U.S. patent application number 11/662786 was filed with the patent office on 2007-11-08 for metal side-plate for a radiator.
This patent application is currently assigned to Behr GmbH & Co. KG. Invention is credited to Manuel Alcaine, Klaus Hassdenteufel, Chi-Duc Nguyen, Wolfgang Reier, Ulli Schneller, Michael Spieth.
Application Number | 20070256819 11/662786 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35457264 |
Filed Date | 2007-11-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070256819 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Alcaine; Manuel ; et
al. |
November 8, 2007 |
Metal Side-Plate for a Radiator
Abstract
The invention relates to a metal side-plate for a radiator, in
particular a tubular radiator, such as those found in motor
vehicles with combustion engines. According to the invention, the
metal side-plate (20) is secured to securing points (13) on both
sides of the collecting tubes (12) and a longitudinal slot (21) is
introduced into the metal side-plate on at least one side in the
region of the fixing. The fixing points (13) on the metal
side-plates (20) are embodied on collecting tubes (12) on one side
of the longitudinal slot.
Inventors: |
Alcaine; Manuel; (Barcelona,
ES) ; Hassdenteufel; Klaus; (Gerlingen, DE) ;
Nguyen; Chi-Duc; (Stuttgart, DE) ; Reier;
Wolfgang; (Schwaikheim, DE) ; Schneller; Ulli;
(Renningen, DE) ; Spieth; Michael; (Gomaringen,
DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WOODARD, EMHARDT, MORIARTY, MCNETT & HENRY LLP
111 MONUMENT CIRCLE, SUITE 3700
INDIANAPOLIS
IN
46204-5137
US
|
Assignee: |
Behr GmbH & Co. KG
Mauserstrasse 3
Stuttgart
DE
70469
|
Family ID: |
35457264 |
Appl. No.: |
11/662786 |
Filed: |
September 9, 2005 |
PCT Filed: |
September 9, 2005 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP05/09692 |
371 Date: |
May 30, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
165/149 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F28F 9/001 20130101;
F28F 2265/26 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
165/149 |
International
Class: |
F28D 1/00 20060101
F28D001/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 15, 2004 |
DE |
10 2004 045 022.6 |
Claims
1. A metal side-plate for a radiator (10), especially a tubular
radiator, wherein the radiator has a radiator body (11), which
extends in the lengthwise direction between two lateral collecting
tubes (12), wherein the radiator body (11) is bounded by at least
one metal side-plate (20), in particular by a pair of metal
side-plates (20) arranged on either side of the radiator body (11)
and extending between the collecting tubes (12) in the longitudinal
direction, characterized in that said metal side-plate (20) is
secured at fixing points (13) to a collecting tube (12) and a
longitudinal slot (21) is made in said metal side-plate at least on
one side in a region adjacent a fixing point, said fixing points
(13) of the metal side-plate (20) to the collecting tube (12) being
constructed and arranged on one side of said longitudinal slot.
2. The metal side-plate of claim 1, wherein the length of the
longitudinal slot (21) is at least 20 mm.
3. The metal side-plate of claim 2, wherein the width of the
longitudinal slot (21) is at least 2 mm and preferably less than 5
mm.
4. The metal side-plate of claim 3, wherein one longitudinal slot
(21) is fashioned on each side of the metal side-plate (20).
5. The metal side-plate of claim 4, wherein the metal side-plate
(20) has at least one transverse slot (22), which extends in the
plane of the metal side-plate (20), transversely to the
longitudinal direction.
6. The metal side-plate of claim 5, wherein the transverse slot
(22) is introduced only after the fastening of the metal side-plate
(20) to the radiator body (11), whereby the transverse slot (22)
divides the metal side-plate (20) in particular into two half
plates (24).
7. The metal side-plate of claim 5, wherein the transverse slot
(22) is configured as a punch-out (23) running in the transverse
direction, while connection ridges (25) are provided on either side
of the punch-out (23), and the connection ridges (25) preferably
project out from the plane of the metal side-plate (20).
8. The metal side-plate of claim 7, wherein the punch-out (23) is a
meandering shape.
9. The metal side-plate of claim 5, wherein two transverse cuts
(29) are arranged staggered relative to one another in the
lengthwise direction and are provided as the transverse slot (22),
each of the transverse cuts (29) projecting as far as the edge (28)
running in the lengthwise direction, and the combined length of the
two transverse cuts (29) is more than the width of the metal
side-plate.
