Tube element clip

Abstract

Provided is a clip 12 for holding a tube element 4, which comprises a flat tube 2 and a corrugated fin 3, and joining these tube elements to each other, wherein the clips 12 do not easily separate from each other in a state in which the tube elements are being held. One side surface of the clip 12 is provided with a first fitting part 5, and the other side surface is provided with a second fitting part 6. In addition, a back surface holding part 7 is provided on an open side of the clip 12, and a front surface holding part 8 is provided on a closed side. Furthermore, a tongue piece 9 is provided between the back surface holding part 7 and the front surface holding part 8.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a heat exchanger having a removable tube and fin assembly found in the engine cooling system of construction machinery, etc., and to a clip for holding the tube element consisting of the tube and fin assembly. [Background technology]

[0002] There are tube elements that consist of an assembly of flat tubes and corrugated fins, and each element can be removed from the header for repair or replacement. In order to hold the tube elements, clips are attached to the multiple tube elements and the clips are connected to each other, as described in Patent Document 1 below. 11 to 13 show a clip 13 for a conventional tube element 4 described in Patent Document 1. FIG. 11(A) is a plan view, and (B) is a front view. Also, Fig. 12 is an explanatory diagram of the installation of the clip 13, with (A) being a plan view, (B) being a front view, and (C) being a side view. Furthermore, Fig. 13 is a plan view showing a state in which a number of clips 13 are arranged in a row. This clip 13 is made of a resin molded body and, as shown in Figure 11, has a channel-shaped first fitting portion 13a on one side and a matching second fitting portion 13b on the other side. A protrusion 13f protrudes from the front side of the clip 13, and a U-shaped front support portion 13e is formed between the first and second fitting portions 13a, 13b, with a tongue portion 13c provided inside the front support portion 13e. Furthermore, an abutment surface 13g is formed at one end of the first fitting portion 13a. This clip 13 holds a tube element 4, which is a combination of a flat tube 2 and a corrugated fin 3, as shown in Figures 12(A) to 12(C). That is, a U-shaped front holding portion 13e holds the front surface of the tube element 4, and a tongue portion 13c is inserted between adjacent bent portions 3a of the corrugated fin 3. Next, as shown in FIG. 13, a large number of such clips 13 are connected together in the X and Y directions in the figure, and are arranged in a staggered pattern on a plane and connected to each other. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent No. 6,357,513 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the conventional clip 13, the tube element 4 is housed in a front holding portion 13e having a U-shaped cross section as shown in Fig. 12. At this time, there is a risk that the tube element 4 may move to the open side of the front holding portion 13e and come out. Furthermore, when the tongue portion 13c provided in the U-shape is inserted between the bent portions 3a of the corrugated fin 3, it is difficult to insert it smoothly. Furthermore, when a large number of clips 13 are connected in the Y direction in FIG. 13, there is a drawback in that the clips 13 tend to separate from one another. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to eliminate these drawbacks. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present invention as set forth in claim 1 comprises a flat tube 2 having a pair of opposing flat surfaces 1, Corrugated fins 3 formed in a wave shape; a plurality of tube elements 4, each of which has a bent portion 3a on one side of a wave of the corrugated fin 3 joined to the flat surface 1 so as to be perpendicular to the axis Z of the flat tube 2; and In the clip for connecting the tube elements 4 together, When a direction perpendicular to the axis Z and a ridge direction of the bent portion 3a is defined as Y, and a direction perpendicular to Y and Z is defined as X, a first fitting portion 5 formed on one side surface in the X direction with a groove bottom in the Z direction in a dovetail shape; and a second fitting portion 6 formed on the other side surface and having a convex cross section that can be fitted into the first fitting portion 5. a back surface holding portion 7 that is open on one side in the Y direction and holds one end of the corrugated fin 3 that is perpendicular to the ridge line direction of the bent portion 3 a on an edge of an inner wall surface of the back surface holding portion 7 in a hook-shaped cross section; On the non-open side, a front holding portion 8 having a U-shaped cross section for holding the other end of the corrugated fin 3; The clip for a tube element includes a tongue piece 9 formed between the rear holding portion 7 and the front holding portion 8 and inserted between adjacent waves of the corrugated fin 3. The present invention as set forth in claim 2 provides the clip for the tube element as set forth in claim 1, This is a tube element clip comprising a third fitting portion 10 on the outer side surface in the Y direction of the front holding portion 8, the groove bottom of which is formed in a dovetail shape in the Z direction, and a fourth fitting portion 11 that protrudes from the outer side surface in the Y direction of the back holding portion 7 and can be fitted into the third fitting portion 10. The present invention