Intercooler flat tube assembly with reinforcing support

Abstract

The utility model relates to an intercooler flat tube assembly with a reinforcing support, and belongs to the technical field of automobile intercoolers. The flat tube assembly comprises a flat tube, an inner fin and a reinforcing support, wherein the inner fin is arranged in the flat tube. The reinforcing support comprises a support body, the support body is of a trapezoidal corrugated structure arranged in an axial symmetry mode and sequentially comprises a fixed section, a plurality of transition wave bands and a central wave band from outside to inside, the transition wave bands and the central wave band are in an isosceles trapezoid shape, the upper end of the fixed section is straight, and the proportion of the upper bottom length of the central wave band to the upper bottom length of the transition wave bands is (1.5-2): 1. The two sides of the support body are provided with inwards-sunken bent avoiding parts, and high-frequency welding burrs in the flat pipe are avoided. The reinforcing support further comprises a reinforcing support body which is arranged in a peak staggering mode with the support body. According to the flat pipe assembly, through the special corrugated structural design and the arrangement of the avoiding parts, the strength and the pressure resistance of the flat pipe assembly are effectively improved, meanwhile, interference with welding burrs is avoided, and the product reliability is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to a flat tube assembly for an intercooler with a reinforcing bracket, belonging to the field of intercooler technology. Background Technology

[0002] The intercooler is a key component of the turbocharger system in modern internal combustion engines. Its main function is to cool compressed air before it enters the engine intake manifold, thereby improving intake air density and engine efficiency. Intercoolers typically employ a brazed aluminum structure, including flat tubes, inner and outer fins, and a stamped main plate. Among these, the flat tube assembly, as the core heat exchange element of the intercooler, directly affects the overall durability and impact resistance of the engine. During long-term operation, the ends of the intercooler flat tube assembly are highly susceptible to damage due to the periodic impact of the high temperature and pressure of the compressed gas.

[0003] Existing technologies, such as Chinese patent CN104747273A, disclose an intercooler cooling pipe with a reinforcing device. It mainly improves strength by setting reinforcing ribs inside the cooling pipe. However, in practical applications, the following problems exist: 1. Stress concentration problem: The impact energy at the end acts directly on the welding area between the flat tube and the main plate. Its simple reinforcing structure cannot effectively disperse stress, and the reinforcing effect is limited; 2. In actual installation, its reinforcing device will be pushed open by the welding burrs inside the flat tube, forming a partial gap. It is difficult to assemble tightly, and the weld is prone to breakage after long-term use.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need to provide a flat tube assembly with a reasonable structure, strong adaptability, and the ability to effectively improve end strength without affecting intercooler performance, so as to meet the requirements of modern engine turbocharging systems for high strength and long service life of intercoolers. Utility Model Content

[0005] To address the aforementioned issues, a flat tube assembly for an intercooler with a reinforced support is provided. By incorporating a reinforced support with a specific trapezoidal waveband design and a bending avoidance section, the impact resistance and structural rigidity of the welded ends are effectively improved without altering the internal structure and airflow channels of the flat tube. Simultaneously, it precisely aligns with the high-frequency weld burr concentration area on the inner wall of the flat tube, preventing assembly difficulties or abnormal stress concentration caused by burrs inside the flat tube. This enhances structural fit accuracy and welding reliability, significantly extending the service life of the intercooler under high-temperature and high-pressure dynamic conditions.

[0006] According to one aspect of this application, an intercooler flat tube assembly with a reinforcing bracket is provided, the flat tube assembly including a flat tube, inner fins and a reinforcing bracket; the inner fins are disposed inside the flat tube;

[0007] The reinforcing bracket includes a bracket body, which is an axisymmetric trapezoidal corrugated structure, comprising a fixed section, several transition sections, and a central section from the outside in; both the transition sections and the central section are isosceles trapezoidal in shape, and the upper end of the fixed section is straight; the ratio of the upper base length of the central section to the upper base length of the transition sections is (1.5-2):1.

[0008] The support body has inwardly recessed bending clearance parts on both sides to avoid high-frequency welding burrs inside the flat tube.

[0009] The reinforcing bracket is welded to the inner wall of the flat tube.

