THREE-LAYER BUBBLE FILM COOLING PLATE

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a cooling plate comprises stacking three aluminum sheets on top of each other, each of the three aluminum sheets generally being flat. One edge of the three aluminum sheets is joined together. An upper aluminum sheet is welded to a middle aluminum sheet at a plurality of first locations, and a lower aluminum sheet is welded to the middle aluminum sheet at a plurality of second locations, which are distinct from the plurality of first locations. A pressure medium is introduced between the upper and lower aluminum sheets to separate the upper aluminum sheet from the lower aluminum sheet and to deform the middle aluminum sheet.

Description

INTRODUCTION

[0001] The information provided in this section serves to present the context of the disclosure in general. Works of the inventors mentioned herein, insofar as they are described in this section, as well as aspects of the description that may not have been prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor implicitly recognized as prior art with respect to the present disclosure.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a three-layer bubble film cooling plate and a method for manufacturing the same.

[0003] Cooling plates are primarily manufactured using two processes: extrusion and brazing. Extruded cooling plates have thick walls, generally greater than 0.4–0.5 mm. Furthermore, the extrusion process is limited in terms of the shape and size of the plates. Brazing is a slow and expensive process requiring extensive fixtures and specialized manufacturing.

[0004] Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an alternative method for manufacturing a cooling plate with reduced costs and time expenditure. SUMMARY

[0005] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for manufacturing a cooling plate comprises stacking three metal sheets on top of one another, each of the three metal sheets generally being flat. The metal sheet may comprise aluminum, copper, steel, steel alloys, or other conductive metals and combinations thereof. One edge of the three metal sheets is welded or otherwise joined together. An upper metal sheet is connected to a middle metal sheet at a plurality of first locations, and a lower metal sheet is connected to the middle metal sheet at a plurality of second locations, which are distinct from the plurality of first locations. A pressure medium is introduced between the upper and lower metal sheets to separate the upper and lower metal sheets and to deform the middle metal sheet.

[0006] According to another aspect, the middle aluminum sheet may be thinner than the top and bottom aluminum sheets.

[0007] According to another aspect, the pressure medium is compressed air.

[0008] According to another aspect, one of the upper aluminum sheet and one of the lower aluminum sheet include a coolant inlet opening, and one of the upper aluminum sheet and one of the lower aluminum sheet include a coolant outlet opening.

[0009] According to another aspect, joining the upper of the aluminum sheets to the middle of the aluminum sheets and joining the lower of the aluminum sheets to the middle of the aluminum sheets includes laser welding, friction welding, resistance welding or roll joining.

[0010] According to another aspect, joining the edges of the three metal sheets includes laser welding, friction welding, resistance welding or roll joining.

[0011] According to another aspect, joining the upper of the aluminum sheets to the middle of the aluminum sheets at a plurality of first locations and joining the lower of the aluminum sheets to the middle of the aluminum sheets at a plurality of second locations each involve a plurality of line welds.

[0012] According to another aspect, joining the upper of the aluminum sheets to the middle of the aluminum sheets at a plurality of first locations and joining the lower of the aluminum sheets to the middle of the aluminum sheets at a plurality of second locations each involve a plurality of tack welds.

[0013] Further applications of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description, the claims, and the drawings. The detailed description and the specific examples serve only for illustration and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] The present revelation will be better understood with the help of the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, whereby: Fig. 1 a schematic view of the cooling plate according to the principles of the present disclosure; Fig. 2a is a schematic cross-sectional view of a stack of aluminium sheets according to the principles of the present disclosure; Fig. 2b is a schematic cross-sectional view of a plurality of welding locations between a stack of aluminium sheets according to the principles of the present disclosure; Fig. 3 a schematic top view of the stack of aluminium sheets, which shows exemplary welding lines between an upper aluminium sheet and a middle aluminium sheet, and between a lower aluminium sheet and the middle aluminium sheet, according to the principles of the present disclosure; Fig. 4 is a schematic top view of the stack of aluminium sheets, which is an example of tack welds between an upper aluminium sheet and a middle aluminium sheet, and between a lower aluminium sheet and the middle aluminium sheet, according to the principles of the present disclosure; Fig. Figures 5a-5c illustrate the expansion of the cooling plate from its original stacked and welded state to an intermediate and final expansion position.

