JP4461010B2 - Heat exchanger with automotive header and header box that is easy to manufacture - Google Patents

Abstract

The heat exchanger comprises a tube bundle (12), a manifold (18) into which the tube bundle opens and a manifold box (20). The manifold and manifold box are formed by two half-shells having flat joints (22,24) assembled along a common joining plane.

Description

【Technical field】
[0001]
The present invention relates to the field of automotive heat exchangers. More specifically, the present invention relates to a heat exchanger including a bundle of tubes, at least one header having a bundle of tubes opened therein, and a header box covering the header.
[Background]
[0002]
Such heat exchangers include, for example, either a radiator for cooling a vehicle engine, a radiator for heating a passenger compartment, or an evaporator or condenser of an air conditioning circuit.
[0003]
In this type of heat exchanger, a bundle of tubes is usually mounted between two header boxes via respective headers and is configured to traverse the fluid. In the case of a radiator for cooling the engine or a radiator for heating a passenger compartment, the fluid is the liquid used to cool the engine. In the case of an air conditioning evaporator or condenser, the fluid is a refrigerant fluid.
[0004]
As is well known, in a heat exchanger, the header is usually manufactured in the form of a plate material provided with holes for accommodating the ends of a bundle-structured tube. These holes are usually framed to facilitate assembly in a sealed manner between the header and the bundled tube. This assembly is formed by brazing or sealing.
[0005]
The header box that covers the header is designed to cooperate with the header in a sealed state.
[0006]
The header box is formed as a metal part connected to the header by brazing.
[0007]
In particular, a method of using a header box made of plastic that is caulked to the header via caulking means formed integrally with the header, such as a claw, is also known.
[0008]
In any case, the header and the header box are completely different specific parts designed to work together.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
[0009]
An object of the present invention is to make it easy to manufacture a header and a header box.
[Means for Solving the Problems]
[0010]
Thus, according to the invention, the header and the header box are formed by two shell halves having a flat coupling part which is generally symmetrical and assembled along the coupling surface on either side of the coupling surface. Has been.
[0011]
It is therefore possible to make the header and the header box from the same part, i.e. from two shell halves intended to be joined together.
[0012]
This does not exclude, for example, special work performed to manufacture one of the shell halves for forming the header.
[0013]
In order to accommodate a bundled tube, it is necessary to provide a hole in the shell half that forms the header.
[0014]
In any case, the same shell half is used as the basis for these two components, thus simplifying the header manufacturing and header box manufacturing methods. Thus, the header and header box can be obtained using a common tool.
[0015]
Furthermore, the flat coupling facilitates and improves the hermetic coupling between the two shell halves.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[0016]
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the two shell halves are made of metal, for example aluminum, and are assembled by brazing their respective flat joints.
[0017]
According to a first embodiment, each of the flat coupling part is formed on the inner side of the shell half.
[0018]
Thus, a flat coupling portion formed on the inner side, by at least one pawl, is held in place in a preferred state.
[0019]
Thereby, in particular, the space required for the header box can be reduced. Further, one of the flat coupling portions formed on the inside in this way forms a stopper for a bundle-structured tube.
[0020]
Each of the flat coupling portions may be formed with a complementary recess having a corresponding shape so that the two shell halves can be held by each other.
[0021]
According to yet another aspect of the invention, the shell half forming the header further has a hole for receiving a bundle of tubes.
[0022]
The header box of the heat exchanger may include one or more pipes through which heat transfer fluid can enter and exit.
[0023]
According to a variant of the invention, the two shell halves are formed with pipe halves that are generally symmetrical with respect to the coupling plane, and when the two shell halves are joined, a complete pipe (also referred to as a spacer) is formed. Is done.
[0024]
Each of the shell halves is preferably manufactured by molding a metal sheet. The term “forming” shall mean at least one known mechanical operation, such as a punching operation, a folding operation, a rolling operation, and the like.
[0025]
Thus, when forming the pipe halves on the two shell halves, the pipe halves are also formed during the molding of the two shell halves.
[0026]
Due to the presence of the flat coupling portion, various shapes can be obtained.
[0027]
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the heat exchanger comprises corrugated inserts arranged between the tubes and the assembly is formed by brazing.
[0028]
3-6 show the prior art in which flat couplings (22), (24) are formed outside the header (18) and header box (20). Hereinafter, the heat exchanger 10 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. It has a bundle 12 formed by flat tubes 14 parallel to each other, between which a corrugated insert 16 is arranged.
[0029]
At least one of the both ends of the bundle structure 12, the pipe 14 is accommodated in the header 18 and is covered by the header box 20 to form a space communicating with the bundle structure pipe 14. Inside the assembly, the heat transfer fluid traverses and exchanges heat with the air flow passing through the bundle structure.
[0030]
The other end of the bundle-shaped tube 14 is accommodated in the same or similar header (not shown) and is similarly covered by a header box (not shown).
[0031]
As can be seen from FIG. 4, the header 18 and the header box 20 are formed by two generally symmetrical shell halves assembled on either side of the coupling surface P. In the illustrated embodiment, the two shell halves are identical and each has a flat coupling 22 and 24 on the circumferential surface and outside the shell.
[0032]
