U.S. patent application number 11/795459 was filed with the patent office on 2008-04-03 for heat exchanger, in particular a charge intercooler or coolant cooler for motor vehicles.
This patent application is currently assigned to Behr GmbH & Co. KG. Invention is credited to Holger Loewe, Frank Von Luetzau, Joerg Wilhelm.
Application Number | 20080078540 11/795459 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36130184 |
Filed Date | 2008-04-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080078540 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Loewe; Holger ; et
al. |
April 3, 2008 |
Heat Exchanger, in Particular a Charge Intercooler or Coolant
Cooler for Motor Vehicles
Abstract
The invention relates to a heat exchanger (1), in particular a
charge intercooler or coolant cooler for motor vehicles, which
comprises a soldered block which is made of pipes (4), ribs and at
least one pipe base (2), in addition to at least one plastic box
(3) which has a wall (3a) which extends in the cross-section and
which is approximately U shaped and a surrounding flange (3b). The
box is mechanically connected to the pipe base over flange (3b).
According to the disclosure, reinforcing ribs are arranged on the
inner side of the plastic box (3) in a transition area between the
flange (3b) and the wall (3a).
Inventors: |
Loewe; Holger; (Ludwigsburg,
DE) ; Von Luetzau; Frank; (Berglen, DE) ;
Wilhelm; Joerg; (Victoria, AU) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WOODARD, EMHARDT, MORIARTY, MCNETT & HENRY LLP
111 MONUMENT CIRCLE, SUITE 3700
INDIANAPOLIS
IN
46204-5137
US
|
Assignee: |
Behr GmbH & Co. KG
|
Family ID: |
36130184 |
Appl. No.: |
11/795459 |
Filed: |
January 12, 2006 |
PCT Filed: |
January 12, 2006 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP06/00201 |
371 Date: |
December 6, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
165/173 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F28F 2225/08 20130101;
F28D 2021/0094 20130101; F28F 21/067 20130101; F28F 9/0226
20130101; F28D 2021/0082 20130101; F28D 1/05366 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
165/173 |
International
Class: |
F28F 9/02 20060101
F28F009/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jan 18, 2005 |
DE |
10 2005 002 417.3 |
Claims
1-10. (canceled)
11. A heat exchanger, particularly a charge intercooler or coolant
cooler for motor vehicles, with a specially soldered block
consisting of pipes (4), ribs and at least one pipe base (2), as
well as at least one box (3), particularly one made of plastic or
metal, which has a wall (3a), particularly one with an
approximately U-shaped cross section, and a circumferential flange
(3b), and which is connected mechanically via the flange (3b) to
the pipe base (2), characterized in that, on the internal side of
the box (3), particularly in a transitional area (5), reinforcing
ribs (6) are arranged between the flange (3b) and the wall
(3a).
12. The heat exchanger according to claim 11, characterized in that
the transitional area has an offset (5) which is directed inward
and in particular is peripheral.
13. The heat exchanger according to claim 11, characterized in that
the reinforcing ribs (6) have inner edges (6a) that are designed to
be in alignment with the internal wall (3d).
14. The heat exchanger according to claim 11, characterized in that
the pipes are designed as round, oval or flat pipes (4), arranged
in one or more rows, and received in the at least one pipe base
(2), and in that the reinforcing ribs (6) are arranged on the walls
(3a) of the plastic box (3) with separations that correspond to the
pipe spacing or to an external rib spacing.
15. The heat exchanger according to claim 14, characterized in that
the reinforcing ribs (6) are arranged in each case at the height of
the pipes (4).
16. The heat exchanger according to claim 14, characterized in that
the reinforcing ribs (6) are arranged in each case between the
pipes (4).
17. The heat exchanger according to claim 11, characterized in that
a transitional area (9) is included as part of te construction,
said transitional area (9) having a wavy design and exhibits
recesses (10) as well as bulges (11) on the interior side, and
recessed areas on the external side of the plastic box (7, 13) in
which parts of the pipe base engage with positive locking.
18. The heat exchanger according to claim 17, characterized in that
reinforcement ribs (8) are arranged above the recesses (10).
19. The heat exchanger according to claim 17, characterized in that
other reinforcing ribs (12) are arranged in the area of the bulges
(11) and between the recesses (10).
