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US 4,180,897 AGranted
Method of fabricating honeycomb heat exchanger
OwnerDwight H. Chesterinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A heat exchanger comprises a general elongated rectangular member having major side surfaces of a honeycomb configuration. The member has at least one aperture extending therethrough and along the length of said member and an inner tubular member positioned in said aperture and in close thermal contact with said elongated member. Techniques are described which enable the positioning of the tube within said member.
Claims13
A method of fabricating a heat exchanger comprising the steps of:
- (a) forming an expandable stack of bonded foil sheets, each having a coaxial aperture of a relatively circular configuration,
- (b) expanding said stack to form a honeycomb member of a predetermined length, with said apertures aligned to provide a channel through said expanded member, said apertures in said expanded stack deformed into a relatively elliptical configuration,
- (c) joining a spin tool to a circular tube of a length selected by said predetermined length,
- (d) rotatably advancing said spin tool and said tube through said elliptical aperture to cause said tool to burnish and bore said aperture to form a circular aperture having a random peripheral edge pattern about said aperture to cause said tube as joined with said tool to firmly coact said honeycomb member.
1 more element
A method of making a heat exchanger, comprising the steps of:
- (a) forming a foil stack having predetermined areas bonded and including an aperture through said stack,
- (b) expanding said stack along a mandril to provide an elongated honeycomb structure with said aperture extending along said expanded length,
- (c) clamping a spin tool to a tube to be inserted in said aperture,
- (d) rotating said clamped structure,
- (e) advancing said clamped structure through said aperture with said tool entering said aperture first to position said tube within said aperture in thermal contact with said honeycomb to cause said tool as rotated to burnish and bore said aperture while advancing, and
- (f) removing said tool from said tube when said tube is positioned within said aperture.
3 more elements
A method of fabricating a heat exchanger comprising the steps of:
- (a) forming a foil stack having predetermined areas bonded and including a relatively circular aperture through said stack,
- (b) expanding said stack along a mandril to provide an elongated honeycomb structure with said circular aperture extending along said expanded length and deformed into a relatively elliptical aperture due to said expansion with a vertical axis diameter relatively equal to said diameter of said circular aperture and a smaller horizontal diameter,
- (c) clamping a spin tool to a tube to be inserted into said aperture, said spin tool having a pilot section of a diameter slightly larger than said horizontal diameter, but less than said vertical diameter, and a tapered section coupled to said pilot section having located on the surface of said tapered section cutting members, said tube clamped to said tool at one end of said tapered section,
- (d) rotating and advancing said clamped structure through said aperture with said pilot section of said tool entering said aperture first to cause said cutting members to bore and burnish said aperture to form a circular aperture characterized by a peripheral edge of a random pattern to cause said tube, as clamped to said tool to be firmly coupled to said honeycomb about said aperture, and
- (e) removing said tool from said tube when said tube is positioned in said aperture.
2 more elements
A method of fabricating a heat exchanger comprising the steps of:
- (a) forming an expandable stack of bonded foil sheets, each having a coaxial aperture of a relatively circular configuration,
- (b) expanding said stack to form a honeycomb member of a predetermined length, with said apertures aligned to provide a channel through said expanded member, said apertures in said expanded stack deformed into a relatively elliptical configuration,
- (c) joining said spin tool to a circular tube of a length selected by said predetermined length, said spin tool having a front smooth pilot section of a diameter approximately equal to the diameter of said coaxial apertures prior to expansion, a first sharp threaded section followed by a relatively smooth transistion section followed by a second threaded section having a flat threaded arrangement and of the same pitch as said first section, said flat threaded arrangement being defined by a diameter smaller than the diameter of said first sharp threaded section,
- (d) rotatably advancing said spin tool and said tube through said elliptical aperture to cause said tool to bore through said aperture to form a circular aperture, while forming a threaded portion about said tube as coupled to said honeycomb, said spin tool serving to flatten the edges of the foil aperture as it is rotated to cause said tube to firmly coact with said honeycomb member.
1 more element
A method of fabricating a heat exchanger comprising the steps of:
- (a) forming a foil stack having predetermined areas bonded and including an aperture through said stack,
- (b) machining a longitudinal opened slot along one side of said stack, which slot is parallel with the main axis of said aperture,
- (c) placing said slot along a guide rail,
- (d) expanding said stack while using said slot and guide rail to provide an elongated honeycomb structure with said aperture extending along said expanded length as determined by said slot and said guide rail,
- (e) clamping a spin tool to a tube to be inserted in said aperture, said spin tool having a front smooth pilot section of a diameter approximately equal to the diameter of said coaxial apertures prior to expansion, a first sharp threaded section followed by a relatively smooth transistion section followed by a second threaded section having a flat threaded arrangement and of the same pitch as said first section, said flat threaded arrangement being defined by a diameter smaller than the diameter of said first sharp threaded section,
- (f) rotating and advancing said clamped structure through said aperture with said tool and therefore said tube entering said aperture to position said tube within said aperture, and
- (g) removing said tool from said tube when said tube is positioned within said aperture.
4 more elements
A method of fabricating a heat exchanger, comprising the steps of:
- (a) forming an expandable stack of bonded foil sheets, each having a coaxial aperture of a relatively circular configuration,
- (b) forming an opened slot along one side of said stack with said slot being relatively parallel to the axis of said aperture,
- (c) placing said slot in said stack over a guide channel having a given length,
- (d) expanding said stack with said slot guided by said channel to form a honeycomb member of a predetermined length with said aperture in said expanded honeycomb aligned according to said guide and slot and deformed into a relatively elliptical configuration,
- (e) joining said spin tool to a tube of a length selected according to said predetermined length, said spin tool having a front smooth pilot section of a diameter approximately equal to the diameter of said coaxial apertures prior to expansion, a first sharp threaded section followed by a relatively smooth transistion section followed by a second threaded section having a flat threaded arrangement and of the same pitch as said first section, said flat threaded arrangement being defined by a diameter smaller than the diameter of said first sharp threaded section, and
- (f) rotatably advancing said spin tool and said tube through said elliptical aperture to cause said tube to firmly coact with said honeycomb member by serving to flatten the edges of the foil aperture as said tool is rotated through said elliptical aperture.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.