The two shell halves 18 and 20 are produced by molding, in particular stamping, a metal sheet, preferably made of aluminum or an aluminum-based alloy. These two shell halves are molded from the same base element with the same tool. The only difference here is that the shell half forming the header 18 needs to be further processed to form a long hole 26 (FIG. 4) that can accommodate one end of the tube 14. These holes are formed predominantly by cutouts. These are each surrounded by a collar to improve the coupling between the tube and the header.
[0033]
In the reference example illustrated here, the other components of the heat exchanger are made of metal, preferably the same metal or metal alloy as the header and header box. The assembly is assembled by brazing by passing it through a furnace during the exact same operation.
[0034]
Therefore, the header 18 and the header box 20 can be assembled by joining the flat surfaces of the flat joint portions 22 and 24 together.
[0035]
This design makes it possible to form shallow and recessed portions, thus saving material. Furthermore, since part of the punching operation is common to both shell halves, the manufacturing time can be shortened.
[0036]
Furthermore, good brazing is possible due to the coupling between the planes. Finally, protrusions are formed around the header / header box assembly by the presence of the flat joints 22, 24 extending outward. This protrusion can serve, for example, to fix the heat exchanger in the housing. This is particularly advantageous when the heat exchanger is inserted and installed in the housing of an automobile heating or air conditioning device.
[0037]
FIG. 5 shows a variation of the header / header box assembly similar to FIGS. 3 and 4. The main difference here is that two protruding tongues 28, one of the flat couplings, i.e. the flat coupling 22, serves for example to fix the heat exchanger inside the housing (not shown), 30 points. FIG. 5 also shows a claw 32 for holding two flat joints together.
[0038]
In the reference example shown in FIG. 6 similar to the reference example shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, pipe halves 34 and 36 each having a substantially semicircular cross section are formed in the header 18 and the header box 20. These two pipe halves are generally symmetrical with respect to the coupling plane. Thus, when this header 18 and header box 20 are joined, the pipe halves 34, 36 together form a complete pipe 38. This is called a “spacer”.
[0039]
This pipe allows the heat transfer fluid flowing in the heat exchanger to enter and exit. As can be seen from FIG. 6, the flat joints 22, 24 of the header 18 and header box 20 are continuous at the height of the pipe halves 34, 36, so that the two pipe halves Increases hermetic coupling.
[0040]
The two pipe halves 34, 36 can be advantageously manufactured simultaneously with the header 18 and the header box 20 by molding, in particular stamping. This further facilitates manufacturing. The interface with the pipe is formed by a brazing portion surrounding the header 18 and the header box 20.
[0041]
In this reference example, the connection with the tank of the radiator can be achieved by an ellipse or a rectangle. In addition, this makes it possible to reduce the height of the header box, thereby reducing the material used and reducing the necessary space.
[0042]
It also has the advantage that the flow cross section for the liquid can be kept constant without increasing the flow rate of the liquid through the pipe or spacer.
[0043]
With this design, the pipe can be connected transversely to the header box or at the end of the header box.
[0044]
1 and 2 show an embodiment of the present invention. The only difference between the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and the reference example shown in FIGS. 3 to 6 is that the embodiment of the present invention is a flat coupling of the header 18 and the header box 20. The point is that the portions 22 and 24 are formed not on the outside but on the inside. In these states, formation of the header 18 and the header box 20 is impossible by punching alone, and at least one operation for bending the flat joint portion inward is required.
[0045]
By directing the flat coupling portions 22 and 24 inward, the space occupied by the header box 20 can be reduced. Furthermore, one of the flat coupling parts 22 and 24, in this case the coupling part 22 forms a stopper for the tube 14 of the bundle structure 12. Thereby, the pipe can be positioned in the axial direction with respect to the header box 20.
[0046]
The flat joints 22 and 24 facing inward do not prevent the production of outward projections similar to the tongues 28 and 30 as described in the reference example. In fact, such elements can easily be obtained by standard mechanical operations, for example by double folding operations.
[0047]
In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the flat couplings 22 and 24 are complementary recesses 40, 42 that are adapted to fit together with corresponding shapes to hold the header 18 and header box 20 in place. have. In the example shown here, these concave portions can be obtained by bending the flat coupling portions 22 and 24 into U shapes. These recesses can be formed entirely or partially around the header 18 and the header box 20.
[0048]
Such an arrangement of the concave portions can be applied to the flat coupling portion facing outward (FIG. 4) in the same manner as the flat coupling portion facing inward (FIG. 1).
[0049]
The invention is particularly suitable for automotive heat exchangers. The heat exchanger can be configured, for example, as a radiator for cooling an automobile engine, a radiator for heating a passenger compartment, or an evaporator or condenser of an air conditioning circuit.
[Brief description of the drawings]
[0050]
FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of a heat exchanger according to the present invention .
FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which a flat coupling portion of the heat exchanger of the present invention includes a holding means.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a reference example.
4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a header and a header box of another reference example.
FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view of a heat exchanger of still another reference example, showing a state where pipe halves are respectively formed in the header and the header box.
[Explanation of symbols]
[0053]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Heat exchanger 12 Bundle structure 14 Tube 16 Corrugated insert 18 Header 20 Header box 22, 24 Flat joint part 26 Hole 28, 30 Tongue part 32 Claw 34, 36 Pipe half body 38 Complete pipe (spacer)
40, 42 recess

