FR3109211A1 - FLUID CIRCULATION BOX AND HEAT EXCHANGER, ESPECIALLY FOR MOTOR VEHICLES, INCLUDING SUCH A BOX - Google Patents

Abstract

Fluid circulation box for a heat exchanger, in particular a heat exchanger for a motor vehicle, said box (10) comprising a manifold plate (12), intended to receive tubes from said exchanger, said box (10) further comprising a cover ( 18), said collector box (10) having a through orifice (32), formed on one of the two among the cover (18) and the collector plate (12), and a fixing relief (34), produced by a blind deformation of material, on the other of the two among the cover (18) and the collector plate (12), said fixing relief (34) allowing an attachment of the cover (18) and the collector plate (12) being housed inside said orifice (32), said orifice (32) or said relief (34) being produced facing a fluid circulation chamber (20) defined at least in part by said manifold plate (12) and said cover (18). Figure for abstract: 3

Description

FLUID CIRCULATION BOX AND HEAT EXCHANGER, IN PARTICULAR FOR MOTOR VEHICLES, COMPRISING SUCH A BOX

The invention relates to a fluid circulation box and an exchanger, in particular for a motor vehicle, comprising such a box. This is in particular a cooling radiator, intended to be positioned on the front of the vehicle, at the rear of the grille.

In this field, heat exchangers are known comprising a bundle configured to allow heat exchange between a heat transfer fluid and an air flow passing through the grille. They further comprise boxes in which the heat transfer fluid circulates to or from the bundle. Said boxes comprise collector plates, traversed by fluid circulation tubes, and lids defining with the collector plates a fluid circulation chamber.

According to a first technology, the covers are crimped on the collector plates, the sealing between the two parts being ensured by an elastomer gasket.

According to another technology, the covers and the collector plates are brazed to each other. According to this technology, it is necessary to pre-assemble the covers and the collector plates, before brazing, so that the relative movements between one and the other are limited. Indeed, this is necessary so that the box, once brazed, has manufacturing dispersions which remain limited. This is also necessary for the soldering to be carried out satisfactorily, in particular so that the solder can be distributed at the level of the interface zones between the covers and the collector plates and achieve a sealed attachment.

Numerous solutions have been proposed for carrying out such a pre-assembly. However, they require complex or cumbersome box configurations. They can also generate risks of fluid leakage.

The object of the invention is to at least partially overcome the aforementioned drawbacks and to this end proposes a fluid circulation box for a heat exchanger, in particular a heat exchanger for a motor vehicle, said box comprising a collector plate, intended to receive tubes of said exchanger, said box further comprising a cover, said header box having a through hole, formed on one of the two of the cover and the header plate, and a fixing relief, produced by a blind deformation of material, on the other of the two of the cover and the collecting plate, the said fixing relief allowing the cover and the collecting plate to be hooked while being housed inside the said orifice, the said orifice or the said relief being made facing a chamber fluid circulation defined at least in part by said collector plate and said cover.

By positioning the orifice or the relief opposite the circulation chamber, the size of the box is limited, in particular along the longitudinal direction of the tubes of the exchanger. In addition, by providing a through hole to accommodate the fixing housing, rather than a housing formed by stamping, this makes it possible to accommodate the relief without causing the extra thickness of material that the stamping would form. Moreover, the fixing relief being produced by a blind deformation, this makes it possible to avoid having to deal with another opening opening than that in which said relief is housed. In this way, the risks of leakage are limited thanks to a double wall thickness in the vicinity of the relief. In other words, the invention does not require holes emerging through the material in the vicinity of the relief. In other words, said relief is obtained neither by puncturing nor by cutting. It should also be noted that the invention makes it possible to use particularly simple configurations of covers and collector plates.

The exchanger in accordance with the invention may also have the following characteristics, taken alone or according to any technically possible combinations which form as many embodiments of the invention:

