This application claims priority to Czech Republic Patent Application Serial No. PV 2012-317 filed on May 14, 2012, hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The invention concerns a head collecting tank, designed especially for the tubular heat exchanger of a motor vehicle.
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art. From document U.S. Pat. Appl. Pub. No. 2011/0168364 A1, a heat exchanger is known consisting of a tubular heat exchanging part, connected by each of its ends to a tube panel, each of which is fastened to one head collecting tank. Each head collecting tank is provided with an inner end in the form of a right parallelogram, on which the tube panel is secured across a sealing element. The tube panel is formed by a frame part with a set of mutually parallel braces, having in cross section the shape of the letter U and passing at their ends into the frame part, which also has the shape of the letter U in cross section with an elongated arm at the side away from the braces.
The drawback of this known design of a head collecting tank and its tube panel, intended for the heat exchangers of motor vehicles, is that its connecting parts are not adapted in shape to each other so that there is no loss of tightness. Also, leakage of the liquid flowing through the heat exchanger occurs by interacting with the sealing element between them.
The aforementioned drawbacks are eliminated to a considerable degree by a head collecting tank designed especially for the tubular heat exchanger of a motor vehicle, provided with an inner end in the form of a right parallelogram, on which is secured across a sealing element a tube panel, for mounting and securing of one of the lengthwise ends of a bundle of tubes of the exchanger, formed by a frame part with a set of mutually parallel braces having in cross section the shape of the letter U and passing into the frame part, which also has in cross section the shape of the letter U with an elongated arm on the side away from the braces, according to this invention, whose essence lies in the fact that the thickness of the wall of each brace of the tube panel, bounding longitudinally the space for one of the longitudinal ends of the tube bundle of the exchanger, is larger than the thickness of the wall of the frame part of the tube panel transversely bounding the space for one of the longitudinal ends of the tube bundle of the exchanger, and the inner end of the head collecting tank has projections on its two opposite facing inner walls projecting beyond its outer edge and each one arranged opposite each transition of the longitudinal cavity of the brace to the cavity of the frame part.
Another embodiment of the invention is that the frame part has both of its parallel inner walls, parallel to the braces, provided with at least two creases to form ribs, and the tube panel has the elongated outer arms of its frame part provided, along the entire circumference and in one plane parallel with the peripheral edge, with a series of openings for clamping by forming excess material left above them into a shoulder on the head collecting tank when the tube panel is joined to the head collecting tank.
An additional embodiment of the invention is that the frame part and the braces have lines drawn through the bottoms in their lowest places situated in the same plane, while the frame part has a vertical distance between its arms, in the region of their transition to the curved part, equal to the diameter of the sealing element.
An additional embodiment of the invention is that the wall of the frame part bounding the space formed between two braces for one of the longitudinal ends of the tube bundle of the exchanger has its height, measured from its highest edge to its transition into the curved part, greater than half the diameter of the sealing element.
A particular embodiment of the design of the head collecting tank is that it prevents a loss of tightness thanks to uniform deformation of the sealing element in the bounded space and thanks to elimination of free play between the edge of the inner end of the head collecting tank and the frame part of the tube panel.
A sample embodiment of the head collecting tank according to this invention is shown in the appended drawings, where:
The following detailed description and appended drawings describe and illustrate various exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description and drawings serve to enable one skilled in the art to make and use the invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any manner.
The tube panel 4 (see
The thickness of the wall of each brace 6, bounding longitudinally the space for one of the longitudinal ends of the tube bundle of the exchanger, is larger than the thickness of the wall of the frame part 5 transversely bounding the space for one of the longitudinal ends of the tube bundle of the exchanger. The inner end 2 of the head collecting tank 1 has projections 7 on its two opposite facing inner walls (see
The frame part 5 and the braces 6 have lines drawn through the bottoms in their lowest places situated in the same plane. Moreover, the frame part 5 has a vertical distance between its arms, in the region of their transition to the curved part, equal to the diameter of the sealing element 3, while the wall of the frame part 5 bounding the space formed between two braces 6 for one of the longitudinal ends of the tube bundle of the exchanger has its height, measured from its highest edge to its transition into the curved part, greater than half the diameter of the sealing element 3 (see
From the foregoing description, one ordinarily skilled in the art can easily ascertain the essential characteristics of this invention and, without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, can make various changes and modifications to the invention to adapt it to various usages and conditions.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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PV 2012-317 | May 2012 | CZ | national |