as set forth in claim 3 provides a clip for a tube element as set forth in either claim 1 or claim 2, This is a clip for a tube element in which the width of the tongue piece 9 in the X direction gradually increases from the rear holding portion 7 to the front holding portion 8. The present invention as set forth in claim 4 provides a clip for a tube element as set forth in claim 1 or claim 2, The clip is a tube element clip in which the maximum width of the tongue piece 9 in the X direction is in the range of 30 to 70% of the height (W) of the corrugated fin 3. The present invention as set forth in claim 5 provides a clip for a tube element as set forth in any one of claims 2 to 4, The third fitting portion 10 is composed of a first protruding portion 10a located on the second fitting portion 6 side of the outer side of the front holding portion 8 and protruding in the Y direction, and a second protruding portion 10b located on the first fitting portion 5 side of the outer side of the front holding portion 8 and protruding in the Y direction, When the fourth fitting portion 11 of the clip adjacent to the third fitting portion 10 in the Y direction is fitted to the third fitting portion 10, the end face of the first protrusion 10a or the end face of the second protrusion 10b is a clip of a tube element that supports one end in the longitudinal direction of the cross section of the flat tube 2 of the tube element 4 held by the clip adjacent to it in the Y direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] In the invention described in claim 1, a dovetail-shaped first fitting portion 5 is formed in the Z direction on one side surface of the clip 12 in the X direction, and a convex second fitting portion 6 that can fit into the first fitting portion 5 is formed on the other side surface. This allows the clips 12 to be connected to each other in the X direction. Moreover, because the first fitting portion 5 is formed in a dovetail, there is no risk of adjacent clips 12 separating from each other in the X direction. The clip 12 also has a rear holding portion 7 on its Y-direction side that holds one end of the corrugated fin 3 in a hook-shaped cross section, and a front holding portion 8 on its other side that holds the other end of the corrugated fin 3 in a U-shaped cross section, which allows the tube element 4 to be held inside the clip 12. Moreover, because the rear holding portion 7 is formed in a hook shape, it can prevent the tube element 4 from slipping out in the Y direction. Furthermore, tongues 9 are provided between the rear holding portion 7 and the front holding portion 8 to be inserted between the waves of the corrugated fin 3. This prevents the tube element 4 held by the clip 12 from slipping out in the Z direction. The invention described in claim 2 comprises a third fitting portion 10 on the outer side surface of the front holding portion 8 in the Y direction, the groove bottom of which is formed in a dovetail shape in the Z direction, and a fourth fitting portion 11 protruding from the outer side surface of the back holding portion 7 in the Y direction and capable of fitting into the third fitting portion 10. This allows the clips 12 to be connected to each other in the Y direction. Moreover, since the third fitting portion 10 is formed in a dovetail groove shape, it is possible to prevent the clips from coming off in the Y direction. In the invention described in claim 3, the width of the tongue piece 9 is formed to gradually increase from the rear holding portion 7 to the front holding portion 8. This allows the tongue pieces 9 to be smoothly inserted between the waves of the corrugated fin 3. In the invention described in claim 4, the maximum width of the tongue piece 9 is in the range of 30 to 70% of the height W of the corrugated fin 3. This prevents the clip 12 from falling off the corrugated fin 3 in the Z direction, and also alleviates the Z-directional constraint of the corrugated fin 3 and the flat tube 2 by the clip 12, thereby suppressing the generation of thermal stress caused by that constraint. The invention described in claim 5 is such that, when the fourth fitting portion 11 of the clip adjacent to the third fitting portion 10 in the Y direction is fitted into the third fitting portion 10, the end face of the first protrusion 10a or the end face of the second protrusion 10b forming the third fitting portion 10 supports one end in the longitudinal direction of the cross section of the flat tube 2 of the tube element 4 held by the clip adjacent to it in the Y direction. This configuration ensures more reliable support in the Y direction for the tube element 4 located at the end of the connected tube element group in the X direction. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] FIG. 1 shows a clip 12 of the present invention, where (A) is a perspective view, (B) is a plan view, and (C) is a side view. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the attachment of the clip 12 to the tube element 4, where (A) shows the state before attachment and (B) shows the state after attachment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating how to use the clip 12, where (A) is a plan view and (B) is a view taken along the arrow BB in (A). FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the state in which a large number of clips 12 are attached. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the attached state of the clip 12. FIG. FIG. 6 shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view (A), a cross-sectional view (B) of the BB portion, and a cross-sectional view (C) of the CC portion showing the attached state of the clip 12. 