- said relief extends within the limit of a thickness of said orifice,
- said relief is configured to be accommodated in said orifice during an assembly movement of the cover on the collector plate,
- said cover and said header plate are intended to be inserted one into the other in a direction substantially orthogonal to a bottom of said cover and/or of said header plate,
- said cover is partially inserted in said collector plate,
- said orifice is formed in the collector plate and said relief is formed in the cover,
- said header plate and/or said cover are provided with free longitudinal edges,
- said orifice and/or said relief are located at a distance from said free longitudinal edges,
- the free longitudinal edges of the collector plate have a guide chamfer in the thickness for the introduction of the cover,
- said collector plate has a stop intended to cooperate with one of the free longitudinal edges of the cover,
- said box has several said orifices and several said associated reliefs as well as several said stops,
- the stops are offset along a longitudinal axis of the box relative to the orifices,
- said relief has a configuration allowing snapping into the orifice,
- said orifice has a section just greater than a cross section of a base of said relief,
- said orifice has a width and/or a length of between 1 and 10 mm,
- said orifice has sharp edges,
- said relief has a sharp edge intended to abut against one side of said orifice,
said relief has a soft edge intended to facilitate the introduction of the cover into the collector plate,
- said cover has a flat between one of its free longitudinal edges and said soft edge of the neighboring relief(s),
- said flat is located opposite a flat wall of the collector plate,
- said cover has a U-shaped cross-section,
- said header plate has a U-shaped cross section, oriented away from the cover,
- said box further comprises end partitions closing said fluid circulation chamber,
- said cover has shapes for positioning said partitions,
- said header plate has a passage slot for a side cheek of the exchanger,
- Said slot is positioned so that said flange comes opposite, or even in contact with an outer face of one of said partitions.

The invention also relates to a heat exchanger, in particular for a motor vehicle, comprising a box as described above.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear during the reading of the detailed description which will follow for the understanding of which reference will be made to the appended drawings in which:

- FIG. 1 illustrates in perspective an exploded, partial view, an example of an exchanger according to the invention,

- FIG. 2 illustrates in perspective an exploded view of a collector box of the exchanger of FIG. 1,

- Figure 3 illustrates in perspective, according to a cross-sectional view, the box of Figure 2.

As illustrated in Figure 1, the invention relates to a heat exchanger, in particular for a motor vehicle. Said exchanger is in particular configured to be fixed on a motor vehicle chassis, for example behind a grille of said vehicle so as to be crossed by a flow of air having previously passed through the grille. Said exchanger is integrated, in particular, in a loop in which circulates a heat transfer fluid intended for cooling various components of the vehicle.

Said exchanger comprises, for example, a bundle configured to allow heat exchange between the heat transfer fluid and said air flow. Said bundle comprises heat transfer fluid circulation tubes and corrugated fins defining at least in part an exchange surface with the air, the fins being located between two neighboring tubes. The exchanger comprises two side cheeks 2 bordering the bundle. In order not to weigh down the figure, the tubes and the fins have not been shown.

The tubes and the fins as well as the flanges 2 are, for example, made of metal or alloy of metals, in particular of aluminum alloy. Advantageously, all or part of these components have a brazing alloy on the surface.

Said exchanger further comprises manifolds 10 defining a chamber 20 for the circulation of the coolant fluid. In Figure 1, only one of these boxes has been illustrated, the other being at an opposite edge of the beam. Said box extends in an axial direction parallel to an axis Z.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, said manifold 10 comprises a manifold plate 12 receiving the tubes of said exchanger. Said collector box is thus traversed by the circulation tubes, for example at the level of passage orifices 14. Said passage orifices 14 are preferably lined with collars 16, for example defined by a local deformation of the collector plate 12 and /or turned towards the inside of the box. Said collars 16 are intended to be in contact with an outer surface of the tubes.

Said header box 10 further comprises a cover 18 fixed to said header plate 12. Said cover 18 here has a U-shaped cross-section. Said header plate 12 also has a U-shaped cross-section, oriented opposite to cover 18. Said box collector 10 and said cover 18 define longitudinal walls of the circulation chamber 20 of the heat transfer fluid.

Said cover 18 and said collector plate 12 are intended to be inserted into one another in a direction Y substantially orthogonal to a bottom 24 of said cover 18 and/or to a bottom 26 of said collector plate 12. Here, said cover 18 is inserted into said collector plate 12, in particular partially inserted. Although this is not illustrated, the reverse is possible while remaining in accordance with the invention.

Said header plate 12 is provided with free longitudinal edges 40, located opposite flanks 42 of cover 18. Said cover 18 is provided with free longitudinal edges 44, located opposite flanks 46 of the plate collector. The longitudinal edges 40 of the collector plate have here, in the thickness, a guide chamfer 48 for the introduction of the cover 18.

Said manifold 10 further comprises end partitions 22 closing said fluid circulation chamber 20, at the lateral sides of said circulation chamber 20. Said partitions 22 are here sandwiched between the header plate 12 and the cover 18, following their inner contour. They are located, in particular, slightly set back from the axial end edges of said collector plate 12 and said cover 18. Said cover 18 may have notches 23 intended to accommodate a peripheral portion of the partitions 22.

