping to dissipate heat from the exhaust component 18 to the ambient environment. This may also help to improve the longevity of the elastomeric isolator element 12. And while the circumferential frame portion 24 is shown with a circular shape, it will be appreciate that the shape selected for the isolator element 12 will largely dictate the shape of the circumferential frame portion 24 (or vice versa).
FIGS. 7-10 illustrate just the isolator bracket 14 with the isolator element 12 mounted therein. In this example the isolator element 12 may include a plurality of groove portions 12a, visible in FIGS. 8, 9, and 10 which aid in easing insertion of a distal end of a hanger through the isolator element 12. The isolator element 12 also includes a flange 12b which fits within the circumferential frame portion 24 of the isolator bracket 14 and helps to maintain the isolator element 12 secured to the isolator bracket 14.
Referring to FIG. 11, an isolator mounting apparatus 50 is shown in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure. The apparatus 50 in this example includes an isolator component 12′ having a hole 22′, and an isolator bracket 14′, which are identical in construction to the isolator element 12 and isolator bracket 14. However, a mounting bracket 52 is incorporated which is different from the mounting bracket 16. Mounting bracket 52 is secured to the isolator bracket 14′ via threaded bolt 30 and a threaded nut (the nut being not visible in the figure). The mounting bracket 52 includes a notched section 54 which helps to form parallel projecting arm portions 56, and thus a clevis-like structure to which a base portion 26′ of the isolator bracket 14′ can be secured. And although it is anticipated that in most applications, a degree of adjustability will not be needed or desired, the clevis-like structure may be utilized to provide a small degree of angular adjustability of the isolator bracket 14′ about arc line 58. If no angular adjustability is desired, then the mounting bracket 52 may be formed such that the dimension of the notched section 54 allows insertion of the base portion 26′ but with virtually no angular play.
FIG. 12 shows still another isolator mounting apparatus 100 which is similar to the apparatus 10 and includes an elastomeric isolator element 102, an isolator bracket 104 and a mounting bracket 106. The isolator bracket 104 and the mounting bracket 106 are identical to components 14 and 16, respectively, but the isolator element 102 includes a pair of holes 108 formed therein instead of just one hole. This configuration may be helpful in the event that one wishes to use a pair of hangers to engage the isolator element 102 rather than just a single hanger. The use of a pair of hangers may be desirable in some applications where one wishes to provide even better lateral stability of the components being supported from the apparatus 100. It will also be understood that the clevis-like mounting bracket 52 shown in FIG. 7 could also be incorporated into the apparatus 100 if desired.
Still another embodiment 200 of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. 13 and may make use of an elastomeric isolator element 202 mounted within an isolator bracket 204, with the isolator bracket having a neck portion 206. The neck portion 206 may have a hole 207 and be attached via a lap joint to a portion of a hanger 208 using the threaded bolt 30 and threaded nut 32.
FIG. 14 shows an isolator mounting apparatus 300 in accordance with still another embodiment of the present disclosure. The apparatus 300 in this example includes an elastomeric isolator element 302 which is mounted in a press fit, frictional fashion in an isolator bracket 304. The isolator bracket 304 includes a frame portion 306 having a pair of flanges 308 extending in opposite directions and being oriented to both lay generally flat along a flat surface. A central portion 306a of the frame portion 306 includes a hole 306b within which the elastomeric isolator element 302 may be inserted in a press fit, frictional manner. The central portion 306a in this example is generally longitudinally aligned between the two flanges 308, and further such that it is at a midpoint between the two flanges. The elastomeric isolator element 302 includes a hole 302a for receiving an independent hanger (not shown). The flanges 308 each include holes 308a which allow a pair of threaded bolts 30 to extend through the flanges and secure the isolator bracket 304 to a U-shaped bracket 310, which may in turn be fixedly secured such as by welding to the exhaust component 18. Alternatively, a U-shaped muffler bolt with threaded ends could be used instead of separate threaded bolts 30, along with separate threaded nuts, that secure the flanges 308 against the U-shaped bracket 310. The use of two attachment points on the U-shaped bracket 310 provides an even higher degree of attachment strength and enables quick and easy attachment of the apparatus 300 to conventional U-shaped brackets commonly used with vehicle exhaust system components.
Referring to FIGS. 15 and 16, an isolator mounting apparatus 400 in accordance with still another embodiment of the present disclosure is disclosed. The apparatus 400 includes an elastomeric isolator element 402 having a hole 402a, a mounting plate 404, an isolator bracket 406 having a neck portion 406a and a circumferential frame portion 406b, and a mounting element 408. In this embodiment the mounting element 408 forms a clamp, and will be referred to throughout as “mounting clamp 408”. The elastomeric isolator element 402 may be bonded to the mounting plate 404, and then the mounting plate 404 with the element 402 bonded thereto may be inserted, such as by a press-fit frictional attachment, within a hole 410 in the circumferential frame portion 406b of the isolator bracket 406. The mounting plate 404 may be made from plastic, aluminum, steel or any other suitably strong material. As shown in FIG. 16, the isolator bracket 406 includes a flange 412 having a notch 414. The mounting clamp 408 includes a boss portion 416 fixedly secured thereto such as by welding or via an external fastening element at an offset portion 418 of a band portion 420 of the mounting clamp 408. The band portion 420 fits into a pair of slots formed between opposite edges of the flange 412 and distal ends 422a of the sidewalls 422 of the isolator bracket 406. Once the mounting clamp 408 is inserted into the pair of slots, the engagement of the boss portion 416 in the notch 414 prevents the band portion 420 from rotating relative to the isolator bracket 406 as the mounting clamp 408 is tightened. The mounting clamp 408 also includes facing flanges 424 with holes 426 which allow an external threaded bolt 428 and nut 430 to be used to secure the mounting clamp around a tubular exhaust component (not shown).
The isolator bracket 406 may also optionally, but preferably, include an opening 432 which reduces the weight of the apparatus 400 as well as promotes airflow in the vicinity of the elastomeric isolator element 402. The isolator bracket 406 may be made from any suitably strong and durable material such as stainless steel or aluminum. The mounting clamp 408 is preferably made from stainless steel. An important advantage of the apparatus 400 is the ability to disassemble the mounting clamp 408 from the isolator bracket 406. This adds significantly to the serviceability of the apparatus 400.
FIG. 17 shows the apparatus 400 secured to the exhaust component 18 using the mounting clamp 408. The elastomeric isolator element 402 receives a distal end of an external hanger 434. The apparatus 400 eliminates the need to weld a separate hanger to the exhaust component 18. The mounting clamp 408 also provides the advantage of accommodating tubular exhaust components having slightly differing diameters, and is therefore not limited to use with exhaust components having only one specific diameter.
Referring to FIG. 18, an isolator mounting apparatus 400′ is shown secured directly to the exhaust component such as by welding. The apparatus 400′ is similar to the apparatus 400 but does not include the mounting clamp 408, because of its intent to be secured directly to the exhaust component, such as by welding. Thus, the apparatus 400′ only includes an elastomeric isolator element 402′ having a hole 402a′, a mounting plate 404′ and an isolator bracket 406′ in which the mounting plate 404′ and elastomeric isolator element 402′ are mounted. The isolator bracket 406′ in this embodiment may include a plurality of openings 410′ for promoting airflow around various portions of the isolator bracket.
FIGS. 19 and 20 show another example of the isolator bracket 406 of the apparatus 400′ being attached such as by welding to an independent hanger 412, while the mounting clamp 408 is secured around the exhaust component 18.
The various embodiments disclosed herein all enable an exhaust component to be secured to a vehicle body portion using only a single hanger secured to the body portion. The mounting brackets of the various embodiments all serve to more efficiently conduct and dissipate heat from the exhaust component, which can help to prolong the life of the elastomeric isolator element. Supporting the elastomeric isolator element from a circumferential frame portion of the isolator bracket provides added stiffness and strength and also helps to dissipate heat before the heat reaches the elastomeric isolator element. The various embodiments disclosed herein all provide enhanced serviceability as compared to prior art isolator bracket designs.
While various embodiments have been described, those skilled in the art will recognize modifications or variations which might be made without departing from the present disclosure. The examples illustrate the various embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Therefore, the description and claims should be interpreted liberally with only such limitation as is necessary in view of the pertinent prior art.