7A is a front view showing the relationship between the support bracket 14 supporting the clip 12 and the heat exchanger 18, and FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB. FIG. 8 is a plan view of a second embodiment of the clip 12 of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating how to use the clip 12, where (A) is a plan view and (B) is a view taken along the arrow BB in (A). FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the amount of cutting S of the tongue piece 9 of the clip 12 and the cushion load ratio. FIG. 11 shows a plan view (A) and a front view (B) of a conventional clip 13. FIG. 12 shows the attached state of the clip 13 and the tube element 4, where (A) is a plan view, (B) is a front view, and (C) is a side view. FIG. 13 is a plan view showing the state in which the same large number of clips 13 are attached. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a perspective view (A), a plan view (B), and a side view (C) of the clip 12 of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of attaching the clip 12 to a tube element 4, with FIG. 2(A) being a perspective view showing the state before attachment, and FIG. 2(B) being a perspective view showing the state after attachment. The clip 12 is made of, for example, a resin material, and the wall surface thereof is partially elastically deformable. As shown in Fig. 2(B), the clip 12 holds the outer periphery of the tube element 4, which is a joint of the flat tube 2 and the corrugated fin 3. The tube element 4 in which the clip 12 of the present invention is used comprises a pair of opposing flat surfaces 1, a flat tube 2 formed by side surfaces connecting the flat surfaces 1 into a cylindrical shape, and a corrugated fin 3 formed in a wave shape. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 2(A), a bent portion 3a on one side of the wave shape of the corrugated fin 3 is brazed and fixed integrally to the outside of the pair of flat surfaces 1, perpendicular to an axis Z connecting the openings of the flat tube 2 (the direction parallel to this axis Z is defined as the Z direction). Here, the Y direction is a direction perpendicular to the Z direction and directed along the ridge lines of the bent portions 3a of the corrugated fins 3. The X direction is a direction perpendicular to the Z and Y directions. The flat tubes 1 constituting the tube elements 4 can have cylindrical ends in the Z direction. The clip 12 for such a tube element 4 has a pair of side surfaces facing each other in the X direction, with a first fitting portion 5 formed on the outside of one side surface and a convex second fitting portion 6 that can fit into the first fitting portion 5 formed on the outside of the other side surface. The cross section of the first fitting portion 5 (a surface perpendicular to the Z direction) is dovetail-shaped, and the groove extends in the Z direction as shown in FIG. 1(C). The width of the bottom of the groove is slightly wider than the width of the groove opening as shown in FIG. 1(B). The tip side of the convex second fitting portion 6 is wider than the base side. Next, one side of the clip 12 in the Y direction is open. A back holding portion 7 having a hook-like cross section is formed at the inner tip of the side surface on which the second fitting portion 6 is formed. Furthermore, a back holding portion 7 having a hook-like cross section is also formed at the inner tip edge of the side surface on which the first fitting portion 5 is formed. The other side in the Y direction is closed by a wall surface, and a pair of side surfaces facing each other in the X direction that are connected integrally to the wall surface form a front holding portion 8 having a U-shaped cross section. A tongue 9 is formed on the inner side of the side where the second fitting portion 6 is formed, between the back holding portion 7 and the front holding portion 8. This tongue 9 is inserted into the bent portion 3a side of the corrugated fin 3 that is not connected to the flat surface 1. 1(B), the tongue 9 can be formed so that its width gradually increases from the rear support portion 7 toward the front support portion 8, providing a shape suitable for smooth insertion. The thickness of the tongue 9 should be slightly smaller than the pitch between the bent portions 3a of the corrugated fin 3. The tongue piece 9 may be formed on the inside of the side surface on which the first fitting portion 5 is formed. 1(B), the fourth fitting portion 11 can be formed with a stepped cross section at the tip of the open side of the clip 12. In this case, a third fitting portion 10 that can be fitted into the fourth fitting portion 11 is formed on the outer surface of the wall of the front holding portion 8. The third fitting portion 10 has a dovetail-shaped cross section, similar to the first fitting portion 5, and the groove is provided along the Z direction. 2(A), the tube element 4 is inserted into the clip 12 of the present invention from the rear holding portion 7 side of the clip 12. At this time, the front holding portion 8 of the clip 12 is partially elastically deformed, and the rear holding portion 7 side expands outward. One end of the corrugated fin 3 of the tube element 4 in the Y direction abuts against the front holding portion 8, and the other end abuts against the rear holding portion 7 or faces it via a small gap. At this time, the tongue 9 is inserted into the gap between the bent portions 3a of one of the corrugated fins 3. During this insertion, in this example, the tongue 9 is smoothly inserted between the bent portions 3a because the width of the tongue 9 on the back support portion 7 side is narrower. The tongue 9 prevents the clip 12 from falling off the corrugated fin 3 in the Z direction. 