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US 5,332,032 AGranted
Laminated heat exchanger with stackable tube plates
AssigneeGeneral Motors Corporation
InventorsDavid W. Beddome, Gary S. Vreeland
Life of this patent
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AssigneeGeneral Motors Corporation
InventorsDavid W. Beddome, Gary S. Vreeland
Estimating the term…
An automotive air conditioning system evaporator of laminated construction has tube plates, which, in brazed pairs, make up the individual flow tubes, that have an additional feature to assure regular, evenly spaced stacking of the tube plates prior to final assembly. Integrally stamped cups on one end of the plates nest to hold the cup end of the plates apart a defined distance when the plates are stacked. Spacer flanges on the opposite end of the plates interfit to keep the completed tubes spaced apart sufficiently to accommodate cooling fins in the final evaporator, but, without more, do nothing to keep the flange end of the plates evenly stacked. Special projections added to the spacer flanges contact edges of the spacer flanges of consecutive plates in the stack to keep the plates evenly spaced at both ends.
In a laminated heat exchanger of the type having a plurality of tubes made up of pairs generally planar tube plates with protruding integral cups at a first end and interfitting spacer flanges at the opposite end, said cups and flanges abutting at each plate end to space said tubes apart by a first predetermined distance, said integral cups partially nesting together to maintain said first plate ends spaced apart by a second, lesser predetermined distance when said tube plates are stacked prior to assembly, the improvement comprising,
In a laminated heat exchanger of the type having a plurality of tubes made up of pairs generally planar tube plates with protruding integral cups at a first end and interfitting spacer flanges at the opposite end, said cups and flanges abutting at each plate end to space said tubes apart by a first predetermined distance, said integral cups partially nesting together to maintain said first plate ends spaced apart by a second, lesser predetermined distance when said tube plates are stacked prior to assembly, the improvement comprising,
In a laminated heat exchanger of the type having a plurality of tubes made up of pairs generally planar tube plates with protruding integral cups at a first end and interfitting spacer flanges at the opposite end having upper edges of a predetermined height, said cups and flange edges abutting at each plate end to space said tubes apart by a first predetermined distance, said integral cups partially nesting together to maintain said first plate ends spaced apart by a second, lesser predetermined distance when said tube plates are stacked prior to assembly, the improvement comprising,
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.