20. The heat exchanger according to claim 11, characterized in that
the reinforcing ribs (6) have rib surfaces that are arranged
parallel to the direction of removal of the box (3) from a
mold.
21. The heat exchanger according to claim 17, characterized in that
the reinforcement ribs (8) have rib surfaces that are arranged
parallel to the direction of removal of the box (7) from a
mold.
22. The heat exchanger according to claim 19, characterized in that
the other reinforcing ribs (12) have rib surfaces that are arranged
parallel to the direction of removal of the box (13) from a mold.
Description
[0001] The invention relates to a heat exchanger, particularly a
charge intercooler or coolant cooler for motor vehicles according
to the preamble of claim 1.
[0002] Known heat exchangers, particularly for motor vehicles,
frequently have a soldered block, consisting of pipes, ribs as well
as pipe bases, on which collection boxes made of plastic are
attached. The connection between the plastic boxes and the pipe
base is designed as a clamp or crimp connection, where a seal is
inserted between a flange of the plastic box and the pipe base and
clamped by the box/base connection. As a result, the plastic boxes
are connected firmly and sealingly to the metallic pipe base.
[0003] Such a box/base connection has become known from DE-B 28 52
408 of the applicant, where deformable marginal areas of a pipe
base engage via a flange of a water box, and thus establish a
positive-lock connection. If the internal pressure is increased,
the plastic boxes tend to be exposed to deformations and elevated
stresses, particularly above the clamping area, which can also lead
to leaks of the box/base connection.
[0004] In DE-A 6b 38 41 470 of the applicant, a modified flange
area has therefore been proposed for so-called wavy slot crimping,
wherein the wall of the box is designed to be wavy above the
flange, and thus the longitudinal wall is stiffened.
[0005] In charge intercoolers, such as those disclosed in DE-A 198
57 435, higher internal pressures occur particularly inside the
plastic box, and the trend is towards increased pressures in future
developments, so that conventional plastic boxes are unable to
withstand the stress. Rather, deformations can occur, which result
in increased stresses and crack formation.
[0006] The problem of the invention is to improve a heat exchanger
of the type mentioned in the introduction, particularly its plastic
box with regard to resistance to internal pressure, without at the
same time substantially increasing the weight of the heat
exchanger.
[0007] This problem is solved by the characteristics of claim 1.
According to the invention, a plurality of reinforcing ribs is
provided on the interior side of the plastic box above the flange,
i.e., in the transitional area between the flange and the box wall.
As a result, the advantage is achieved that the plastic box, in
case of increased internal pressure, is reinforced in the critical
area and becomes more resistant to deformations. Thus, in this area
of the box, above the box/base connections, stress peaks are
reduced to a permissible value. In particular, a plastic box that
has been reinforced according to the invention can be used as a
charge intercooler.
[0008] In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the plastic
box has a U-shaped cross-sectional profile, which due to an offset
becomes the circumferential flange. In the corner area of the
offset, which is designed with a substantially obtuse angle, the
reinforcing ribs are arranged on the interior side, and their inner
edges are preferably aligned with a U profile of the interior wall
of the box. As a result, the advantage is achieved that the
reinforcing ribs are arranged in an area where they do not pose any
noteworthy flow resistance against the medium, that is the coolant
or charge air which flows through the box, i.e., the reinforcing
ribs according to the invention do not produce an increased
pressure drop in the plastic box. They also do not produce a
noteworthy weight increase, because the wall thickness of the box
itself is not increased, and the ribs are formed with relatively
thin walls. Thus, they increase the section modulus in the critical
area of the box, in a relatively weight-neutral way and without
pressure loss, where the box is stressed particularly due to
bending as a consequence of the increased internal pressure at this
place.
[0009] In an advantageous variant of the invention, the heat
exchanger has a block with a single row or multiple row flat pipe
system, where the ends of the flat pipes are received in through
holes in the pipe base. The reinforcing ribs have a separation from
each other, which corresponds to the pipe spacing, i.e., the
separation of the pipes, or to an external rib spacing, i.e., the
separation of ribs on the external side of the box. Here, the
reinforcing ribs can be arranged either at the height of the pipes
or between them. The result is an even reinforcement of the
longitudinal wall of the box which is adapted to the internal
pressure load.