[0015] Reference symbols can be reused in the drawings to identify similar and / or identical elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] With reference to Fig. Figure 1 is a three-layer bubble-film cooling plate 10 presented according to the principles of the present disclosure. The cooling plate 10 comprises a lower layer of aluminum sheet 12, a middle layer of aluminum sheet 14, and an upper layer of aluminum sheet 16. The lower aluminum sheet 12 is connected to the middle aluminum sheet 14 by a first plurality of welds 18, and the upper aluminum sheet 16 is connected to the middle aluminum sheet 14 by a second plurality of welds 20, which are offset from the first plurality of welds 18.

[0017] With reference to Fig. 2a and Fig. Section 2b now describes a method for manufacturing the three-layer bubble-film cooling plate 10 according to the principles of the present disclosure. Fig. 2a The bottom layer of aluminum sheet 12, the middle layer of aluminum sheet 14, and the top layer of aluminum sheet 16 are stacked on top of each other, and they are all generally flat sheets. The middle aluminum sheet 14 can be thinner and more flexible than the top layer of aluminum sheet 16 and the bottom layer of aluminum sheet 12. For example, the top and bottom aluminum sheets 12 and 16 can be 2 to 4 times thicker than the middle aluminum sheet 14. Then, as in Fig. As shown in Figure 2b, an edge weld 17 or another fastening method is applied around the perimeter of the aluminum sheet stack to join the aluminum sheets 12, 14, and 16 together. Then, the lower aluminum sheet 12 is joined to the middle aluminum sheet 14 by a plurality of welds 18, and the upper aluminum sheet 16 is joined to the middle aluminum sheet 14 by a plurality of welds 20.

[0018] With reference to Fig. Figure 3 shows a top view of the stack of aluminum sheets 12, 14, 16, where the solid lines 18 illustrate a plurality of elongated welds 18 between the bottom aluminum sheet 12 and the middle aluminum sheet 14. The dashed lines 20 also illustrate a plurality of elongated welds 20 between the top aluminum sheet 16 and the middle aluminum sheet 14. The elongated welds 18 and 20 can be straight or curved. The elongated welds 18 and 20 are offset from each other to form channels 22, 24 in the bottom layer of aluminum sheet 12 and the middle layer of aluminum sheet 14, and in the top layer of aluminum sheet 16 and the middle layer of aluminum sheet 14. With reference to Fig. 3 The lower layer of aluminum sheet 12 and the upper layer of aluminum sheet 16 or both can be provided with a coolant inlet opening 26 and a coolant outlet opening 28.

[0019] With reference to Fig. Sections 5a-5c now describe an expansion method for expanding the welded aluminum sheets 12, 14, 16. With reference to Fig. 5a The welded stack of aluminum sheets 12, 14, 16 can be placed in an expandable or solid color. A source of a pressure medium 30, such as compressed air or liquid, can be attached to the coolant inlet and / or outlet opening to supply the pressure medium into the channels 22, 24 between the stacked aluminum sheets. Air can be used for thinner aluminum sheets, and water or another liquid can be used for thicker aluminum sheets. With reference to Fig. 5b the structure of the stacked aluminium plates is partially stretched, and the upper colour element is moved into an intermediate position, and in Fig. 5c, the channels 22 and 24 between the stacked aluminum plates are fully formed, and the upper and lower metal sheets reach the desired expansion position. A leak test can be performed during the inflation process.

[0020] Alternatively, as in Fig. Figure 4 shows a top view of the stack of aluminum sheets 12, 14, 16, where the solid circular lines 18' represent a plurality of spot welds 18' between the bottom aluminum sheet 12 and the middle aluminum sheet 14. Furthermore, the dashed circular lines 20' illustrate a plurality of spot welds 20' between the top aluminum sheet 16 and the middle aluminum sheet 14. The spot welds 18 and 20 are offset from each other to form channels in the bottom layer of aluminum sheet 12 and the middle layer of aluminum sheet 14, and in the top layer of aluminum sheet 16 and the middle layer of aluminum sheet 14, respectively. With reference to Fig. 4 The lower layer of aluminum sheet 12 and the upper layer of aluminum sheet 16 or both can be provided with a coolant inlet opening 26 and a coolant outlet opening 28.

[0021] The stack of aluminium sheets 12, 14 and 16, which are welded together by spot welds 18', 20', can then be expanded by introducing a pressure medium, as described above with reference to Fig. Described in sections 5a-5c. It should be noted that a combination of spot and line welding can also be used to form the three-layer cooling plate 10.