Claims (9)

A header (18) and a header box (20) covering the header (18), the header (18) having a long hole (26) capable of accommodating one end of the pipe, the header (18) and the header The box (20) is symmetrical on either side of the common coupling surface (P) and has two shell halves each having a flat coupling (22) (24) formed along said coupling surface. The header (18) and the header box (20) are formed with pipe halves (34, 36) symmetrical with respect to a common coupling plane (P), and the header (18) and the header box ( 20), the pipe halves (34, 36) are heat exchangers that together form a complete pipe (38), wherein the header (18) and the header box (20) are each rectangular. Cross section It has further the pipe halves (34,36), respectively, a heat exchanger having a semicircular cross section,
The flat coupling portions (22) and (24) are formed inside the header (18) and the header box (20), respectively, and the flat coupling portions (22) and (24) formed on the inner side. ) Form a stopper for the tube (14) of the bundle (12). Header (18) and a header box (20) is formed of a metal, the flat coupling part (22) (24), respectively, 請 Motomeko you characterized by being assembled by brazing The heat exchanger according to 1. Complementary recesses (40) adapted to fit together with flat couplings (22), (24) adapted to hold header (18) and header box (20) in place It has (42), The heat exchanger of Claim 1 or 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. The heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the header (18) further comprises a hole (26) for accommodating the tube (14) of the bundle (12) . Pipe halves (34) and (36) that are symmetrical with respect to the coupling surface (P) are formed in the header (18) and the header box (20), and the header (18) and the header box (20) are coupled. 5. A heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein a complete pipe (38), also called a spacer, is formed. The heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the header (18) and the header box (20) are each produced by molding a metal sheet. 7. A heat exchanger according to the combination of claims 5 and 6, characterized in that the two pipe halves (34) (36) are also molded during the molding of the header (18) and the header box (20). At least one of the flat coupling portions (22) and (24) is extended outward by a tongue-shaped portion (28) and (30) for positioning or fixing the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger in any one of Claims 1-7. 9. A heat exchanger according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising corrugated inserts (16) arranged between bundles of tubes (14).

Images