Heat exchanger design based on partial strain energy density ratio
AssigneeDelphi Technologies, Inc.
InventorsKarl Kroetsch, Brian Hartman, Mark Hammer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A heat exchanger assembly that addresses the thermal cycling problem to increase the durability of the heat exchanger core by fabricating at least the tube next adjacent to each of the reinforcing members with a cross section adjacent each of the headers including a radius having a partial maximum tube strain energy density and fabricating each of the reinforcing members with a connection section adjacent each of the headers having a reinforcement with a partial maximum strain energy density greater than the partial maximum strain energy density of the adjacent tube.
Claims6
A heat exchanger assembly comprising:
- a core with fins and tubes extending from opposite ends between opposite sides thereof,
- a first tank header and a second tank header at said opposite ends of said core and in fluid tight communication with said tubes and extending between open ends,
- reinforcing members extending along said opposite sides of said core,
- at least one tube adjacent each of said reinforcing members having a cross section adjacent each of said headers including radius,
- each of said reinforcing members having a connection section adjacent each of said headers,
- characterized by said tube radius adjacent each header having a partial maximum strain energy density and said connection sections of the reinforcement each having a partial maximum strain energy density greater than said partial maximum strain energy density of the adjacent (or any) tube.
A method of fabricating a heat exchanger of the type including a plurality of tubes and fins extending between a first header tank and a second header tank with a pair of reinforcing members 52 attached to the headers tanks, said method comprising the steps of:
- fabricating at least one tube adjacent each of said reinforcing members with a cross section adjacent each of the headers including a radius having a partial maximum tube strain energy density, and
- fabricating each of the reinforcing members with a connection section adjacent each of the headers having a reinforcement with a partial maximum strain energy density greater than the partial maximum strain energy density of the adjacent tube.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.