Combo-Cooler Bracket Design for Thermal Stress Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing combo-coolers face reliability concerns due to thermal stress between adjacent heat exchangers with different operating temperatures, which can lead to structural weakening when trying to mitigate this stress through weakened tank/manifold assemblies, compromising structural integrity and vibration resistance.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a bracket with a gap between cut tank/manifold sections to allow thermal expansion and contraction without generating stress, while maintaining structural integrity through slidable contact and stop flanges to prevent fore/aft movement, thereby reducing thermal stress and enhancing reliability in vibration environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stress or pressure
If the tank/manifold assembly is weakened to reduce thermal stress between adjacent heat exchangers, then thermal stress is reduced, but structural integrity and vibration resistance are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The tank/manifold assembly is divided into separate sections with a gap between adjacent heat exchanger interfaces. This segmentation allows each section to independently accommodate thermal expansion and contraction, reducing thermal stress while the gap itself acts as a stress isolation zone that prevents stress transmission between adjacent heat exchangers.
Solution Approach 2:
A bracket structure serves as an intermediary element between the separated tank/manifold sections. The bracket provides mechanical support and maintains spatial relationships while allowing controlled movement, thereby preserving structural integrity without transmitting thermal stress between adjacent heat exchangers.
2Stress or pressure
If the tank/manifold is cut into separate sections to allow thermal expansion, then thermal stress is reduced, but the combo-cooler experiences vibration in the fore/aft direction
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket structure is designed with specific geometric parameters including stop flanges positioned at optimized distances from the gap. These parameter adjustments allow the system to permit thermal expansion movements while restraining fore/aft vibrations, effectively changing the mechanical constraints to accommodate different operational requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket assembly provides dynamic restraint rather than rigid fixation. The stop flanges and bracket geometry allow controlled movement in thermal expansion directions while providing resistance to vibration-induced fore/aft movements, adapting the structural response to different types of mechanical stresses.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design allows for the reduction of thermal stress between adjacent heat exchangers, maintaining structural integrity and improving the reliability of combo-coolers in automotive applications by allowing thermal expansion and contraction while preventing unwanted movement that could compromise the structure.
Implementation Method 1
Thermal expansion and contraction may be quite different between adjacent heat exchangers
Implementation Method 2
Thermal expansion and contraction may be quite different between adjacent heat exchangers
Implementation Method 3
slidable contact and stop flanges to prevent fore/aft movement
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
Figure 6~7
AI summary
A combo-cooler includes heat exchangers having parallel tubes corresponding to each heat exchanger aligned in a tube plane. A first end tank assembly includes a columnar end tank separated by a baffle into compartments each in fluid communication with a respective hydraulically independent fluid circuit. The second tank assembly includes manifolds aligned in a column. Serially adjacent manifolds are in slidable contact or separated by a respective gap to allow relative translation. Banks of the tubes are brazed in fluid communication with a compartment and a manifold to connect the compartment and the manifold to have a respective fluid flow therethrough. A bracket contacts at least two of the serially adjacent manifolds to prevent translation between the bracket and the serially adjacent manifolds perpendicular to the tube plane and to allow relative translation between the at least two of the serially adjacent manifolds parallel to the tubes.