10. The metal side-plate of claim 9, wherein that the transverse
slot is situated more than 100 mm, especially more than 130 mm and
especially preferably more than 150 mm, away from a fixing point
(13).
11. A radiator (10), especially a tubular radiator, wherein the
radiator has a radiator body (11), which extends in the lengthwise
direction between two lateral collecting tubes (12), wherein the
radiator body (11) is bounded by at least one metal side-plate
(20), in particular by a pair of metal side-plates (20) arranged on
either side of the radiator body (11) and extending between the
collecting tubes (12) in the longitudinal direction, characterized
in that the metal side-plate (20) is secured at fixing points (13)
to a collecting tube (12) or at both sides to the collecting tubes
(12) and a longitudinal slot (21) is made in the metal side-plate
at least on one side in the region of the fastening, and the fixing
points (13) of the metal side-plate (20) to the collecting tube
(12) are fashioned on one side of the longitudinal slot.
12. A heat exchanger unit with a first and a second heat exchanger,
wherein the first heat exchanger has a first radiator body (11),
which extends in the lengthwise direction between two first lateral
collecting tubes (12), wherein the second heat exchanger has a
second radiator body, which extends in particular in the
longitudinal direction between two second lateral collecting tubes,
wherein the first and the second radiator bodies form a radiator
body unit, especially with corrugated fins configured as a single
piece and assigned to the two radiator bodies, that are bounded by
at least one metal side-plate (20), in particular by a pair of
metal side-plates (20) arranged on either side of the radiator body
unit and extending between the first and second collecting tubes
(12) in the longitudinal direction, characterized in that the metal
side-plate (20) is secured at fixing points (13) to a first and/or
second collecting tube (12) or at both sides to the collecting
tubes (12) and a longitudinal slot (21) is made in the metal
side-plate at least on one side in the region of the fastening, and
the fixing points (13) of the metal side-plate (20) to the
collecting tube (12) are fashioned on one side of the longitudinal
slot.
13. The metal side-plate of claim 1, wherein the width of the
longitudinal slot (21) is at least 2 mm and preferably less than 5
mm.
14. The metal side-plate of claim 13, wherein one longitudinal slot
(21) is fashioned on each side of the metal side-plate (20).
15. The metal side-plate of claim 1, wherein the metal side-plate
(20) has at least one transverse slot (22), which extends in the
plane of the metal side-plate (20), transversely to the
longitudinal direction.
16. The metal side-plate of claim 15, wherein that the transverse
slot is situated more than 100 mm, especially more than 130 mm and
especially preferably more than 150 mm, away from a fixing point
(13).
Description
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a National Stage filing of International
Application PCT/EP2005/009692, filed Sep. 9, 2005, claiming
priority to German Application No. DE 10 2004 045 022.6, filed Sep.
15, 2004, entitled "METAL SIDE-PLATE FOR A RADIATOR". The subject
application claims priority to PCT/EP2005/009692 and to German
Application No. DE 10 2004 045 022.6 and both references are
expressly incorporated by reference herein, in their entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention concerns a metal side-plate for a
radiator, especially for tubular radiators, as are used in vehicles
with internal combustion engines, for example.
[0003] Such radiators have a radiator body, in which tubes extend
in the longitudinal direction, with heat exchange surfaces being
formed between the tubes. The radiator body extends in the
longitudinal direction between two collecting tubes and cooling air
flows through it in the direction transverse to it. The radiator
body is closed off by a metal side-plate at the top and bottom,
which likewise extends between the collecting tubes and is fastened
to them at fixing points.
[0004] When fluctuating operating temperatures occur in the tubular
radiator, the length of the tubes and the heat exchange surfaces
changes, so that a thermal tensile stress can act on the metal
side-plate. A nonuniform thermal expansion will occur between the
metal side-plate and edge regions of the radiator body, primarily
due to material properties but also caused by nonuniform heating.
This nonuniform thermal expansion results in longitudinal and
transverse forces acting between radiator body and metal
side-plate, thereby introducing loads into the connection
regions.
[0005] The problem of the invention is to provide a metal
side-plate configured such that the occurrence of stresses caused
by different thermal expansion of the metal side-plate and the
radiator body is prevented, especially in the direction transverse
to the length of the metal side-plate.
[0006] The problem is solved by a metal side-plate according to the
present invention.
