Interlocking Plate Heat Exchanger for Thin Lightweight Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional casting methods for heat exchanger components are time-consuming and expensive, resulting in larger, heavier components that are not ideal for applications where space and weight are critical, such as aerospace.
Innovation Solution
A method involving machining heat exchanger plates to precise dimensions with interlocking ribs and flow passages, allowing for smaller, lighter components, using techniques like EDM machining and diffusion bonding, which reduces material thickness and weight while improving structural integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If casting methods are used to manufacture heat exchanger components, then production is established and components can be created, but the components become larger and heavier than desired
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the manufacturing method from casting to machining, which allows for precise control of material thickness and removal. This parameter change in the manufacturing process enables the creation of thinner, lighter components while maintaining structural integrity and functional requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The machining process selectively removes material from the plates to create the desired heat exchanger geometry. By taking out excess material through precision machining, the component achieves minimal necessary thickness and weight while preserving all functional features like flow passages and bonding surfaces.
2Ease of manufacture
If casting methods are used to manufacture heat exchanger components, then components can be produced, but the production process becomes time-consuming and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The plates are pre-machined to precise dimensions and features before assembly. This preliminary action of machining individual plates to exact specifications allows for faster assembly and reduces the overall production time, as the components are ready for immediate bonding without requiring post-casting processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the complex casting process with a combination of machining and assembly operations. This substitution eliminates the time-consuming steps of creating ceramic cores, pouring molten metal, and extended curing times associated with casting, while achieving comparable or superior component quality.
3Ease of manufacture
If casting methods are used to manufacture heat exchanger components, then components can be created, but finer details and smaller dimensions cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
Changing from casting to machining as the primary manufacturing method enables precise control over dimensional parameters. Machining operations can achieve tighter tolerances and finer surface finishes, allowing for smaller, more precise heat exchanger components with accurately defined flow passages and bonding surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The machining process creates precise copies of the desired geometry by removing material according to exact specifications. This allows for replication of complex features like turbulators, flow passages, and interlocking rib structures with high precision, which would be difficult or impossible to achieve through casting.
4Ease of manufacture
If larger dimensions are used to accommodate casting requirements, then successful casting can be achieved, but the heat exchanger becomes heavier and occupies more space
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of starting with large blank material and hoping to achieve the desired geometry through casting, the invention inverts the approach by machining down from larger plates to the precise final dimensions. This reverse engineering approach ensures that the final component volume is minimized while maintaining all necessary features.
Solution Approach 2:
The machining process enables the creation of thin plate structures with precise thickness control. By removing material to achieve minimal necessary thickness while maintaining structural integrity through proper design of ribs and flow passages, the component volume is significantly reduced compared to casting which requires thicker sections for successful mold filling and structural support.
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 approach enables the rapid and cost-effective production of heat exchangers with finer details and reduced size, addressing the limitations of traditional casting methods by producing lighter, more efficient components suitable for space-sensitive applications.
Implementation Method 1
machining a plate of material having a starting thickness... the machining comprising machining down the starting thickness
Implementation Method 2
the joining step comprises a diffusion bonding step
Implementation Method 3
applying braze to at least one of the at least two ribs of the trimmed heat exchanger plate and the ribs of the further heat exchanger plate
Implementation Method 4
the machining comprises wire-EDM machining
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
A method for making a heat exchanger (10) includes machining a plate of material having a starting thickness and at least one alignment feature, the machining including machining down the starting thickness to produce a heat exchanger plate (16; 54; 56) having at least one flow passage segment, and at least two ribs arranged extending along each side of the at least one flow segment; removing the at least one alignment feature to provide a trimmed heat exchanger plate (16; 54; 56); stacking the trimmed heat exchanger plate (16; 54; 56) with a further heat exchanger plate (16; 54; 56) with the at least two ribs interlocked with ribs of the further heat exchanger plate (16; 54; 56), and the at least one flow segment aligned with a flow segment of the further heat exchanger plate (16; 54; 56); and joining the at least two ribs of the trimmed heat exchanger plate (16; 54; 56) and the ribs of the further heat exchanger plate (16; 54; 56) together. The at least two ribs can be configured to interlock with ribs of an adjacent plate (16; 54; 56). Resulting heat exchangers (10) can be produced wherein the plates (16; 54; 56) define parting plate thicknesses that are thin and useful in space and weight constrained locations.