Foil and plate micro-channel integrated forming device

Abstract

The invention belongs to the field of material forming, and particularly discloses a foil and plate micro-channel integrated forming device which comprises a feeding unit, a press machine and a rolling unit, the feeding unit is used for providing a to-be-formed plate for the rolling unit, and the to-be-formed plate comprises stacked foils and plates; the press machine is connected with the rolling unit and is used for adjusting the pressure of the rolling unit; a first roller in the rolling unit is connected with one end of the press machine through a first fixing assembly, and the surface of the first roller is provided with a tooth-shaped structure and is in contact with the foil; the second roller is connected with the other end of the press machine through a second fixing assembly, and the surface of the second roller is smooth and makes contact with the plate. According to the device, the foil and the plate micro-channel can be integrally formed, and meanwhile, the problem that the foil is prone to breakage when a rigid mold is used for deforming the foil and the problem that filling is not full when a soft mold is used for deforming the foil can be solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of material forming, and more specifically, relates to a foil and plate micro-channel integrated forming device. Background Art

[0002] Fuel cells are highly efficient energy conversion devices, and their bipolar plates, one of their core components, have strict requirements on the electrical conductivity, corrosion resistance, and mechanical properties of the material. Currently, the processing technology for fuel cell bipolar plates mainly suffers from problems such as poor dimensional accuracy, uneven bipolar plate wall thickness, complex processing equipment, and high production costs, which have limited the commercial application of fuel cells. CN115069886B discloses a method for the current / ultrasound-assisted roll-bending of titanium foil under tensile stress conditions. This method forms ultra-thin-wall corrugated microstructures through the combined action of tensile stress, pulsed current, and ultrasound. However, the use of a "rigid mold" for processing is prone to cracking.

[0003] At the same time, as electronic devices continue to improve in performance, they are increasingly becoming smaller, lighter, more integrated, and possess higher heat flux densities. Conventional fin-type air-cooled heat sinks are no longer able to meet the cooling requirements of high-power electronic devices. Liquid-cooled heat sinks, owing to their superior heat dissipation performance, have gained widespread adoption. However, the microchannel processing of liquid-cooled heat sinks suffers from issues such as low material fill rates, insufficient microchannel aspect ratios, and high processing costs, making them difficult to meet the needs of a wide range of modern electronic devices. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In response to the defects of the existing technology, the present application provides a foil and plate microchannel integrated forming device, which aims to solve the problems of easy breakage and uneven wall thickness of the existing bipolar plate foil.

[0005] The present application provides a foil and plate micro-channel integrated forming device, which specifically includes a feeding unit, a press and a rolling unit, wherein: The feeding unit is used to provide the sheet material to be formed to the rolling unit, wherein the sheet material to be formed includes stacked foils and plates, and the strength and hardness of the foils are higher than those of the plates; The press is connected to the rolling unit and is used to adjust the pressure of the rolling unit; The rolling unit includes a first roller, a first fixing assembly, a second roller and a second fixing assembly. The first roller is connected to one end of the press through the first fixing assembly. The surface of the first roller has a toothed structure and is in contact with the foil. The second roller is connected to the other end of the press through the second fixing assembly. The surface of the second roller is smooth and in contact with the plate, thereby realizing the integrated forming of the foil and the plate microchannel, and using the plate as a pad to avoid cracking at the corners of the foil or uneven thickness.

[0006] Through the above technical solution conceived by the present application, compared with the existing technology, the present application uses a rigid roller with a toothed structure on one side of the foil and an easily deformable plate as a pad on the other side, which not only can realize the integrated forming of the foil and the plate microchannel, but also can avoid the problem of foil rupture or uneven thickness.

[0007] As a further preference, the rolling unit further includes an ultrasonic component, which is connected to the first roller and is used to provide ultrasonic vibration to the first roller to assist plastic deformation.

[0008] As a further preference, the ultrasonic component includes an ultrasonic transducer, a conductive slip ring and an ultrasonic horn, one end of the ultrasonic transducer is connected to the power supply through the conductive slip ring, and the other end thereof is connected to the first roller through the ultrasonic horn, so as to transmit the ultrasound to the first roller through the ultrasonic horn, causing the first roller to vibrate radially.

[0009] As a further preference, the feeding unit includes a drive, a horizontal guide rail and a vertical guide rail. The drive realizes automatic feeding by clamping the sheet to be formed and driving it to move; the horizontal guide rails are arranged on the left and right sides of the sheet to be formed to prevent the sheet to be formed from horizontal bending; the vertical guide rails are arranged on the upper and lower sides of the sheet to be formed to stack the foil and the sheet.

[0010] As a further preference, there are two groups of horizontal guide rails, which are respectively arranged in front of and behind the vertical guide rails along the moving direction of the sheet material to be formed.

