Heat exchange – Side-by-side tubular structures or tube sections – With manifold type header or header plate
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-05
2001-11-13
Lazarus, Ira S. (Department: 3743)
Heat exchange
Side-by-side tubular structures or tube sections
With manifold type header or header plate
C165S176000, C165S153000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06315037
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a flat tube heat exchanger with more than two flows, preferably an evaporator, for motor vehicles having a deflecting (or reversing) bottom for deflecting (or reversing) adjacent flows of the flat tubes with the features of the preamble of claim
1
. Such a flat tube heat exchanger with a deflecting bottom is known from the DE 195 15 528A1. In such flat tube heat exchangers, in the past either deflecting bottoms being an integral part from the beginning or, according to the prior art from which the invention departs, individual deflecting bottoms linked to one another and forming a structural unit as a whole have been used. In the past, this structure has been provided for stability reasons, and at the other ends of the flat tubes normally a cohesion is furthermore effected via the header common to the flat tubes, such that this header and the coherent deflecting bottom together form a frame-like mounting for the whole structure of the flat tube heat exchanger. This is in particular true for the pre-assembly before soldering or brazing, e.g. for preventing the zig zag fins from slipping out before being soldered or brazed.
The term header is generally not to only mean an intermediate header or a header on the outlet side, but also a distributor on the inlet side.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object underlying the invention is to further simplify the design and the manufacturing process of a flat tube heat exchanger of the mentioned type having more than two flows.
This object is solved in a flat tube heat exchanger having more than two flows with the features of the preamble of claim
1
by the characterizing features thereof.
Equally to the double-flow flat tube heat exchanger according to the DE-A1-195 36 117, in particular FIG. 5, the invention is a renunciation of the idea to effect the respective deflection in an integrally coherent deflecting bottom. Instead, deep-drawn equal deflecting bowls which can be premanufactured are also used as in this known double-flow flat tube heat exchanger.
In the flat tube heat exchangers having more than two flows, to which the invention is related, within the deflecting bowl a separation has to be effected for those adjacent flows which are not deflected to one another directly within the respective deflecting bowl. Within the scope of the invention—and in the preferred further development according to claim
6
—in a novel manner, a necessary separating web is integrally finished in the deflecting bowl as a local wall design of the deflecting bowl, which can additionally be effected during deep-drawing the deflecting bowl and which renders dispensable the requirement to separately and tightly insert such a separating web or several thereof.
The individual deflecting bowls can be especially easily included in the pre-assembly when manufacturing the flat tube heat exchanger, in particular according to the manufacturing process of claim
10
, and they can be finished with a greater depth as deflecting compartments of integral deflecting bottoms with at least one separating web already shaped therein at equal partition distances. Moreover, their use is especially favourable if the relative distances between the flat tubes become gradually smaller looked from the point of view of a design of the flat tube heat exchanger which is as compact as possible. In general, the invention preferably relates to flat tube heat exchangers made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. Correspondingly, the deflecting bowls are also made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. In this case, the flat tube heat exchanger itself should consist of a material which is also during soldering compatible with the material of the deflecting bowls, if possible.
A first alternative, preferred due to the easiness of the manufacture, is the local wall design tightly cooperates only with a parting wall of the adjacent ducts of the respective flat tube, wherein in a preferred manner the complete function of the respective flat tube is maintained. However, an equally useful second alternative is possible, i.e. to have the parting wall between adjacent ducts of related to flows, communicating not directly in the bottom, is formed by a duct of the flat tube which is cut out, i.e. not used or ineffective as a guiding duct for a flow. Apart from the concrete further developments of reinforcing the wall thickness of the cut out (or ineffective) duct by an inset insertion member that may be sealingly contacted by the separating web, the use of a cut out duct can be carried out especially easily and advantageously by pressing the separating web in the deflecting bowl into the duct to be cut out with respect to flows, blocking it at the same time and thus obtaining a seal at the end of this duct due to material displacement.
The further development of the invention where the deflecting bowl is designed at the inner faces of its two narrow sides with a stop base each for the free ends of the front sides of the respective flat tube favors the assembly as well as the stability of the flat tube. In this development, the separating web furthermore has a supplementing central stop function. In applications of fluxing agents from the outside, the deflecting bowl is designed at the inner face of its two longitudinal sides, locally in the region of the separating web, with a supply flute of a fluxing agent for a braze. This favors a secure soldering or brazing of the deflecting bowl with the flat tube in the especially critical region of the separating web.
With deep-drawn parts, such as the deflecting bowls designed with at least one partition, there is always the problem of evenly designing the edge, as in general, an uneven design results from the deep-drawing process. This requires a trimming of this edge. The most simple way to realize this trimming is that the surrounding free edge of the deflecting bowl is bent to the outside forming an opening in the carrying out the trimming process in the same direction as the deep-drawing process. Apart from this, in this inconventional technique of the opening up in the form of a tulip, furthermore accidentally a convenient introducing inclination for the flat tube, not contained in the deflecting bowls according to FIG. 5 of the DE-A1-195 36 117, or a corresponding introduction radius as an assembly aid is obtained.
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Duong Tho
Lazarus Ira S.
Morgan & Finnegan , LLP
Valeo Klimatechnik GmbH & Co., KG.
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