[0022] The present disclosure describes a method for manufacturing predominantly flat, double-sided cooling plates 10 using a welding and inflation process. Three flat aluminum sheets are stacked on top of each other. Two of the three metal sheets are joined using controlled partial penetration laser welding or friction welding. Air is passed through the welded stack at a predetermined pressure, based on the metal sheet thicknesses and the required channel heights, to inflate the metal sheets and create the channel structure. The middle sheet deforms so that the two outer sheets are flat, or generally shallow, to make contact with the battery walls. Compared to previous cooling plate designs, this cooling plate requires inexpensive, simple tooling. The process avoids the stamping operations and tooling typically required for brazing.Several joining methods are available, including laser welding, friction welding, or roll joining, with suitable masking films being used to prevent joining in the covered areas. Partial channel welding of the coolant channel can reduce the risk of coolant evaporation during a thermal event in the cell. The simple forming process using three flat aluminum sheets without trimming or pre-forming reduces costs and time for prototyping and production.

[0023] The foregoing description serves only for illustration and is in no way intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or use. The comprehensive teachings of the disclosure can be implemented in a whole range of forms. Although this disclosure includes certain examples, the true scope of the disclosure should therefore not be limited to them, since other modifications will become apparent upon study of the drawings, the patent specification, and the following claims. It is understood that one or more steps within a process may be carried out in a different order (or simultaneously) without altering the principles of the present disclosure.Even though the embodiments described above are each provided with certain features, each or more of these features described in relation to one embodiment of the disclosure can be implemented with features of any of the other embodiments and / or combined with them, even if this combination is not expressly described. In other words, the described embodiments are not mutually exclusive, and the interchangeability of one or more embodiments remains within the scope of this disclosure.

[0024] Spatial and functional relationships between elements (for example, between modules, circuit elements, semiconductor layers, etc.) are described using various terms, including "connected," "interlocking," "coupled," "adjacent," "next to," "on top of," "above," "below," and "arranged." Unless a relationship between first and second elements is expressly described as "direct" in the preceding disclosure, this relationship may be a direct relationship in which no other intervening elements exist between the first and second elements, or an indirect relationship in which one or more intervening elements (either spatial or functional) exist between the first and second elements.As used herein, the expression “A, B and / or C” should be interpreted using a non-exclusive logical OR operation as logical (A OR-connected with B OR-connected with C) and not as “at least one of A, at least one of B and at least one of C”.

Claims

[1] A method of manufacturing a cooling plate, comprising: Stacking three metal sheets on top of each other, each of the three metal sheets being generally flat; Attaching one edge of the three metal sheets together; joining an upper one of the metal sheets to a middle one of the metal sheets at a plurality of first locations; joining a lower one of the metal sheets to the middle one of the metal sheets at a plurality of second locations different from the plurality of first locations; Supplying a pressure medium between the upper one of the metal sheets and the lower one of the metal sheets to separate the upper one of the metal sheets from the lower one of the metal sheets and to deform the middle one of the metal sheets. [2] The method of claim 1, wherein the middle one of the metal sheets is thinner than both the upper one of the metal sheets and the lower one of the metal sheets. [3] The method according to claim 1, wherein the pressure medium is compressed air. [4] The method of claim 1, wherein one of the upper metal sheet and the lower metal sheet comprises a coolant inlet opening and one of the upper metal sheet and the lower metal sheet comprises a coolant outlet opening. [5] The method of claim 1, wherein joining the upper one of the metal sheets to the middle one of the metal sheets and joining the lower one of the metal sheets to the middle one of the metal sheets comprises one of laser welding, friction welding, resistance welding and roll joining. [6] The method of claim 1, wherein securing the edge of the three metal sheets together comprises one of laser welding, friction welding, resistance welding, and roll bonding. [7] The method of claim 1, wherein joining the upper one of the metal sheets to the middle one of the metal sheets at a plurality of first locations and joining the lower one of the metal sheets to the middle one of the metal sheets at a plurality of second locations each comprise a plurality of line welds. [8] The method of claim 1, wherein joining the upper one of the metal sheets to the middle one of the metal sheets at a plurality of first locations and joining the lower one of the metal sheets to the middle one of the metal sheets at a plurality of second locations each comprise a plurality of tack welds.

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