[0010] In another advantageous embodiment of the invention, the
transitional area between the flange and the box wall has a wavy
design in the longitudinal direction of the box, as is already
known from DE-A 38 41 470 of the applicant that was mentioned in
the introduction. The reinforcing ribs are arranged advantageously
in the area of this wave profile, in the area of recesses (wave
troughs) or the bulges (wave crests) on the interior side of the
box. As a result, the advantage achieved is that of an additional
reinforcement without a noteworthy increase in the pressure loss in
the box.
[0011] In another advantageous embodiment of the invention, the rib
surfaces, which protrude into the interior of the plastic box, are
arranged parallel to the mold removal direction of the box. Thus,
the rib profiles can be incorporated into the core of the box,
which is removed, after completion of injection molding of the box,
in the demolding direction without the use of additional core
slides, i.e., they can be removed from the mold. As a result, the
advantage of lower manufacturing costs is achieved since no
substantial increase in the cost of the injection tool is
associated with the design and arrangement of the reinforcing ribs
according to the invention.
[0012] An embodiment example of the invention is represented in the
drawing and explained in greater detail below. In the drawing
[0013] FIG. 1 shows a section of a heat exchanger according to the
invention with connection between the pipe base and the plastic
box,
[0014] FIG. 2 is an oblique X of FIG. 1 with reinforcing ribs
according to the invention,
[0015] FIG. 3 is an oblique representation of the plastic box with
a first arrangement of reinforcing ribs,
[0016] FIG. 4 shows the plastic box with a second arrangement of
reinforcing ribs,
[0017] FIG. 5 shows a section of the longitudinal wall of the
plastic box (first arrangement),
[0018] FIG. 6 shows a cross section along the line VI-VI in FIG.
5,
[0019] FIG. 7 shows a section of the longitudinal wall of the
plastic box (second arrangement), and
[0020] FIG. 8 shows a cross section along the line VIII-VIII in
FIG. 7.
[0021] FIG. 1 shows a cross section of a heat exchanger 1 according
to the invention, which has a pipe base 2, a plastic box 3, and
flat pipes 4, which are received in through holes 2a of the pipe
base 2. The pipe base 2 has--as known in the state of the art--an
external circumferential channel 2b, which is followed by an
external marginal area 2c. The plastic box 3 has a U-profile,
incompletely shown, with a wall 3a that becomes a flange 3b with a
larger wall thickness. The flange 3b as well as a seal--not
shown--are inserted in the channel 2b of the bottom pipe 2 and
clamped by the deformable marginal area 2c by means of a crimping
or clamping connection, which is not shown in further detail,
against the pipe base 2. Such box/base connections are known from
the state of the art, which was mentioned in the introduction, for
example, from DE-A 38 41 470. The flat pipes 4 are soldered to the
wavy ribs--not shown--and the through holes of the pipe bases, of
which only the pipe base 2 is partially visible, to a block. The
plastic boxes, of which again only box 3 is shown partially, are
placed and clamped on the soldered block.
[0022] FIG. 2 shows a section X of FIG. 1, i.e., a transitional
area 5 between the wall 3a of the plastic box 3 and the flange 3b,
where the transition 5 is designed as an offset, and the inner edge
3d of the wall 3a is offset towards the interior by approximately
one wall thickness compared with the inner edge 3e of the flange
3b. Because of the offset 5, the plastic box 3 is thus subjected to
so-called drawing in. Arranged in the area of the offset 5, on the
interior side of the box 3, are reinforcing ribs 6 whose inner
edges 6a are aligned with the inner edge 3d of the box wall 3a. The
reinforcing ribs 6 thus fill the obtuse angle of the offset 5 and
reach into the area of the flange 3b. As a result of the
arrangement of the reinforcing ribs 6, a reinforcement of the box
in the transitional area 5 is achieved, i.e., in an area which is
subjected to an increased stress due to the internal pressure. The
heat exchanger 1 is designed advantageously as a charge intercooler
and therefore receives compressed charge air at approximately 2 bar
(higher pressures are to be expected in the future), which leads to
a critical stress in the plastic box in the area above the flange;
however, the reinforcing ribs according to the invention oppose
this stress without increasing the wall thickness, i.e., also
without significant weight increase of the box 3.