[0010] As a further technical solution, in the bracket body, the length of the transition band accounts for 50-70% of the total length of the reinforcing bracket, the length of the central band accounts for 15%-25% of the total length of the reinforcing bracket, and the remainder is the fixed section.

[0011] As a further technical solution, the reinforcing support also includes a reinforcing support body, which is an axisymmetrically arranged trapezoidal corrugated structure; including a number of transition bands and a central band with the same shape as the support body.

[0012] As a further technical solution, the reinforcing support is staggered with the support body, and the distance between adjacent peaks is equal to the upper bottom length of the transition band; both ends of the reinforcing support are connected to the fixed section of the support body.

[0013] As a further technical solution, in the reinforced support, the length of the transition band accounts for 60-80% of the total length of the reinforced support, and the remainder is the central band.

[0014] As a further technical solution, the ratio of the height of the support body to the length of the upper bottom of the central band is (1.2-1.8):1.

[0015] As a further technical solution, the recess depth of the bending avoidance part is 1-2mm.

[0016] As a further technical solution, the bottom of the fixed section has a corrugated structure that extends from the outside inward to abut against the bottom of the transition section.

[0017] As a further technical solution, the fixed section of the bracket body is provided with a pre-coated brazing filler layer to improve the brazing strength.

[0018] As a further technical solution, the reinforcing bracket is made of aluminum alloy or stainless steel with a thickness of 0.4-0.6mm.

[0019] The beneficial effects of this application include, but are not limited to:

[0020] 1. The intercooler flat tube assembly with reinforced support according to this application achieves differentiated design of band stiffness by setting the central band and transition band of the support body as isosceles trapezoids with specific proportions, effectively guiding stress diffusion to the center, preventing boundary crack concentration, and improving overall fatigue strength and deformation resistance.

[0021] 2. The intercooler flat tube assembly with reinforced support according to this application, by matching and setting a reinforced support on the outside of the support body to form a double corrugated structure, and adopting a complementary arrangement of corrugated bands with the same shape as the support body, can significantly improve local stiffness and overall seismic resistance, enhance the redundancy protection at the end of the flat tube, and suppress the propagation path of fatigue cracks.

[0022] 3. The intercooler flat tube assembly with reinforced support according to this application, by setting an extended corrugated structure at the bottom of the fixed section and abutting against the bottom of the transition section, not only enhances the sealing and pressure resistance of the overall support structure, effectively eliminates the stress concentration area at the connection between the fixed section and the transition section, but also optimizes the brazing bonding quality with the motherboard, reducing the risk of poor soldering and leakage. Attached Figure Description

[0023] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of this application and form part of this application, illustrate exemplary embodiments and are used to explain this application, but do not constitute an undue limitation of this application. In the drawings:

[0024] Figure 1 A three-dimensional structural diagram of the flat tube assembly according to an embodiment of this application installed inside the intercooler;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a front cross-sectional view of the flat tube assembly involved in Embodiment 1 of this application;

[0026] Figure 3 This is a side view of the flat tube assembly according to Embodiment 1 of this application;

[0027] Figure 4 This is a front view schematic diagram of the reinforcing bracket involved in Embodiment 1 of this application;

[0028] Figure 5 This is a side view of the flat tube assembly involved in Embodiment 2 of this application;

[0029] Figure 6 This is a front view schematic diagram of the reinforcing bracket involved in Embodiment 2 of this application.

[0030] Explanation of symbols in the diagram:

[0031] 1. Flat tube, 2. Inner fins, 3. Support body, 4. Fixed section, 5. Transition band, 6. Central band, 7. Bending avoidance section, 8. Reinforced support, 9. Pre-coated solder layer. Detailed Implementation

[0032] To better understand the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of this application, the application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described herein can be combined with each other. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of this application; however, this application may also be implemented in other ways different from those described herein. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0033] Furthermore, it should be understood in the description of this application that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "axial," "radial," and "circumferential," etc., indicating orientation or positional relationships based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation on this application. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0034] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or a communication connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0035] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the "above" or "below" of the second feature can mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or that the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. In the description of this specification, references to terms such as "an embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of this application. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0036] Example 1

[0037] refer to Figures 1-3 The embodiments of this application disclose an intercooler flat tube assembly with a reinforcing bracket, including a flat tube 1, inner fins 2 and a reinforcing bracket. The inner fins 2 are disposed inside the flat tube 1 and are fixedly connected by brazing. The inner fins 2 are commercially available conventional products that can be matched with the model of the flat tube 1.

