Tube body and production method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10677530-B2
Application number	US-201616064374-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2016
Priority date	Dec 21, 2015
Publication date	Jun 9, 2020
Grant date	Jun 9, 2020

Abstract

A tube body for a heat exchanger may include an outer structure composed of a band material. The outer structure may include two mutually opposite wide sides and two mutually opposite narrow sides delimiting an outer structure interior space. The tube body may further include an inner structure integrally arranged on the outer structure and composed of the band material. The inner structure may be arranged in the outer structure interior space and divide the outer structure interior space into at least two fluid ducts fluidically separated from one another through which a fluid is flowable. The band material may have a material thickness and, at least in certain portions, a material thickness of a portion of the band material defining the inner structure may be less than a material thickness of a portion of the band material defining the outer structure.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A tube body for a heat exchanger, comprising:
an outer structure composed of a band material, the outer structure including two mutually opposite wide sides and two mutually opposite narrow sides delimiting an outer structure interior space; and
an inner structure integrally arranged on the outer structure and composed of the band material, the inner structure arranged in the outer structure interior space and dividing the outer structure interior space into at least two fluid ducts fluidically separated from one another through which a fluid is flowable;
wherein, at least in certain portions of the inner structure, a material thickness of the band material of the inner structure is less than a material thickness of the band material of the outer structure;
wherein the inner structure includes a corrugated region disposed within the outer structure interior space and extending therein such that the corrugated region contacts the two wide sides of the outer structure in an alternating manner providing a support therebetween;
wherein the corrugated region is structured without kinks;
wherein the corrugated region has a wavy geometry including a plurality of oscillating rounded peaks each having an apex;
wherein the inner structure has two inner structure end portions each disposed adjacent to an associated one of the two narrow sides of the outer structure;
wherein a material thickness of the band material of the two inner structure end portions is greater than a material thickness of the band material of the corrugated region; and
wherein the corrugated region has two longitudinal ends that each transition into a respective inner structure end portion of the two inner structure end portions beginning at an associated apex of the apexes.

2. The tube body according to claim 1 , wherein the tube body is structured as a single piece.

3. The tube body according to claim 1 , wherein the outer structure has a main portion having two ends transitioning into two secondary portions, and wherein the two secondary portions fold in towards a centre to form a closed tube body profile such that the main portion defines a first wide side of the two wide sides of the outer structure and the two secondary portions together define a second wide side of the two wide sides of the outer structure.

4. The tube body according to claim 1 , wherein:
the inner structure and the outer structure are provided as a single piece; and
two opposite ends of the outer structure abut one another and fold in towards a centre, the two opposite ends of the outer structure transitioning into the inner structure within the outer structure interior space.

5. The tube body according to claim 1 , wherein the corrugated region is supported on the two wide sides of the outer structure via supporting areas disposed at apex zones of the plurality of oscillating rounded peaks of the corrugated region.

6. The tube body according to claim 1 , wherein the material thickness of the band material of the corrugated region is constant along an entire length of the corrugated region.

7. The tube body according to claim 3 , wherein the two secondary portions each have an outer structure end portion where the outer structure transitions into the inner structure, and wherein a material thickness of the band material decreases at a transition from the outer structure into the inner structure.

8. The tube body according to claim 7 , wherein the outer structure end portion of at least one of the two secondary portions includes a recess.

9. The tube body according to claim 8 , wherein the recess is disposed in an inner side of one of the outer structure end portions which faces the outer structure interior space, and wherein the transition from the outer structure to the inner structure begins within the recess.

10. The tube body according to claim 1 , wherein at least one inner structure end portion of the two inner structure end portions abuts against and extends along one of the two narrow sides of the outer structure.

11. The tube body according to claim 1 , wherein at least one inner structure end portion of the two inner structure end portions and an associated narrow side of the two narrow sides of the outer structure have a round contour.

12. The tube body according to claim 1 , further comprising a tube profile having an axis of symmetry extending along an axis direction defined by the two narrow sides of the outer structure, wherein the tube body is structured symmetrically with respect to the axis of symmetry.

13. The tube body according to claim 1 , wherein the tube body is structured as a profiled part having a tube profile extending along a direction of longitudinal extent extending orthogonally to the two wide sides of the outer structure and orthogonally to the two narrow sides of the outer structure.

14. The tube body according to claim 1 , wherein the band material is a sheet metal strip.

15. A heat exchanger comprising at least one tube body including:
a band material defining an outer structure and an inner structure;
the outer structure including two mutually opposite wide sides and two mutually opposite narrow sides delimiting an outer structure interior space;
the inner structure integrally disposed on the outer structure and arranged within the outer structure interior space such that the outer structure interior space is divided into at least two fluidically separated fluid ducts through which a fluid is flowable;
wherein, at least in certain portions of the inner structure, a band material thickness of the inner structure is smaller than a band material thickness of the outer structure;
wherein the inner structure includes a corrugated region and has two inner structure end portions disposed at opposite ends of the corrugated region, the two inner structure end portions each contacting and extending along an associated one of the two narrow sides of the outer structure;
wherein the corrugated region has a wavy geometry including a plurality of oscillating rounded peaks each having an apex;
wherein the corrugated region has two longitudinal ends that each transition into a respective inner structure end portion of the two inner structure end portions at an associated apex of the apexes; and
wherein the corrugated region has a continuous band material thickness, and a band material thickness of the two inner structure end portions is greater than the continuous band material thickness of the corrugated region.

16. The tube body according to claim 8 , wherein the material thickness of the band material of the outer structure gradually decreases from a bottom of the recess to the material thickness of the band material of the inner structure.

Assignees

• Mahle Int Gmbh

Inventors

• Jedraszak Pawel
• Krupa Andrzej
• Maleszka Michal
• Zywica Lukasz

Classifications

• F28F3/046

  the deformations being linear, e.g. corrugations · CPC title

• F28F9/001

  Casings in the form of plate-like arrangements; Frames enclosing a heat exchange core · CPC title

• F28D2021/008

  for vehicles · CPC title

• F28D1/0391 Primary

  a single plate being bent to form one or more conduits · CPC title

• F28F3/027

  with openings, e.g. louvered corrugated fins; Assemblies of corrugated strips · CPC title