Said box 10 may also include a tubing 11 for inlet and/or outlet of the fluid. Said tubing 11 is inserted into a passage, here formed in the cover 18.

Collector plate 12 and cover 18, or even partitions 22 and/or pipe 11, are, for example, made of metal or metal alloy, in particular aluminum alloy. Advantageously, all or part of these components have a brazing alloy on the surface.

In this way, we have an all-metal exchanger in which all the components can be brazed together, including the cover. This allows assembly of the exchanger without mechanical operation such as crimping of parts and without having to use an elastomer seal between the parts.

The circulation of the heat transfer fluid takes place, for example, as follows. The heat transfer fluid enters the exchanger through one of the manifolds 10 inside which it is distributed in the circulation tubes. It then travels through the circulation tubes and emerges from each of the circulation tubes in the collector box located at the level of the opposite side and exits the exchanger. At the level of the bundle, a heat exchange takes place between the coolant and the air flow by heat conduction through the walls of the circulation tubes and the fins.

The assembly is advantageously carried out as follows. The bundle is formed by stacking the tubes and the fins then the side cheeks are positioned on each side. The tubes are then introduced into the orifices 14 of the collector plates 12 then the partitions 22 and the cover 18 are positioned on the collector plate 12. Once all these components have been preassembled, the brazing is carried out in order to obtain a definitive and sealed fixing of the components together. That being so, it is also possible to form the collector boxes 10 and the bundle independently and then to relate them to one another thereafter.

It is understood that a good pre-positioning of the parts between them before brazing is favorable to the good realization of the collector boxes and more generally of the exchanger.

For this purpose, said cover 18 here has shapes 28, for example grooves allowing said partitions 22 to be positioned. In the illustrated embodiment, said grooves 22, provided in pairs, in particular form a groove for guiding and temporarily holding of said partitions 22 between two grooves of the same pair. Said forms 28 are made, in particular, in the form of stampings.

Furthermore, said collector plate 12 has slots 30 for passage of the side cheeks 2 of the exchanger. Said slots 30 are positioned so that said flanges 2 come opposite, or even in contact, with an outer face of said partitions 22.

As illustrated in Figure 3, again for the purpose of a good pre-positioning of the parts, said collector box 10 has through-holes 32, formed on one of the two among the cover 18 and the collector plate 12, and fixing reliefs 34, made by a blind deformation of material, on the other of the two of the cover 18 and the collector plate 12, said fixing reliefs allowing the cover 18 and the collector plate 12 to be hooked. material blind”, is understood to mean without the making of holes emerging through the material in the vicinity of the relief. In other words, said reliefs are obtained neither by puncturing nor by cutting. Here, said orifices 32 are formed in the collector plate 12 and said reliefs 34 are formed in the cover 18.

Furthermore, said reliefs 34 are respectively housed inside said orifices 32, said orifices 32 or said reliefs 34 being made facing the fluid circulation chamber. Here, it is the reliefs which are located opposite the circulation chamber 20 of the heat transfer fluid.

Such a configuration allows a pre-assembly of the collector plate 12 and the cover 18 while limiting, or even eliminating, the extra thicknesses of material or the complex shapes encountered in the boxes of the exchangers of the state of the art. The assembly according to the invention is also particularly reliable.

During soldering, a solder joint is formed along the free longitudinal edges 40, 44 of the header plate 12 and/or of the cover 18, ensuring the seal.

Preferably, said orifices 32 and/or said associated reliefs 34 are located at a distance from said free longitudinal edges 40, 44.

One of said orifices 32 and the associated relief 34 will be described below, knowing that all of the orifices 32 and associated reliefs 34 of the same box are preferably identical.

Advantageously, said relief 34 extends within the limit of a thickness of said orifice 32. This means that a distal end of said relief 34 does not protrude externally from said orifice 32. On the contrary, relief 34 remains confined therein. , given the material thickness of the part, here the collector plate 12, in which said orifice 32 is provided. Said collector box 10 therefore does not have a thickness greater than the sum of the wall thicknesses of the collector plate 12 and of the cover 18, including at and near the orifice 32 and the associated relief 34.

Said relief 34 is configured to be accommodated in said orifice 32 during an assembly movement of the cover on the collector plate. According to the example of implementation illustrated, it is therefore, as already mentioned, a movement in the Y direction.