[0011] As a further preference, the vertical guide rails are in two groups. Along the moving direction of the sheet to be formed, the rear vertical guide rails separately transport the sheet and foil, so that the two are stacked to form the sheet to be formed and then sent to the front vertical guide rails.

[0012] As a further preference, the feeding unit also includes a lubricating oil brush, which is arranged behind the vertical guide rail along the moving direction of the sheet to be formed, and is used to apply lubricating oil on the surface of the sheet to prevent welding of the sheet and the foil during rolling.

[0013] As further preferred, the first fixing assembly includes a first load-bearing plate, a fixing flange and a first bearing, one end of the first load-bearing plate is connected to the press, and the other end thereof has a central opening and is connected to the ultrasonic horn through the first bearing and the fixing flange.

[0014] As further preferred, the second fixing assembly includes a second load-bearing plate and a second bearing, one end of the second load-bearing plate is connected to the press, and the other end thereof has a central opening and is connected to the second roller through the second bearing.

[0015] In general, the above technical solutions conceived by this application have the following technical advantages compared with the existing technologies: 1. By using a rigid roller with a toothed structure on one side of the foil and a deformable plate as a backing plate on the other side, this application not only achieves the integrated forming of the foil and the plate's microchannels, producing both bipolar plates for fuel cells and microchannels for radiators, but also avoids the problem of foil breakage that occurs when deforming the foil using a rigid mold, and the problem of incomplete filling that occurs when deforming the foil using a soft mold. 2. Furthermore, this application utilizes an ultrasonic component to provide ultrasonic vibrations to the roller to assist in plastic deformation. This utilizes the principle of acoustic plasticity to reduce the rheological resistance of the material in the deformation zone, reduce frictional resistance on the contact surface, and significantly increase the material filling rate, thereby achieving the effect of low-cost processing of high-aspect-ratio microchannels. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 This is a front view of the foil and plate microfluidic integrated forming device provided in an embodiment of the present application without a driver, wherein A is a partial enlarged view; Figure 2 This is a partial side view of a foil and plate microfluidic channel integrated forming device provided in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the fixing components in the foil and plate microfluidic integrated forming device provided in an embodiment of the present application, wherein (a) is the first fixing component and (b) is the second fixing component.

[0017] Throughout the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to denote the same elements or structures, wherein: 1-press, 2-slider, 3-pad, 4-workbench, 5-ultrasonic transducer, 6-ultrasonic horn, 7-first fixing assembly, 71-fixing flange, 72-first bearing, 73-first load-bearing plate, 8-first roller, 9-conductive slip ring, 10-second roller, 11-second fixing assembly, 111-second bearing, 112-second load-bearing plate, 12-plate, 13-foil, 14-drive, 15-horizontal guide rail, 16-vertical guide rail, 17-lubricating oil brush. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of this application more clear, the following further describes this application in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain this application and are not intended to limit this application.

[0019] like Figure 1 、 2As shown, the present application provides a foil and plate micro-channel integrated forming device, which specifically includes a feeding unit, a press 1 and a rolling unit, wherein: The feeding unit is used to provide the sheet material to be formed to the rolling unit. The sheet material to be formed includes a stacked foil 13 and a plate 12. The strength and hardness of the foil 13 should be higher than that of the plate 12. In actual application, the stacking method of the foil 13 and the plate 12 can be selected according to the specific structure of the rolling unit, that is, the foil 13 is stacked on top of the plate 12, or the plate 12 is stacked on top of the foil 13. The press 1 is connected to the rolling unit and is used to adjust the pressure of the rolling unit. The press includes a frame and a workbench 4, a slider 2, and a pad 3 arranged between the frames. The slider 2 is connected to the pad 3 and is arranged opposite to the workbench 4. During operation, the slider 2 drives the pad 3 to move up and down to adjust the pressure of the rolling unit. The rolling unit includes a first roller 8, a first fixed component 7, a second roller 10 and a second fixed component 11. The first roller 8 is connected to one end of the press 1 through the first fixed component 7. The surface of the first roller 8 has a tooth structure and is in contact with the foil 13; the second roller 10 is connected to the other end of the press 1 through the second fixed component 11. The surface of the second roller 10 is smooth and is in contact with the plate 12, so as to realize the integrated forming of the microchannels of the foil 13 and the plate 12, and use the plate 12 as a pad to avoid the problem of cracking at the corners of the foil 13 or uneven thickness. In actual applications, the first roller 8 can be connected to the pad 3 as needed, or the first roller 8 can be connected to the workbench 4. It is only necessary to ensure that the foil 13 is in contact with the first roller 8 with a tooth structure, and the plate 12 is in contact with the smooth second roller 10.