3A and 3B are a plan view and a front view, respectively, showing a state in which the clip 12 of the present invention is used. In Fig. 3, when a pair of clips 12 are arranged side by side in the X direction, the second fitting portion 6 and the first fitting portion 5 of adjacent clips 12 are fitted together, and the dovetail grooves of the first fitting portions 5 prevent them from coming off in the X direction. Fig. 4 is a plan view showing a state in which a number of clips 12 are connected in the X and Y directions while holding a tube element 4. In Fig. 4, when a number of clips 12 are arranged in the Y direction, one fourth fitting portion 11 fits into the other third fitting portion 10 arranged in the Y direction. At this time, the third fitting portion 10 is formed in a dovetail groove shape, so the third fitting portion 10 maintains its fitted state with the fourth fitting portion 11. When the fourth fitting portion 11 is fitted into the third fitting portion 10, the groove of the third fitting portion 10 of the mating clip 12 is elastically deformed and widened. The third fitting portion 10 is formed between a first protrusion 10a located on the second fitting portion 6 side outside the front holding portion 8 and protruding in the Y direction, and a second protrusion 10b located on the first fitting portion 5 side outside the front holding portion 8 and protruding in the Y direction. 4, when the fourth fitting portion 11 of the clip adjacent in the Y direction is fitted to the third fitting portion 10, the end face of the first protrusion 10a and the end face of the second protrusion 10b are configured to support one end in the longitudinal direction of the cross section of the flat tube 2 of the tube element 4 held by the clip adjacent in the Y direction. This structure of the end face of the first protrusion 10a and the end face of the second protrusion 10b makes it possible to support approximately half the width of the flat tube 2 in the short direction of the cross section. The length of the flat tubes 2 of the tube elements 4 in the longitudinal direction is preferably equal to the length of the corrugated fins 3 from one end to the other end in the Y direction. The assembly of a large number of clips 12 and tube elements 4 is clamped between a pair of support brackets 14 arranged on both sides in the Y direction via support rubbers 15, as shown in Figures 5 and 6. The support brackets 14 are detachably attached to a pair of support members on the left and right sides of the heat exchanger 18, as shown in Figure 7(A). 7(B), both upper and lower ends of the flat tube 2 of each tube element 4 are cylindrical portions 2a. The upper and lower cylindrical portions 2a are inserted into header plates 16a of upper and lower tanks 16 via mount cushions 17. The upper and lower mount cushions 17 absorb thermal strain that occurs in the flat tube 2. 7(B), a retaining annular projection 2b can be provided on the outer periphery of the lower cylindrical portion 2a of the flat tube 2. This annular projection 2b fits into the inner periphery of the lower mount cushion 17b, preventing the flat tube 2 from slipping out. In this structure, the support rubber 15 is fixed to the support bracket 14, so if the tongue 9 of the clip 12 restricts the displacement of the flat tube 2 in the Z-axis direction too much, a large load will be placed on the lower mount cushion 17b, whose displacement is limited by the annular protrusion 2b. As a result, cracks may occur in the lower mount cushion 17b, which may cause liquid leakage. As a means for solving the above problem, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8 is a plan view of a second embodiment of the clip 12 of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating how to use the clip 12, where (A) is the plan view and (B) is a view taken along the arrow BB in (A). The inventors discovered that, as shown in Figure 8, by cutting from the width of the first embodiment shown by the dotted line to the width 9a shown by the solid line, and by separating the tip of the contour 9b from the outer surface of the flat tube 2 as shown in Figure 9(B), it is possible to alleviate the constraint on the flat tube 2 in the Z direction. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the amount of cutting S of the tongue piece 9 of the clip 12 and the cushion load ratio. The vertical axis represents the cushion load ratio (%) of the lower mount cushion 17b, and the horizontal axis represents the amount of scraping (%) of the width 9a of the tongue 9. The cushion load ratio of the lower mount cushion 17b for the tongue 9 of the first embodiment (when the tongue 9 is not scraped) is set to 100%, and the amount of scraping S for the tongue 9 of the first embodiment (when the tongue 9 is not scraped) is set to 0.0%. The correlation between the two is plotted. As shown in Figure 10, if the maximum value of the width 9a of the tongue 9 in the X direction is set to 30 to 70%, more preferably 40 to 60%, of the height W of the corrugated fin 3 (corresponding to the amount of cutting S of the tongue 9 in the same figure), the constraint of the corrugated fin 3 and the flat tube 2 in the Z direction by the clip 12 is alleviated, and the generation of thermal stress due to that constraint is suppressed. The height W of the corrugated fins 3 corresponds to twice the amplitude of the waves of the corrugated fins 3 . [Industrial Applicability]

