Not applicable.
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
The present invention relates to heat exchangers, and more particularly to heat exchangers having tubes secured to a tube plate connected along its edge to a collecting tank, and a method of producing such heat exchanger.
Heat exchangers having tubes and ribs forming a core, in which a first medium (e.g., coolant) flows through the tubes and a second medium (e.g., environmental air) passes over the ribs for heat exchange between the two media are well known. Also well known are the use of collecting tanks with such cores, where the collecting tanks are secured to the ends of the tubes to distribute medium flow to the tubes (at the inlet end) and collect medium from the tubes (at the outlet end).
Such heat exchangers have been subjected to a variety of design alternatives intended to address a variety of concerns and issues. For example, minimizing materials is a desirable goal in the manufacture of most heat exchangers (e.g., to minimize costs), and is particularly so with vehicular heat exchangers where component weight is an important consideration. As another example, EP 1 273 864 A2 discloses a heat exchanger in which an intermediate plate is provided so that a heat exchanger with cooling grates of different depths may be made at a relatively low modification cost. However, it has been found that, in such structures, the reduction in materials (and related reduction in sheet thickness) can result in a heat exchanger in which the connection and holding forces may not be sufficient to withstand the increasing pressures and other loads to which the heat exchanger may be subjected.
The present invention is directed toward overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.
In one aspect of the present invention, a heat exchanger is providing including a collecting tank having an outwardly extending flange around an edge, a tube plate having a connection edge, tubes having ends extending into openings in the tube plate, and an intermediate plate having an edge lying against the connection edge of the tube plate. The connection edges of the intermediate plate and the tube plate are both mechanically connected to the flange of the collecting tank.
In one form of this aspect of the present invention, the intermediate plate lies in the tube plate.
In another form of this aspect of the present invention, the tube plate lies in the intermediate plate.
In still another form of this aspect of the present invention, pins are in the corners of one of the tube plate and the intermediate plate, and the pins secure the tube plate and intermediate plate together.
In yet another form of this aspect of the present invention, the connection edge of the intermediate plate and the connection edge of the tube plate comprise of a plurality of protrusions bendable onto the edge flange of the collecting tank. In a further form, beads are provided in the protrusions.
In a further form of this aspect of the present invention, indentations are provided in the connection edges of the intermediate plate and the tube plate, with the indentations generally parallel to the plane of tube plate deformable inward onto the tank flange to define a generally wave-like trend of the connection edges. In one further form, the indentations are congruent relative to each other on the connection edges. In another further form, the indentations are offset relative to each other on the connection edges.
In another form of this aspect of the present invention, perforations are provided in the connection edges of at least one of the tube plate and the intermediate plate, and protrusions on the tank edge flange are received in the perforations.
In another aspect of the present invention, a method of producing a heat exchanger is provided, including the steps of (a) assembling a heat exchanger core of the flat tubes and ribs, (b) mounting a tube plate and an intermediate plate on the ends of the flat tubes, (c) metallically joining the tubes, ribs, tube plate and intermediate plate into a unit, and (d) mechanically connecting a collecting tank to the tube plate and the intermediate plate by deforming both of the tube and intermediate plates.
In one form of this aspect of the present invention, the tube plate and the intermediate plate are deformed simultaneously in the mechanically connecting step.
The present invention relates to a heat exchanger 20, for example, a charge air cooler or a coolant radiator, situated in a vehicle. For simplicity of illustration, the collecting tank 22 on only one side of the heat exchanger 20 is illustrated, though it should be understood that the other side may be identical at least in terms of the design of interest here. As is understood by those skilled in the art, cooling air usually flows through heat exchanger ribs 26, for example corrugated ribs, removing heat from the other medium which flows in tubes 28 via a collecting tank 22. As is understood by those skilled in the art, the ribs 26 and tubes 28 may be advantageously assembled to form a heat exchanger core during assembly of the heat exchanger 20
The heat exchanger 20 depicted in
After insertion of a suitable seal (not shown) and mounting of the collecting tank 22, both the parts (tabs) of the edge 30 of the intermediate plate 34 and the parts of the tube plate edge 40 may be advantageously deformed in a machine tool so that, in this practical example, they are bent downward onto the outwardly projecting flange or bulge 50 around the edge of the collecting tank 22, so that the edges 30, 40 of both the intermediate plate 34 and the tube plate 44 together serve to hold the collecting tank 22 thereon. Bending deformation of both plates 34, 44 may advantageously be accomplished simultaneously.
In the depicted practical example, the intermediate plate 34 lies in tube plate 44, with the edge 54 of intermediate plate 34 lying inside the connection edge 40 of tube plate 44, and may be advantageously soldered therein. It should be appreciated that the components may advantageously be aluminum such as is generally known in the art.
The depicted intermediate plate 34 has two transverse struts 60. The struts 60, and are positioned so as to each lie between two tube openings 64 in the tube plate 44. The struts 60 may be advantageously soldered to the tube plate 44 between tube openings 64.
The tabs on both edges 40, 30 lie one above the other in the depicted practical example, as can be clearly seen from
It should therefore be appreciated that there is latitude in terms of different configurations for such tabs for different practical examples. For example, it can be advantageous to deform the tabs successively rather than simultaneously (e.g., initially the tabs of the tube plate 44 may be deformed (preferably in one working step), and then the tabs of intermediate plate 34 (also in one working step), or vice versa, with the tabs of the intermediate plate 34 first deformed and then the tabs of the tube plate 44.
Additional aspects of the present invention are depicted in
It should thus be appreciated that the disclosed invention provides an excellent compromise between low material use and an increase in connection strength. The intermediate plate 34 is an additional component, but one of relatively limited weight, since only a frame-like part is involved. Because of the “doubled” connection (by which is meant both a connection in which protruding tabs or similar parts of the edge of the tube plate and similar parts of the intermediate plate lie one above the other, and also those in which the mentioned parts lie next to each other), a way to further reduce sheet thickness of the tube plate 44 has been demonstrated in which the connection and holding forces are guaranteed despite the limited sheet thickness of the tube plate 44. Heat exchangers 20 can also be provided in which the protrusion of the tube plate 44 beyond the periphery of the tubes 28 is relatively small. A compact arrangement of the heat exchanger, for example in a heat exchanger module, is therefore possible, in which several heat exchangers can be arranged one against the other.
Still other aspects, objects, and advantages of the present invention can be obtained from a study of the specification, the drawings, and the appended claims. It should be understood, however, that the present invention could be used in alternate forms where less than all of the objects and advantages of the present invention and preferred embodiment as described above would be obtained.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10 2005 008 409 | Feb 2005 | DE | national |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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4531578 | Stay et al. | Jul 1985 | A |
5195579 | Buchanan | Mar 1993 | A |
5219024 | Potier | Jun 1993 | A |
5311933 | Lee | May 1994 | A |
5758721 | Letrange et al. | Jun 1998 | A |
6296051 | Sahnoun et al. | Oct 2001 | B1 |
20020023734 | Wagner | Feb 2002 | A1 |
20030006028 | Kalbacher | Jan 2003 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
1 273 864 | Jan 2003 | EP |
2 742 528 | Jun 1997 | FR |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20060185833 A1 | Aug 2006 | US |