Said orifice 32 has a cross section, advantageously closed, just greater than a cross section of a base 36 of said relief 34. This will promote filling of the space left free between the side walls of said orifice 32 and of said relief 34 by material brazing, without this being necessary since, as already mentioned, brazing preferably occurs along the free longitudinal edges 40, 44 of the header plate 12 and/or of the cover 18.

Said orifice 32 has, for example, a width and/or a length of between 1 and 10 mm. Said orifice 32 advantageously has sharp edges to promote the fixing of the relief 34.

Said relief 34 preferably has a configuration allowing snapping into the orifice 32. Here it has a sharp edge 50 intended to abut against a side 52 of said orifice 32, preventing the removal of the cover 18 from the header plate 12 once the relief 34 inserted into the orifice 32. Said relief 34 further has a soft edge 54 intended to facilitate the introduction of the cover 18 into the collector plate 12 despite the presence of the relief 32, in particular by cooperation with the chamfer 48.

Said cover 18 has a flat 56 between its free longitudinal edges 44 and said soft edge 52 of the relief or reliefs 34 neighbors. Said flat 56 is located facing a flat wall of the collector plate 12, in particular its sides thereby promoting good contact and therefore good soldering between the collector plate 12 and the cover 18, including in the vicinity of the holes 32 and reliefs 34.

Advantageously, said collector plate 12 has stops 58, intended to cooperate with the free longitudinal edges 44 of cover 18. They determine the depth of insertion of cover 18 in collector plate 12. Said stops 58 project internally.

In other words, the box 10 is configured so that the reliefs 34 are located in their associated orifice 32 when the cover 18 comes into contact with the stops 58 and any disassembly of the cover 18 is then avoided thanks to said reliefs 34, in particular by abutment of their sharp edge 50 against the corresponding side 52 in the orifices 32. The stops 58 are advantageously offset axially with respect to the orifices 32, in particular towards a central part of the box 10.

Advantageously, the partitions 22 are configured so as not to obstruct or at the very least come into contact with the bottom of the collector plate 12 and/or the bottom of the cover 18 simultaneously with the bringing into contact of the cover 18 on the stops 58 and / or the introduction of reliefs 34 in the holes 32 associated.

Said reliefs 34 and/or said stops 58 are obtained, for example, by stamping and/or stamping the collector plate 12 and/or, respectively, said cover 18.

Claims (10)

Fluid circulation box for a heat exchanger, in particular heat exchanger for a motor vehicle, said box (10) comprising a collector plate (12), intended to receive tubes of said exchanger, said box (10) further comprising a cover ( 18), said collector box (10) having a through hole (32), formed on one of the two of the cover (18) and the collector plate (12), and a fixing relief (34), made by a blind deformation of material, on the other of the two of the cover (18) and the collector plate (12), said fixing relief (34) allowing attachment of the cover (18) and the collector plate (12) by being housed inside said orifice (32), said orifice (32) or said relief (34) being made facing a fluid circulation chamber (20) defined at least in part by said collector plate (12) and said cover (18). Box according to the preceding claim, in which said relief (34) extends within the limit of a thickness of said orifice (32). Box according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the said lid (18) and the said collector plate (12) are intended to be inserted one inside the other in a direction substantially orthogonal to a bottom (24, 26) of the said collector plate (12) and/or said cover (18), said relief (34) being configured to be received in said orifice (32) during an assembly movement of the cover (18) on the collector plate (12) . Box according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the said collector plate (12) and/or the said lid (18) are provided with free longitudinal edges (40, 44). Box according to the preceding claim, in which said orifice (32) and/or said relief (34) are located at a distance from said free longitudinal edges (40, 44). Box according to one of Claims 4 or 5, in which the free longitudinal edges (40) of the collector plate (12) have a guide chamfer (48) in the thickness for the introduction of the cover (18). Box according to one of Claims 4 to 6, in which the said collector plate (12) has an abutment (58), intended to cooperate with one of the free longitudinal edges (44) of the cover (18). Box according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the said relief (34) has a configuration allowing it to be snapped into the orifice (32). Box according to the preceding claim, in which the said relief (34) has a sharp edge (50) intended to abut against one side (52) of the said orifice (32) and a soft edge (54) intended to facilitate the insertion of the lid ( 18) in the collector plate (12). A heat exchanger comprising a box (10) according to any preceding claim.