[0020] Taking into account that when rolling forming metal bipolar plates, i.e. foils, the use of "rigid molds" is prone to cracking, and the use of "soft molds" has the problem of insufficient filling, the present application proposes to integrally form the foil and the plate. By using a rigid roller with a toothed structure on one side of the foil and an easily deformed plate as a pad on the other side, not only can the integrated forming of the foil and the plate microchannels be achieved, but also bipolar plates for fuel cells and microchannels for radiators can be processed. It has the characteristics of high processing efficiency, simple process and low production cost. At the same time, the combined action of the rigid roller and the plate can avoid cracking at the corners of the foil or uneven thickness.

[0021] Furthermore, the rolling unit also includes an ultrasonic component, which is connected to the first roller 8 and is used to provide ultrasonic vibration to the first roller 8 to assist plastic deformation. The ultrasonic component includes an ultrasonic transducer 5, a conductive slip ring 9 and an ultrasonic horn 6. One end of the ultrasonic transducer 5 is connected to the power supply through the conductive slip ring 9 to convert electrical energy into mechanical energy, and the other end is connected to the first roller 8 through the ultrasonic horn 6 to transmit ultrasound to the first roller 8 through the ultrasonic horn 6, so that the first roller 8 vibrates radially. By setting up an ultrasonic component, the present application can enable the first roller 8 to achieve the effect of ultrasonic vibration during operation. By utilizing the principle of acoustic plasticity, the rheological resistance of the material in the deformation zone is reduced, the friction resistance of the contact surface is reduced, and the filling rate of the material can be significantly improved, thereby achieving the effect of low-cost processing of high aspect ratio microchannels.

[0022] Further, if Figure 2 As shown, the feeding unit includes a driver 14, a horizontal guide rail 15 and a vertical guide rail 16. The driver 14 realizes automatic feeding by clamping the sheet to be formed and driving it to move. The driver 14 is arranged in front of the first roller 8 and the second roller 10 along the transmission direction of the sheet to be formed, so as to facilitate pulling the sheet to be formed to move; the horizontal guide rail 15 and the vertical guide rail 16 are arranged behind the first roller 8 and the second roller 10 along the transmission direction of the sheet to be formed, wherein the horizontal guide rail 15 is arranged on the left and right sides of the sheet to be formed to prevent the sheet to be formed from horizontal bending; the vertical guide rail 16 is arranged on the upper and lower sides of the sheet to be formed to stack the foil 13 and the plate 12 to avoid warping of the foil 13 and the plate 12, and the stable movement of the sheet to be formed is ensured by the coordinated action of the horizontal guide rail 15 and the vertical guide rail 16.

[0023] Preferably, there are two groups of horizontal guide rails 15, which are respectively arranged in front of and behind the vertical guide rails 16 along the moving direction of the sheet material to be formed.

[0024] Preferably, there are two groups of vertical guide rails 16. Along the moving direction of the sheet to be formed, the rear vertical guide rail 16 separately transmits the plate 12 and the foil 13, that is, the foil 13 or the sheet 12 is placed on the upper roller, and the sheet 12 or the foil 13 is placed on the lower roller, and then the foil 13 is stacked on the sheet 12 or the sheet 12 is stacked on the foil 13 through transmission to form the sheet to be formed and then sent to the front vertical guide rail 16.

[0025] Furthermore, the feeding unit also includes a lubricating oil brush 17, which is arranged behind the vertical guide rail 16 along the moving direction of the sheet to be formed, and is used to apply lubricating oil on the surface of the sheet 12 to prevent the sheet 12 and the foil 13 from welding during the rolling process.

[0026] Further, if Figure 3As shown in (a), the first fixing assembly 7 includes a first load-bearing plate 73, a fixing flange 71 and a first bearing 72. One end of the first load-bearing plate 73 is connected to the pad 3 or the workbench 4, and the other end thereof has a central opening and is connected to the ultrasonic horn 6 through the first bearing 72 and the fixing flange 71 to fix the ultrasonic horn 6.

[0027] like Figure 3 As shown in (b), the second fixing assembly 11 includes a second bearing plate 112 and a second bearing 111. One end of the second bearing plate 112 is connected to the workbench 4 or the pad 3, and the other end thereof has a central opening and is connected to the second roller 10 through the second bearing 111.

[0028] The technical solution provided in this application is further described below based on specific embodiments.

[0029] The plate 12 is made of 1060 aluminum alloy (12 mm wide, 3 mm thick), and the foil 13 is made of TA1 titanium alloy (12 mm wide, 0.1 mm thick). The first roller 8 has a diameter of 100 mm and a width of 14 mm. The hobbing cross-section of its surface is U-shaped, with a width and pitch of 0.5 mm and a depth of 1 mm. The second roller 10 is a flat roller with a width of 14 mm.

