The invention relates to a heat exchanger unit, in particular for a motor vehicle, having tubes and fins for the transfer of heat, and having at least one side part. Furthermore, the invention relates to a process for producing a side part.
A heat exchanger unit of this type is known, for example, from DE 197 53 408 A1 in the name of the Applicant. The heat exchanger described therein comprises a fin/tube block having a multiplicity of corrugated fins and tubes which are connected to one another in the style of a mesh structure. To stabilize the fin/tube block in particular during a manufacturing process, it is enclosed by two side parts on opposite sides. For strength reasons, a side part of this type, when seen in cross section, has an approximately U-shaped profile, resulting in a considerable saving on material compared to a solid side part. The approximately U-shaped profile is in this case formed by deforming edge regions of a sheet-metal strip, the width of which results from the sum of the lengths of the two limbs of the U profile and the width of the side part. The two U-limbs then act, as it were, as reinforcing fins by preventing undesired deformation of the side part. For improved distribution of thermal stresses during operation of the heat exchanger, these reinforcing fins may have expansion regions which are formed as fold-like beads.
It is an object of the invention to provide a heat exchanger unit having at least one side part and a production process allowing additional savings on material to be made.
This object is achieved by a heat exchanger unit having the features of claim 1. According to claim 1, a heat exchanger unit comprises at least one heat exchanger. The heat exchanger unit may also comprise two, three or more heat exchangers. The heat exchanger unit has tubes through which at least one first medium can flow and around which a second medium can flow, so that heat transfer from the at least one first medium to the second medium or vice versa is possible. To increase the heat-transfer surface area, heat-transfer fins which are in thermal contact with the tubes are arranged between the tubes.
On at least one side, the heat exchanger unit has a side part which comprises a baseplate that bears against an outermost tube or an outermost fin. In particular during a production process, for example a soldering process, it is desirable for the at least one side part to stabilize a tube/fin block formed by the tubes and heat-transfer fins. For this reason, the side part has at least one reinforcing fin. It is preferable for the side part to have two or more reinforcing fins.
The object of the invention is advantageously achieved by virtue of the fact that at least one reinforcing fin is formed by a deformed center piece of the surface of the baseplate of the side part. For this purpose, during production of the side part an edge of the center piece of the surface is precut in sections, after which the center piece of the surface is deformed out of the plane of the baseplate. Unlike with a previously known side part, in which reinforcing fins are formed from deformed edge regions of the surface of a baseplate, to produce the side part according to the invention it is possible to use a sheet-metal strip whose width corresponds to the width of the baseplate.
This results in an advantageous saving on material, which brings with it a reduction in the materials costs of the heat exchanger unit.
Preferred embodiments of the invention form the subject matter of the subclaims.
According to an advantageous refinement, at least one reinforcing fin runs in a longitudinal direction of the side part. This results in stiffening of the side part in said longitudinal direction. In another embodiment, at least one reinforcing fin runs in a transverse direction of the side part, so that the side part is stiffened in the transverse direction.
According to a preferred embodiment, at least one of the reinforcing fins is provided with at least one securing means. It is particularly preferable for the securing means to be formed by a deformed reinforcing fin or by a deformed part of a reinforcing fin. This allows further devices, for example a drier, to be secured to the heat exchanger unit without additional outlay on material. It is also conceivable to use securing means which can be used to mount the heat exchanger unit in an engine compartment of a motor vehicle.
According to a preferred embodiment, the side part has at least one expansion section. The expansion section is formed by one or more apertures and a plurality of webs adjoining the apertures, the apertures advantageously being flush with one another. At least one aperture has in this case been formed by deformation of a center piece of the surface out of the plane of the baseplate and therefore corresponds to the center piece of the surface in question. This means that a reinforcing fin and a corresponding aperture in each case adjoin one another.
It is particularly preferable for the webs to have fold-like beads. This results in particularly high expandability of the side part in the region of the expansion section formed by the apertures and webs.
The object of the invention is also achieved by a process for producing a side part as described in claim 9. A basic idea of the invention is to use an areal metal sheet whose dimensions do not exceed a baseplate of the subsequent side part when producing the side part, so that material can be saved compared to previously known production processes. Reinforcing fins are formed from existing pieces of the surface of the metal sheet. For this purpose, in each case one edge of a piece of the surface is precut in sections, after which the piece of the surface is deformed out of a plane that is predetermined by the metal sheet.
