Patent Application
20120222850
The present disclosure relates to heat exchangers, and more particularly, to an end cap of a heat exchanger.
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art. Heat exchangers have generally been satisfactory for their intended purposes; however known heat exchangers are generally not without their share of limitations.
While the structure of
This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features. A heat exchanger assembly may employ a cantilever or first portion of a heat exchanger end tank that defines part of an interior volume of the heat exchanger end tank. A second portion of the heat exchanger end tank, such as that portion under the cantilever portion, may define a slot. A flared end of the side plate may reside within the slot. The flared end of the side plate may have a straight portion having a first width, a first step portion having a second width that is wider than the straight portion, a second step portion having a third width that is wider than a second width of the first step portion. The flared end of the side plate may have a tab that protrudes in a longitudinal direction of side plate from the second step portion. The tab may be symmetrical about a longitudinal axis of the side plate.
The heat exchanger end tank may define a second slot or hole such that the tab resides in the second slot when the flared end of the side plate resides within the first slot. The flared end may cover an entire cross-sectional portion of a volume defined by the end tank. That is, the area between the edges of the side plate in the regions of the first step portion and the second step portion may cover the elliptical hole.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to
Continuing with
Referring again to
With reference also including
When flared end 124 is in its installed position within slot 150, leading surface 156, which may be perpendicular to surface 158 or flat protrusion 122, may abut or contact rib surface 160, which may be perpendicular to an insertion direction of flat protrusion 122 and face toward first strengthening rib 146. When leading surface 156 abuts or contacts rib surface 160, part of end tab 142 completely passes through a through slot 164 or hole such that an end surface 166 of end tab 142 resides outside of hole 154 and outside of, or in other words beyond, an outside surface 168 of end tank 114. Additionally, as depicted in
Thus, heat exchanger assembly 118 may employ cantilever portion 178 of heat exchanger end tank 114. Cantilever portion 178 may itself define and surround part of an interior tank volume (i.e. hole) of heat exchanger end tank 114. A second portion of the heat exchanger end tank, such as that portion that defines surface 152, may together with the cantilever portion 178, define a slot 150. A flared end 124 of side plate 120 may reside within slot 150. Flared end 124 of side plate 120 may have a straight portion 123 having a first width, first step portion 134 having a second width that is wider than straight portion 123, a second step portion 138 having third width 140 that is wider than a width 136 of first step portion 134. Still yet, flared end 124 of side plate 120 may have tab 142 that protrudes in a longitudinal direction of side plate from second step portion 138. Tab 142 may be symmetrical about a longitudinal axis 180 of side plate 120.
Heat exchanger end tank 114 may define a second slot 164 or hole such that tab 142 resides in second slot 164 when flared end 124 of side plate 120 resides within first slot 150. Flared end 124 may cover an entire cross-sectional portion of a volume defined by end tank 114. That is, the area between edges of side plate 120 in the regions of first step portion 134 and second step portion 138 may cover elliptical hole 154.
Second slot 164 of heat exchanger end tank 114 may be an entirely separate and non-merged slot or hole that is present through a thickness of second flat wall 184, which may be parallel to a first flat wall 182 on an opposite side of end tank 114. Tab 142 may have a width that is less than non-flared or straight portion 123. Tab 142 may protrude from second step portion 138 and into the second slot 164 and through the second flat wall 184. Heat exchanger assembly may further have, such as on an exterior surface of end tank 114, first strengthening rib 146 and second straightening rib 148. First slot 150 is cut through first straightening rib 146 and surface 156 of second step portion 138 contacts second straightening rib 148 with tab 142 protruding through second flat wall and past or beyond surface 184. Internal volume of end tank 114 may be elliptical in cross-section with first step portion 134 and second step portion 138 completely covering elliptical cross-section 154. Tab 142 may be symmetrical about a longitudinal axis 180 of side plate 120 and longitudinal axis 180 of side plate 120 may be coincident with a minor axis of the cross-section of the internal volume.
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.
When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.
Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