[0038] refer to Figure 4 The reinforcing support includes a support body 3, which is an axisymmetric trapezoidal corrugated structure, comprising a fixed section 4, several transition bands 5, and a central band 6 from the outside in. Both the transition bands 5 and the central band 6 are isosceles trapezoids, and the upper end of the fixed section 4 is straight.

[0039] Preferably, the ratio of the upper bottom length of the central band 6 to the upper bottom length of the transition band 5 is 1.8:1. The support body 3 has inwardly recessed bending clearance portions 7 on both sides to avoid high-frequency welding burrs inside the flat tube 1; the support is reinforced and welded to the inner wall of the flat tube 1, forming a structurally integrated and thermally continuous reinforced connection area through brazing. This provides excellent structural stability and fatigue resistance during long-term operation of the intercooler under high-temperature and high-pressure airflow impact loads.

[0040] This application does not specify the model and size of the flat tube 1. Meanwhile, the proportions of each band and other parameters of the inner fins 2 and the reinforcing bracket can be designed and installed according to the size of different flat tubes 1.

[0041] In this embodiment, the flat tube 1 is made of aluminum alloy, with a flat rectangular cross-section, a length of 500mm, a width of 50mm, a height of 8mm, and a wall thickness of 0.45mm. The inner fins 2 are made of corrugated aluminum sheets and are arranged inside the flat tube 1 to enhance the heat exchange effect.

[0042] The fixing section 4 of the support body 3 is located at both ends of the support body 3 and is used to fix it to the inner wall of the flat tube 1. The upper end of the fixing section 4 is straight to facilitate a tight fit with the inner wall of the flat tube 1. The transition band 5 is located between the fixing section 4 and the central band 6. In this embodiment, three transition bands 5 are provided (equivalent to 1.5 on each side). The length of the lower base of the transition band 5 is twice that of the upper base. The central band 6 is located in the center of the support body 3 and is also in the shape of an isosceles trapezoid. The length of the upper base is 5mm and the length of the lower base (actually there is no lower base, but for ease of understanding) is 10mm.

[0043] The support body 3 has inwardly recessed bending avoidance parts 7 on both sides, with a depth of 1.5mm and a width of 2mm. Because the welding process of the flat tube 1 determines the presence of burrs, and the burrs will be concentrated on both sides, the design of the bending avoidance parts 7 can effectively avoid the burrs generated inside the flat tube 1 during the high-frequency welding process, and prevent poor contact or weak welding between the reinforcing support and the inner wall of the flat tube 1. The bending avoidance parts 7 can be engaged with the burrs, so that the support as a whole can effectively avoid the high-frequency welding burrs inside the flat tube 1 without excessively weakening the structural strength of the reinforcing support.

[0044] In the support body 3, multiple transition bands 5 can be set according to the width of different types of flat tubes 1. In this embodiment, the length of the transition band 5 accounts for 55% of the total length of the reinforced support, the length of the central band 6 accounts for 23% of the total length of the reinforced support, and the remainder is a fixed section 4 (the length of the band is calculated based on the distance from the end trough / peak to the initial peak / trough of the band). This length ratio design enables the reinforced support to have good elastic deformation capacity while ensuring strength, effectively resisting the thermal and mechanical stresses generated by the intercooler during operation.

[0045] The bottom of the fixed section 4 has a corrugated structure that extends from the outside inwards to abut against the bottom of the transition section 5. The corrugated structure has a wave height of 2.5 mm and a wave pitch of 2 mm, which increases the contact area between the fixed section 4 and the inner wall of the flat tube 1, thereby improving the welding strength and stability.

[0046] Furthermore, the fixed section 4 of the bracket body 3 is provided with a pre-coated brazing filler layer 9 with a thickness of 0.2 mm. The pre-coated brazing filler layer 9 is made of aluminum-silicon alloy material with a melting point of 577℃. Pre-coating the side with brazing filler helps to make the welding tighter, which can significantly improve the brazing strength and ensure that the connection between the reinforced bracket and the inner wall of the flat tube 1 is firm and reliable.