[0030] The assembly method is that TA1 titanium alloy foil and 1060 aluminum alloy plate are stacked to form the sheet to be formed, the TA1 titanium alloy foil contacts the first roller 8, and the 1060 aluminum alloy plate contacts the second roller 10. The downward pressure of the first roller 8 is 0.5 mm.

[0031] One end of the sheet to be formed is clamped and the feed is controlled by the driver 14. TA1 titanium alloy and 1060 aluminum alloy need to be split before entering the rollers and lubricated in the middle by a lubricating oil brush.

[0032] During the rolling process, the process parameters need to be adjusted and the type of lubricant needs to be reasonably selected to prevent welding of TA1 titanium alloy and 1060 aluminum alloy.

[0033] After rolling forming, the TA1 titanium alloy and the 1060 aluminum alloy are separated to obtain the fuel cell bipolar plates and the microchannel radiator.

[0034] If the microchannel depth does not meet the actual requirements, multiple rolling passes can be performed, that is, the rolling process can be repeated.

[0035] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood to indicate or imply relative importance or implicitly specify the number of the technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of this application, "plurality" means two or more, unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0036] It is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that the above is only a preferred embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present application should be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A foil and plate micro-channel integrated forming device, characterized in that: It comprises a feeding unit, a press (1) and a rolling unit, wherein: The feeding unit is used to provide the sheet material to be formed to the rolling unit, the sheet material to be formed comprises stacked foils (13) and plates (12), and the strength and hardness of the foils (13) are higher than those of the plates (12); The press (1) is connected to the rolling unit and is used to adjust the pressure of the rolling unit; The rolling unit comprises a first roller (8), a first fixing assembly (7), a second roller (10) and a second fixing assembly (11), wherein the first roller (8) is connected to one end of the press (1) via the first fixing assembly (7), the surface of the first roller (8) having a toothed structure and being in contact with the foil (13); and the second roller (10) is connected to the other end of the press (1) via the second fixing assembly (11), the surface of the second roller (10) being smooth and being in contact with the plate (12), thereby realizing the integrated forming of the microchannel of the foil (13) and the plate (12), and utilizing the plate (12) as a pad to avoid the problem of cracking at the corner of the foil (13) or uneven thickness.

2. The foil and plate micro-channel integrated forming device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rolling unit further comprises an ultrasonic component, which is connected to the first roller (8) and is used to provide ultrasonic vibration to the first roller (8) to assist plastic deformation.

3. The foil and plate micro-channel integrated forming device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The ultrasonic component comprises an ultrasonic transducer (5), a conductive slip ring (9) and an ultrasonic horn (6); one end of the ultrasonic transducer (5) is connected to a power source via the conductive slip ring (9), and the other end thereof is connected to a first roller (8) via the ultrasonic horn (6), so as to transmit ultrasound to the first roller (8) via the ultrasonic horn (6), causing the first roller (8) to vibrate in the radial direction.

4. The foil and plate micro-channel integrated forming device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The feeding unit comprises a driver (14), a horizontal guide rail (15) and a vertical guide rail (16); the driver (14) realizes automatic feeding by clamping the sheet material to be formed and driving it to move; the horizontal guide rail (15) is arranged on the left and right sides of the sheet material to be formed to prevent the sheet material to be formed from being horizontally bent; the vertical guide rail (16) is arranged on the upper and lower sides of the sheet material to be formed to stack the foil material (13) and the plate material (12).

5. The foil and plate micro-channel integrated forming device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The horizontal guide rails (15) are in two groups, which are respectively arranged in front of and behind the vertical guide rails (16) along the moving direction of the sheet material to be formed.

6. The foil and plate micro-channel integrated forming device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The vertical guide rails (16) are in two groups. Along the moving direction of the sheet material to be formed, the rear vertical guide rail (16) separately transmits the plate material (12) and the foil material (13), so that the two are stacked to form the sheet material to be formed and then sent to the front vertical guide rail (16).

7. The foil and plate micro-channel integrated forming device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The feeding unit further comprises a lubricating oil brush (17), which is arranged behind the vertical guide rail (16) along the moving direction of the sheet material to be formed and is used to apply lubricating oil to the surface of the sheet material (12) to prevent the sheet material (12) from being welded to the foil material (13) during the rolling process.

8. The foil and plate micro-channel integrated forming device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first fixing assembly (7) comprises a first bearing plate (73), a fixing flange (71) and a first bearing (72); one end of the first bearing plate (73) is connected to the press (1); the other end of the first bearing plate (73) has a central opening and is connected to the ultrasonic horn (6) through the first bearing (72) and the fixing flange (71).

9. The foil and plate micro-channel integrated forming device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second fixing assembly (11) comprises a second load-bearing plate (112) and a second bearing (111), wherein one end of the second load-bearing plate (112) is connected to the press (1), and the other end thereof has a central opening and is connected to the second roller (10) via the second bearing (111).

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