[0007] A radiator, especially a tubular radiator, has a radiator
body that extends in the lengthwise direction between two lateral
collecting tubes. The radiator body is bounded by a metal
side-plate or by a pair of metal side-plates arranged on either
side of the radiator body and extending between the collecting
tubes in the longitudinal direction. The metal side-plate is
secured at fixing points at one or both sides to the collecting
tubes and has a longitudinal slot at least at one side in the
region of the fastening, made in the metal side-plate in such a way
that the fixing points of the metal side-plate on the collecting
tube are fashioned at one side of the longitudinal slot.
[0008] Because of this measure, it becomes possible in an
especially favorable manner to absorb the forces introduced in the
transverse direction at the metal side-plate and not let them act
on the fastening of the metal side-plate to the collecting tube.
The transverse slot weakens the metal side-plate in this region, so
that bending forces can easily act here and therefore no major
forces act on the fastening in the transverse direction, since they
are changed into a deformation of the metal side-plate in the
region of the longitudinal slot.
[0009] Preferably, it is provided for this that the length of the
slot is sufficiently large that the area of weakening becomes soft
enough to absorb the forces. For this, in particular, the length of
the longitudinal slot is specified to be at least 20 mm.
[0010] The width of the longitudinal slot should also be determined
such that the weakening by the longitudinal slot is sufficiently
large. In a preferred embodiment for this, the width of the
longitudinal slot is at least 2 mm. In an advantageous manner, the
width of the longitudinal slot is preferably less than 5 mm, so
that the protecting and covering function of the metal side-plate
is also ensured in the region of the longitudinal slot.
[0011] One longitudinal slot is advantageously fashioned on each
side of the metal side-plate. In this way, the weakening is
distributed between the two sides of the metal side-plate.
[0012] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the metal
side-plate has at least one transverse slot besides the
longitudinal slot. The transverse slot extends in the plane of the
metal side-plate, transversely to the longitudinal direction. The
transverse slot increases the softness in the longitudinal
direction so that, in particular, forces acting in the longitudinal
direction can be absorbed by the transverse slot and not be borne
in too large a degree at the fixing points of the metal side-plate.
In an advantageous embodiment, at least one transverse slot is
provided, but also a small number of transverse slots can be
provided, such as 2 or 3 of them.
[0013] The transverse slot can be replaced in the scope of the
present invention by any weakening of the metal side-plate. A
weakening can also be produced, for example, by a crimp-like
embossing of the metal side-plate, which reduces in particular the
stiffness of the metal side-plate with respect to lengthwise
strain. Such an embossing can also be combined with one or more
slots to produce a weakening.
[0014] In a first preferred embodiment, the transverse slot is
introduced only after the fastening of the metal side-plate to the
radiator body. Due to this procedure, an adequate manipulability of
the metal side-plate is ensured before it is fastened onto the
radiator body. The transverse slot will divide the metal side-plate
in particular into two half plates by extending across the entire
width of the metal side-plate. Thus, two totally independent side
halves are formed, by which only slight forces will act on the
fixing points. For this, one can create a connection between the
metal side-plate and radiator body at least in the region of the
transverse slot, for example, by brazing.
[0015] According to a second preferred embodiment, the transverse
slot is configured as a punch-out running in the transverse
direction. In particular, connection ridges are formed on either
side of the punch-out. For this, in particular, the connection
ridges each have a width of around 5 mm, in order to create a
satisfactory shape-stable connection across the region of the
punch-out. The connection ridges can preferably project out from
the plane of the metal side-plate, i.e., be raised up in the
vertical direction. This ensures a good absorption of forces in the
lengthwise direction, while still retaining a sufficient shape
stability in the transverse direction for manipulating the metal
side-plate. In particular, the punch-out can be a meandering shape.
For this, in particular, the punch-out consists of a U-shaped
region and has a central slot projecting between the legs of the
U-shaped region.
[0016] According to another preferred embodiment, two transverse
cuts arranged staggered with respect to one another in the
lengthwise direction can be provided as the transverse slot. Due to
this measure, it is possible to create at least one interruption in
the metal side-plate in the lengthwise direction across the entire
width of the metal side-plate, while the metal side-plate remains a
single piece. In particular, it is provided that each of the
transverse cuts projects as far as the edge running in the
lengthwise direction, and the combined length of the two transverse
cuts is more than the width of the metal side-plate. Thus, an
overlap region of the transverse cuts is created in this way, in
which two transverse cuts are situated, as viewed along the length
of the metal side-plate.