## Claims

1. An isolator mounting apparatus for supporting an exhaust component from a body portion of a vehicle via a hanger, the apparatus comprising:
an elastomeric isolator element having at least one hole for receiving an end of the hanger;
an isolator bracket for receiving and supporting the isolator element, the isolator bracket including a neck portion extending therefrom; and
a tubular mounting element configured to receive and circumscribe at least a portion of the neck portion of the isolator bracket in a telescopic coupling arrangement, and adapted to be secured to the isolator bracket, the mounting element further adapted to be secured to the exhaust component.

2. The isolator mounting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mounting element comprises a mounting bracket configured to be secured to the isolator bracket using a threaded fastening element.

3. The isolator mounting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the isolator bracket further includes a circumferential frame portion which fully circumscribes a peripheral portion of the elastomeric isolator element without obstructing the hole in the elastomeric isolator element.

4. The isolator mounting apparatus of claim 3, wherein the circumferential frame portion and the neck portion of the isolator bracket comprise a single piece component.

5. The isolator mounting apparatus of claim 2, wherein the mounting bracket includes at least one hole for promoting airflow therethrough and in a vicinity of the isolator bracket.

6. The isolator mounting apparatus of claim 2, wherein the threaded fastening element comprises a threaded bolt and a threaded nut, the threaded bolt extending through aligned holes in portions of the mounting bracket and through a bore in the neck portion of the isolator bracket.

7. The isolator mounting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the neck portion and the tubular mounting element are shaped to prevent rotation of one relative to the other, and thus to resist a twisting load applied to either one of the neck portion or the tubular mounting element.