In the text which follows, the invention is explained in detail on the basis of exemplary embodiments and with reference to the drawings, in which:
In a further exemplary embodiment (not shown), the heat exchanger, during its manufacture, in particular during a soldering process, is held together not by clamping straps but rather with the aid of what is known as a clamping cage. The pins for holding the clamping straps are then no longer required, and there are also no corresponding apertures.
By contrast, the full width b of the sheet-metal strip 400 forms the baseplate 410 of a subsequent side part. To form reinforcing fins, center pieces 420 and 430 of the surface of the baseplate 410 are cut out along the edges 440, 450 and 460, 470, respectively, and are deformed out of the plane of the drawing shown in
This comparison makes it clear that a heat exchanger having a side part in accordance with the present invention can be produced at lower materials costs than a heat exchanger having a side part in accordance with the prior art. There is no need to do without any significant functional features, such as for example the width of the baseplate which is available for covering heat-transfer fins or the stiffening provided by reinforcing fins.
To prevent the tube/fin block 510 from falling apart during the soldering process, it is necessary for the tubes 520 and the fins 530 to be clamped in place. This is realized using what are known as clamping straps. The tubes, fins and side parts may also equally well be clamped in place with the aid of a clamping frame or clamping cage which bears against the side part. To protect against undesired deformation, the outermost corrugated fin 580 is covered with the aid of the side part 590 during the clamping operation, i.e. including during the soldering process. For reinforcement against undesired deformation, the side part 590 is for its part provided with reinforcing fins 600 and 610. These reinforcing fins 600, 610 are formed by deformed center pieces of the surface of a baseplate 620 of the side part 590, resulting in savings on material and therefore on costs.
As a refinement to the above exemplary embodiment,
To protect the outermost corrugated fin 770 there is a side part 780 which likewise extends from the inflow side of the condenser to the outflow side of the coolant radiator. The side part 780 is stiffened by two reinforcing fins 790 and 800, the reinforcing fins 790 and 800 being formed from center pieces of the surface of a baseplate 810 of the side part 780. On an opposite side of the heat exchanger unit 700 from the side part 780 there is likewise arranged a side part, although only one side edge 820 of that side part can be seen in
In further exemplary embodiments (not shown), the heat exchanger unit comprises a high-temperature cooler and a low-temperature cooler, or an oil cooler and a condenser, with the oil cooler if appropriate being a transmission oil cooler. Other combinations comprising any desired heat exchangers are equally possible.
Furthermore, it is possible to provide heat exchanger units comprising three or more individual heat exchangers with one or more, preferably two, side parts according to the invention; once again, any desired heat exchangers are suitable for use as the individual heat exchangers.
In a further exemplary embodiment (not shown), the heat exchanger is held together during its production, in particular during a soldering process, not by clamping straps but rather with the aid of what is known as a clamping cage. The pins for holding the clamping straps are then no longer required, and there are also no corresponding apertures.
Furthermore, at its ends the side part 1100 has extensions 1210 and 1220, which serve to cap water tanks (not shown) of one of the two heat exchangers of a heat exchanger unit (not shown) for which the side part 1100 is provided. To reduce mechanical loads, for example caused by thermal stresses, the side part 1100 has two expansion regions 1230 and 1240, which are substantially formed by apertures 1250 and 1260, respectively.
In a further exemplary embodiment (not shown), the apertures 1250 and 1260 correspond to reinforcing fins which directly adjoin the apertures 1250 and 1260 and are formed by deforming center pieces of the surface of the baseplate 1155 of the side part 1100, with the cutouts 1250 and 1260 having been formed precisely by deformation of these center pieces of the surface.
The reinforcing fins 1320 run at an angle α of approximately 10° with respect to the longitudinal direction of the side part, resulting in a favorable geometry of the reinforcing fins, in which four reinforcing fins lie next to one another in regions 1360, resulting in a particularly high stability of the side part 1300 at least in these regions 1360. In other exemplary embodiments, the angle α may be between 0° and 90° as desired.
In particular in the region of the bending edge 1460, the angle may also be less than 90°. This applies to all side parts and heat exchanger units according to the invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
102 55 010.7 | Nov 2002 | DE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
PCT/EP03/13188 | 11/24/2003 | WO | 10/20/2004 |