[0017] According to one preferred embodiment, the transverse slot
is situated more than 100 mm away from the connection site between
the metal side-plate and collecting tube. This allows for a
twisting of the region between the transverse slot and the
connection site under certain conditions, so that the metal
side-plate can absorb a torque at least partly and relieve the load
on the radiator body or connections between the tube and connecting
tube. Advantageously, the transverse slot is situated more than 130
mm, especially more than 150 mm away from the connection site
between metal side-plate and collecting tube.
[0018] Furthermore, the invention is explained in detail below by
means of embodiments presented in the drawings.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0019] A metal side-plate for a radiator is disclosed, in
particular a tubular radiator, such as those found in motor
vehicles with combustion engines. According to the invention, the
metal side-plate is secured to securing points on both sides of the
collecting tubes and a longitudinal slot is introduced into the
metal side-plate on at least one side in the region of the fixing.
The fixing points on the metal side-plates are embodied on
collecting tubes on one side of the longitudinal slot.
[0020] One object of the present disclosure is to describe an
improved metal side-plate for a radiator.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] FIG. 1 illustrates, as a diagrammatic, perspective
representation, a radiator according to the present invention.
[0022] FIG. 2 illustrates, as a partial perspective view, a side
piece on a radiator with a transverse slot, according to the
present invention
[0023] FIG. 3 illustrates, as a partial perspective view, a side
piece with a punched out transverse slot, according to the present
invention.
[0024] FIG. 4 illustrates, as a partial perspective view, a side
piece with a transverse slot consisting of two transverse cuts,
according to the present invention.
[0025] FIG. 5 illustrates, as a partial perspective view, a side
piece with a meandering transverse slot, according to the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0026] For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the
disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiments
illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to
describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no
limitation of the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended, such
alterations and further modifications in the illustrated device and
its use, and such further applications of the principles of the
disclosure as illustrated therein being contemplated as would
normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the disclosure
relates.
[0027] FIG. 1 shows a radiator 10 with a radiator body 11, which
extends in the lengthwise direction between two collecting tubes
12. Between the collecting tubes 12, the metal side-plate 20
extends at the top and preferably also at the bottom of the
radiator body 11. It is fastened to the collecting tubes 12 at
fixing points 13 on both sides. The fixing points 13 can be, for
example, clips for the collecting tubes that are passed through
slots in the metal side-plate, after which they are bent at 90
degrees.
[0028] The metal side-plate 20 has a longitudinal slot 21 in the
region of each fixing point, which extends in the lengthwise
direction of the metal side-plate 20, reaching as far as the edge
of the metal side-plate 20, and both longitudinal slots 21 are
formed on the same side of the respective fixing point 13.
Distributed over the length of the metal side-plate 20 are two
transverse cuts 22, being configured in FIG. 1 as meandering
punch-outs.
[0029] FIGS. 2 to 5 show magnified features of a radiator, such as
or similar to radiator 10, showing different configurations of the
transverse slots 22 in a metal side-plate, such as or similar to
metal side-plate 20, except as specifically noted. Each time, the
fixing point 13 of the metal side-plate 20 on the collecting tube
12 is also shown.
[0030] FIG. 2 shows a transverse slot 22 running in the transverse
direction, being made in the metal side-plate in particular after
the fastening of the metal side-plate 20 to the radiator 10. The
transverse slot here divides the metal side-plate into independent
half plates 24.
[0031] FIG. 3 shows a transverse slot 22, formed as a punch-out 23,
with connection ridges 25 formed on either side of the punch-out,
especially running at the edge 28 of the metal side-plate 20. The
connection ridges 25 are raised up especially in the height
direction and have a triangular appearance in side view.
[0032] FIG. 4 shows a transverse slot 22, made from two transverse
cuts 29. The transverse cuts 29 are staggered relative to one
another in the lengthwise direction and, taken together, extend for
more than the overall width of the metal side-plate 20. They run as
far as the edge 26 of the metal side-plate 20 on either side.
[0033] FIG. 5 shows another configuration of a transverse slot 21.
Here, two base slots 30 are formed, running in the lengthwise
direction, lateral to which there are connection ridges 25, which
are raised up in the vertical direction. From the base slots 30
project transverse cuts 29, producing a U-shaped cut pattern at one
side and the other transverse cut 29 juts from the other base slot
30 and juts centrally in between the other two transverse cuts 29.
In this way, a meandering shape is produced for the metal
side-plate in the region of the transverse slot 21.
[0034] While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been
illustrated and described in the drawings and foregoing
description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not
restrictive in character, it being understood that all changes and
modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are
desired to be protected.
* * * * *