[0009] The clip of the present invention can be used to hold tube elements in a heat exchanger. [Explanation of symbols]

[0010] 1 flat surface 2 Flat tube 2a Cylindrical part 2b Annular convex part 3 Corrugated fins 3a Bend section 4 Tube Elements 5 1st fitting part 6 2nd fitting part 7 Back holding part 8 Front retainer 9 Tongue piece 9a width 10 3rd fitting part 10a 1st protrusion 10b Second protrusion 11 4th fitting part 12 clips 13 clips 13a 1st fitting part 13b 2nd fitting part 13c Tongue piece 13e Front retainer 13f convex part 13g Contact surface 14 Support bracket 15 Support rubber 16 Tank 16a Header plate 17 Mounting cushion 18 Heat exchanger ZZ direction (center line) XX direction YY direction W Corrugated fin height

Claims

1. a flat tube (2) having a pair of opposing flat surfaces (1); A corrugated fin (3) formed in a wave shape; a plurality of tube elements (4) in which a bent portion (3a) on one side of the wave of the corrugated fin (3) is joined to the flat surface (1) perpendicular to the axis Z of the flat tube (2); and In the clip for connecting the tube elements (4) together, When the direction perpendicular to the axis Z and the ridge direction of the bent portion (3a) is defined as Y, and the direction perpendicular to Y and Z is defined as X, a first fitting portion (5) having a dovetail groove bottom formed in the Z direction on one side surface in the X direction; and a convex second fitting portion (6) formed on the other side surface and having a cross section that can be fitted into the first fitting portion (5); a back surface holding portion (7) that is open on one side in the Y direction and holds one end of the bent portion (3 a) of the corrugated fin (3) perpendicular to the ridge line direction on the edge of the inner wall surface of the back surface holding portion (7) in a hook-like shape in cross section; On the non-open side, there is a front holding portion (8) having a U-shaped cross section that holds the other end of the corrugated fin (3), A clip for a tube element comprising: a tongue (9) formed between the rear holding portion (7) and the front holding portion (8) and inserted between adjacent waves of the corrugated fin (3).

2. 2. The tube element clip according to claim 1, A tube element clip comprising: a third fitting portion (10) on the outer side surface of the front holding portion (8) in the Y direction, the groove bottom of which is formed in a dovetail shape in the Z direction; and a fourth fitting portion (11) protruding from the outer side surface of the back holding portion (7) in the Y direction and capable of fitting into the third fitting portion (10).

3. The tube element clip according to claim 1 or 2, A clip for a tube element in which the width of the tongue (9) in the X direction gradually increases from the rear holding portion (7) to the front holding portion (8).

4. The tube element clip according to claim 1 or 2, A clip for a tube element, wherein the maximum width of the tongue (9) in the X direction is in the range of 30 to 70% of the height (W) of the corrugated fin (3).

5. The tube element clip according to any one of claims 2 to 4, The third fitting portion (10) comprises a first protruding portion (10a) located on the second fitting portion (6) side outside the front holding portion (8) and protruding in the Y direction, and a second protruding portion (10b) located on the first fitting portion (5) side outside the front holding portion (8) and protruding in the Y direction, A tube element clip in which, when the fourth fitting portion (11) of a clip adjacent to the third fitting portion (10) in the Y direction is fitted to the third fitting portion (10), the end face of the first protrusion (10a) or the end face of the second protrusion (10b) supports one end in the longitudinal direction of the cross section of the flat tube (2) of a tube element (4) held by the clip adjacent to the Y direction.

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