Heat exchanger

A heat exchanger comprising:

• a core part which includes a plurality of tubes each having a flat shape, extending in a first direction, and stacked in only a single row in a second direction;
• and
• a tank arranged at an end portion of the plurality of tubes in the first direction, the tank having a core plate connected to the plurality of tubes and a tank body arranged to form a tank space with the core plate, the tank space being in communication with each of the plurality of tubes, wherein:
• the core plate has a tube insertion plate part and a groove portion having an inner wall immediately adjacent and entirely around a periphery of the tube insertion part and an outer wall spaced from the inner wall and entirely around a periphery of the groove portion, the tube insertion plate part having a plurality of burring parts located at inner peripheral edges of at least a part of the tube holes, the tank body having a flange portion disposed between the inner and outer walls of the groove portion and fixed to the groove portion;
• a plurality of projection pieces formed at an end of the outer wall, each of the plurality of projection pieces being deformed to engage the flange portion of the tank body;
• the tube insertion plate part has a plurality of tube holes stacked in only a single row in which the plurality of tubes are inserted, and a plurality of ribs each of which extends in a third direction that is approximately perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction, each tube hole has a flat hole shape in cross-section with a major diameter dimension in the third direction and a minor diameter dimension in the second direction;
• each of the plurality of ribs protrudes from a flat surface of the tube insertion plate part and has a length in the third direction that is shorter than a length of each of the plurality of tube holes in the third direction;
• the tube holes have first and second hole end portions in the third direction;
• the ribs are arranged in the tube insertion plate part to overlap with each of the first and second hole end portions in the second direction, and to define a deformable part of the flat surface of the tube insertion plate part to be deformable in the first direction, the flat surface of the tube insertion plate part extending entirely between adjacent ribs in the third direction;
• the deformable part is the flat surface and is located in the tube insertion plate part outside of the ribs in the third direction;
• each rib has a first rib end and a second rib end in the third direction, each of the first rib ends is positioned closer to the inner wall of the groove portion than the second rib end and each of the second rib ends is positioned closer to a center of the flat surface than the first rib end;
• only the deformable part is provided between the first rib end and the inner wall, and between each of the first and second hole end portions of the tube holes and the inner wall, in the third direction;
• each first rib end protrudes from a respective first or second hole end portion of the tube hole by a predetermined dimension in the third direction, that is in a range of 4 to 8 mm;
• the deformable part between each of the first rib ends and the inner wall of the groove portion has a length that is shorter than a length of the deformable part between each of the first and second hole end portions of the tube holes and the inner wall of the groove portion in the third direction;
• each burring part protrudes from a flat surface of the core plate in the first direction;
• and
• each inner peripheral edge has a cut portion where a part of a respective burring part has been cut and removed, the cut portion extending to the flat surface of the core plate;
• wherein
• each of the tubes includes a pair of opposite straight portions and a pair of opposite arc portions in cross-section approximately perpendicular to the first direction;
• the pair of opposite straight portions is arranged to be approximately parallel;
• the pair of opposite arc portions is arranged to connect ends of the pair of opposite straight portions;
• and
• the cut portion is only located at portions of the tube holes corresponding to the arc portions of the tubes in the entire areas of the arc portions.

A heat exchanger comprising:

• a plurality of flat tubes, each tube extending in a first direction, the plurality of tubes being stacked in a second direction to define a plurality of rows of tubes, each row of tubes having only one flat tube;
• a tank having a core plate that includes a tube insertion plate and a groove portion having an inner wall immediately adjacent and entirely around a periphery of the tube insertion plate part and an outer wall spaced from the inner wall and entirely around a periphery of the groove portion, the tube insertion plate part being arranged at an end of the plurality of flat tubes in the first direction the tank having a tank body which has a flange portion disposed between the inner and outer wall of the groove portion and fixed to the groove portion of the core plate to define a tank space in communication with each of the plurality of tubes;
• wherein
• a plurality of projection pieces formed at an end of the outer wall, each of the plurality of projection pieces being deformed to engage the flange portion of the tank body;
• the tube insertion plate defines a plurality of tube holes stacked in only a single row extending in a third direction, the plurality of tube holes being stacked in the second direction to define a plurality of rows of tube holes, each row of tube holes having only one tube hole, each flat tube being inserted into a respective tube hole;
• the tube insertion plate defines a plurality of ribs extending in the third direction, the plurality of ribs being stacked in the second direction to define a plurality of rows of ribs, each row of ribs having only two ribs, each row of ribs being disposed between adjacent rows of tube holes;
• each of the plurality of ribs protrude from a flat surface of the tube insertion plate in the second direction, each of the plurality of ribs has a length in the third direction that is shorter than a length of the tube holes in the third direction;
• each of the tube holes have a first and a second end portion in the third direction;
• each rib has a first end disposed between one of the first and second end portions of the tube holes and a side of the tube insertion plate and a second end disposed between the first and second end portions of the tube holes, each of the first ends of the ribs is positioned closer to the inner wall of the groove portion than the second rib end and each of the second rib ends is positioned closer to a center of the flat surface than the first rib end;
• a deformable part of the flat surface of the tube insertion plate is defined between the first end of each rib and the side of the tube insertion plate;
• only the deformable part is provided between the first rib end and the inner wall, and between each of the first and second hole end portions of the tube holes and the inner wall, in the third direction;
• each first rib end protrudes from a respective first or second hole end portion of the tube hole by a predetermined dimension in the third direction, that is in a range of 4 to 8 mm;
• and
• the deformable part between each of the first rib ends and the inner wall of the groove portion has a length that is shorter than a length of the deformable part between each of the first and second hole end portions of the tube holes and the inner wall of the groove portion in the third direction.

A heat exchanger comprising:

• a plurality of tubes each having a flat shape, extending in a first direction, and stacked in only a single row in a second direction;
• and
• a tank having a core plate that includes a tube insertion plate part and a groove portion having an inner wall immediately adjacent and entirely around a periphery of the tube insertion plate part and an outer wall spaced from the inner wall and entirely around a periphery of the groove portion, the tube insertion plate part being, arranged at an end portion of the plurality of tubes in the first direction, to communicate with the plurality of tubes, wherein the tank having a tank body which has a flange portion disposed between the inner and outer wall of the groove portion and fixed to the groove portion of the core plate to define a tank space in communication with each of the plurality of tubes:
• a plurality of projection pieces formed at an end of the outer wall, each of the plurality of projection pieces being deformed to engage the flange portion of the tank body;
• the tube insertion plate part has a plurality of tube holes stacked in only a single row in which the plurality of tubes are inserted, and a plurality of ribs each of which extends in a third direction that is approximately perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction, each tube hole has a flat hole shape in cross-section with a major diameter dimension in the third direction and a minor diameter dimension in the second direction;
• each of the plurality of ribs protrudes from a flat surface of the tube insertion plate part and has a length in the third direction that is shorter than a length of each of the plurality of tube holes in the third direction;
• the tube holes have first and second hole end portions in the third direction;
• the ribs are arranged in the tube insertion plate part to overlap with each of the first and second hole end portions in the second direction, and to define a deformable part of the flat surface of the tube insertion plate part to be deformable in the first direction, the flat surface of the tube insertion plate part extending entirely between adjacent ribs in the third direction;
• the deformable part is the flat surface and is located in the tube insertion plate part outside of the ribs in the third direction;
• each rib has a first rib end and a second rib end in the third direction, each of the first rib ends are is positioned closer to the inner wall of the groove portion than the second rib end and the second rib end is positioned closer to a center of the flat surface than the first rib end;
• only the deformable part is provided between the first rib end and the inner wall, and between each of the first and second hole end portions of the tube holes and the inner wall, in the third direction;
• the deformable part between each of the first rib ends and the inner wall of the groove portion has a length that is shorter than a length of the deformable part between each of the first and second hole end portions of the tube holes and the inner wall of the groove portion in the third direction.