Heat Exchanger Reinforcing Plate Positioning for Leak Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
In water-cooling type intercoolers, the assembly of core parts and reinforcing plates is challenging due to potential misalignment, leading to difficulties in brazing and increased risk of leaks.
Innovation Solution
The design includes a heat exchanger configuration with a core part, upper and lateral reinforcing plates featuring specific fixing/matching sections and tabs, and a lower reinforcing plate, allowing for precise positioning and assembly, thereby improving brazeability and reducing the risk of leaks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If reinforcing plates are assembled with the core part without specific positioning features, then the assembly process is simpler, but misalignment occurs causing leakage and poor brazeability
Solution Approach 1:
Positioning features such as positioning holes and positioning protrusions are pre-formed on the reinforcing plates and core part before assembly. This preliminary preparation ensures that when assembly occurs, the components automatically align correctly without requiring complex alignment procedures or additional positioning steps during manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
Positioning features act as intermediary elements between the reinforcing plates and core part. These features (positioning holes and protrusions) serve as mediators that transmit and enforce the positioning relationship, ensuring accurate alignment while simplifying the overall assembly process by providing a clear reference framework.
2Manufacturing precision
If components are joined by brazing without proper positioning, then the joining process is faster, but interference between edges occurs reducing brazeability
Solution Approach 1:
Positioning features are pre-formed on all components before the brazing process. This preliminary positioning action eliminates the need for time-consuming alignment adjustments during assembly, allowing workers to proceed directly to brazing once components are placed in their correct positions, thereby reducing overall assembly time while ensuring high brazeability.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical positioning system (positioning holes and protrusions) replaces the need for complex mechanical alignment procedures and edge clearance adjustments. By using this standardized positioning mechanism, the process achieves both high precision for brazing and reduced assembly time, as the positioning features guide components into correct alignment automatically.
3Strength
If reinforcing plates are added to increase strength, then the core part becomes more durable, but the assembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcing plates are designed as separate, modular components with integrated positioning features, rather than being part of a monolithic complex assembly. This segmentation allows each reinforcing plate to be independently manufactured and assembled, reducing overall assembly complexity while maintaining the strength benefits of reinforcement.
Solution Approach 2:
Positioning features are pre-formed on the reinforcing plates during their manufacturing process, before assembly with the core part. This preliminary action simplifies the assembly process by eliminating the need for complex alignment procedures or additional positioning steps, allowing the reinforcing plates to be quickly and accurately attached to enhance structural strength.
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 configuration facilitates correct assembly of core and reinforcing plates, enhancing productivity and durability by ensuring proper alignment and secure joining through brazing, even under high-temperature and high-pressure conditions.
Implementation Method 1
an intercooler is a device cooling air compressed by a supercharger at a high temperature and at a high pressure
Implementation Method 2
the coolant passes through the inside of the tubes; a heat exchanger core, which is an assembly where the header tanks, the tubes, and the fins are assembled
Implementation Method 3
when each component is joined by brazing or the like in a state where the component is not assembled at the correct position
Data Source
AI summary
A heat exchanger with a core part; an upper reinforcing plate which is disposed on the upper side of the core part in the height direction and in which a first fixing/matching section is formed; a pair of lateral reinforcing plates disposed on both sides of the core part in the longitudinal direction, the upper side of at least one of the two lateral reinforcing plates being coupled to the first fixing/matching section of the upper reinforcing plate, and a second fixing/matching section being formed on the lower side of each of the lateral reinforcing plates; and a lower reinforcing plate disposed on the lower side of the core part in the height direction, and both sides of which are coupled to the second fixing/matching sections of the pair of lateral reinforcing plates, wherein each of components can be correctly positioned, and thus productivity and assemblability are improved.