[0023] FIG. 3 is an oblique representation of the corner area of a
plastic box 7 with reinforcing ribs 8 according to the invention on
the interior side of a longitudinal wall 7b. The box 7 has a
rectangular circumferential flange 7a, which is not shown in its
entirety, and above which a transitional area 9 is arranged that
has a wavy design and is known from DE-A 38 41 470 of the
applicant, which was mentioned in the introduction; consequently,
the latter Offenlegungsschrift is therefore included in its
entirety in the disclosure content of this application. The
connection--not shown--between the pipe base and the box 7
corresponds to the known embodiment in this Offenlegungsschrift.
Due to the wavy design of the transitional area 9, recesses 10 and
bulges 11 are formed on the interior side of the box 7. In this
first embodiment, the reinforcing ribs 8 are arranged above the
recesses 10.
[0024] FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment for the arrangement of
reinforcing ribs 12 in a plastic box 13, which also has a wavy
transitional area 9, corresponding to the above described
transitional area 9 in FIG. 3. Therefore, on the interior side of
the box 13, recesses 10 and bulges 11 are also formed, constituting
the wavy wall profile. The reinforcing ribs 12 are arranged here in
the area of the bulges 11, i.e., on the raised areas of the
interior wall of the box and in each case, between two recesses 10.
To that extent, the length of the reinforcing ribs 12 is here
greater than in the embodiment example according to FIG. 3. In both
embodiment examples, i.e., in the reinforcing ribs 8 and the
reinforcing ribs 11, the rib surfaces (corresponding to the surface
6 in FIG. 2) are in each case parallel to each other, where these
surfaces are approximately perpendicular to an imaginary pipe base
plane, or to a plane spanned by the circumferential flange 7a. This
means that a core--not shown--an be removed in a direction, the
so-called mold removal direction, during manufacture of the plastic
boxes 3, 7, 13. The arrangement and design of the reinforcing ribs
6, 8, 12 thus does not require an additional core slide, and it can
also be carried out by modifying an existing tool.
[0025] FIG. 5 shows another representation of the embodiment
according to FIG. 3, i.e., a view of a section of the longitudinal
wall 7b of the plastic box 7 with the flange 7a. Above the flange
7a, the wavy transitional area 9 is suggested. The longitudinal
wall 7b is reinforced on its external side by a transverse rib
7c.
[0026] FIG. 6 shows a cross section along the line VI-VI in FIG. 5,
i.e., through the flange 7a. On the internal side of the
longitudinal wall 7b, recesses 10 and bulges 11, that is wave
crests and wave troughs, are formed in the area of the wave profile
9 (see FIG. 5). In each case the reinforcing ribs 8, which protrude
vertically into the interior, are arranged between two bulges 11,
i.e.,--as can be seen in FIG. 3--above the recesses 10. The
reinforcing ribs 8 extend towards the interior up to a line 7d,
which forms the inner contour of the longitudinal wall 7b. In this
respect, the reinforcing ribs 8 are aligned with the interior wall
7d, which ensures a small pressure drop. The separation of the
reinforcing ribs 10, moreover, corresponds to the separation of the
flat pipes--not shown. The ribs 8 also extend at right angles to
the plane of the drawing and can thus be easily removed from the
mold with the main core of the box.
[0027] FIG. 7 shows a view of a section of the side wall 13a (see
FIG. 4) of the box 13 with the wave profile 9.
[0028] FIG. 8 shows a cross section along the line VIII-VIII in
FIG. 7 through the flange of the box 13. As a result of the wave
profile 9, the recesses 10 and the bulges 11, on which the
reinforcing ribs 12 (see FIG. 4) are arranged, are formed on the
interior side. The reinforcing ribs 12 which extend perpendicularly
towards the interior extend up to an edge 13b, which corresponds to
the inner edge of the longitudinal wall 13a (perpendicular to the
plane of the drawing). Thus, the reinforcing ribs 12 do not extend
farther into the interior space of the box than the longitudinal
wall 13a itself, and thus they also do not produce an increased
pressure drop for the flow medium, for example, charge air or
coolant.
* * * * *