[0047] The reinforcing bracket is made of aluminum alloy, specifically 4045 / 3005 / 4045, with a thickness of 0.45mm. It possesses excellent thermal conductivity, strength, and corrosion resistance, making it suitable for the high-temperature, high-pressure, and high-impact environments of turbocharged engine intercooler systems, ensuring long-term reliable operation of the intercooler.

[0048] Example 2

[0049] refer to Figures 5-6 Based on Embodiment 1, the reinforcing bracket in this embodiment also includes a reinforcing support 8, which is an axisymmetric trapezoidal corrugated structure, including several transition bands 5 and a central band 6 with the same shape as the bracket body 3.

[0050] The reinforcing support 8 is staggered with the support body 3, with the distance between adjacent peaks equal to the upper bottom length of the transition band 5. Both ends of the reinforcing support 8 are connected to the fixed section 4 of the support body 3, forming a complete support structure. The reinforcing support 8 is made of the same aluminum alloy as the support body 3.

[0051] Preferably, in the reinforced support 8, the length of the transition band 5 accounts for 70% of the total length of the reinforced support 8, and the remaining 30% is the central band 6. By setting the reinforced support 8, a complementary structure can be formed with the support body 3, further enhancing the compressive strength and structural stability of the flat tube 1. The reinforced support 8 and the support body 3 are connected at the fixed section 4 by spot welding to ensure a firm and reliable connection.

[0052] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A center cooler flat tube assembly with a reinforcing bracket, characterized by, The flat tube assembly comprises a flat tube (1), an inner fin (2) and a reinforcing support; the inner fin (2) is arranged inside the flat tube (1); The reinforcing support comprises a support body (3) which is a trapezoidal wave structure arranged axially symmetrically and comprises, from outside to inside, a fixed section (4), a plurality of transition wave sections (5) and a central wave section (6); the transition wave sections (5) and the central wave section (6) are isosceles trapezoidal in shape, and the upper end of the fixed section (4) is flat; the ratio of the upper base length of the central wave section (6) to the upper base length of the transition wave section (5) is (1.5-2):1; Both sides of the support body (3) are provided with inwardly recessed bending avoiding portions (7) to avoid high-frequency welding burrs inside the flat tube (1); The reinforcing support is welded in close contact with the inner wall of the flat tube (1).

2. An intercooler flat tube assembly with reinforcing support according to claim 1, wherein In the support body (3), the length of the transition wave section (5) accounts for 50-70% of the total length of the reinforcing support, the length of the central wave section (6) accounts for 15%-25% of the total length of the reinforcing support, and the rest is the fixed section (4).

3. An intercooler flat tube assembly with reinforcing support according to claim 1, wherein The reinforcing support further comprises a reinforcing support body (8) which is a trapezoidal wave structure arranged axially symmetrically; the reinforcing support body (8) comprises a plurality of transition wave sections (5) and central wave sections (6) which are the same shape as the support body (3).

4. An intercooler flat tube assembly with reinforcing support according to claim 3, wherein The reinforcing support body (8) is arranged in staggered peaks with the support body (3), and the distance between adjacent peaks is equal to the upper base length of the transition wave section (5); the two ends of the reinforcing support body (8) are connected to the fixed sections (4) of the support body (3).

5. An intercooler flat tube assembly with reinforcing support according to claim 3, wherein In the reinforcing support body (8), the length of the transition wave section (5) accounts for 60-80% of the total length of the reinforcing support body (8), and the rest is the central wave section (6).

6. An intercooler flat tube assembly with reinforcing support according to claim 1, wherein The ratio of the height of the support body (3) to the upper base length of the central wave section (6) is (1.2-1.8):

1.

7. An intercooler flat tube assembly with reinforcing support according to claim 1, wherein The recessed depth of the bending avoiding portion (7) is 1-2mm.

8. The intercooler flat tube assembly with reinforcing support according to claim 1, wherein The bottom of the fixed section (4) is a wave structure extending from outside to inside to abut against the bottom of the transition wave section (5).

9. The intercooler flat tube assembly with reinforcing support according to claim 1, wherein The side surface of the fixed section (4) of the support body (3) is provided with a pre-coated brazing filler layer (9) to improve the brazing strength.

10. The intercooler flat tube assembly with reinforcing support according to claim 1, wherein The material of the reinforcing support is aluminum alloy or stainless steel material, and the thickness is 0.4-0.6mm.

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