Heat exchanger core, and method of assembling the heat exchanger core

A heat exchanger core comprising:

• a pair of header members being spaced with a predetermined clearance therebetween and disposed opposite to each other;
• and
• tubes and corrugated fins which are interposed between said pair of header members and are arranged alternately,
• a reinforcement member being provided on ends of said mutually-opposing header members,
• wherein each of said header members has tube holes into which ends of said tubes are fixedly inserted and reinforcement holes into which ends of said reinforcement members are fixedly inserted, said reinforcement member comprises a reinforcing section having a C-shaped cross section and insertion sections which are integrally formed with opposite ends of said reinforcing section, and a width of said reinforcement member is smaller than a width of said corrugated fin.

A method of assembling a heat exchanger core comprising steps of:

• guiding fins along a horizontal guide surface formed in a base member;
• guiding both ends of tubes and insertion sections of reinforcement members into tube guides which are provided on opposite sides of the base member while arranging alternately the fins and the tubes;
• placing the reinforcement members at either end in the direction of arrangement of the fins and the tubes to thereby constitute a core section;
• and
• attaching header members to opposite sides of the core section.