Radiator and lateral bump stop therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11098965-B2
Application number	US-201916378645-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 9, 2019
Priority date	Apr 9, 2019
Publication date	Aug 24, 2021
Grant date	Aug 24, 2021

Abstract

A radiator includes a radiator frame, an array of tube assemblies each including a coolant tube and a tube clip supported in the radiator frame, and a lateral bump stop fitted between the array of tube assemblies and the radiator frame. The lateral bump stop includes cushions arranged in a staggered cushion pattern complementary to a staggered packing pattern of the tube assemblies with each of the cushions in contact with the tube clip of one of the tube assemblies.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A radiator comprising:
a radiator frame including a first frame side, a second frame side, a first frame end, and a second frame end;
an array of tube assemblies each including a coolant tube and a tube clip coupled with the coolant tube at a mid-support location, the array of tube assemblies being supported in the radiator frame in parallel vertical orientations between the first frame end and the second frame end and including inner tube assemblies, and peripheral tube assemblies arranged in a staggered packing pattern adjacent to the first frame side; and
a lateral bump stop fitted between the array of tube assemblies and the first frame side, the lateral bump stop including a plurality of cushions arranged in a staggered cushion pattern complementary to the staggered packing pattern and each in contact with the tube clip of one of the peripheral tube assemblies,
wherein the plurality of cushions includes a first horizontal row of cushions and a second horizontal row of cushions each arranged in the staggered cushion pattern.

2. The radiator of claim 1 wherein the lateral bump stop has a plurality of slots formed therein that extend vertically through the plurality of cushions.

3. The radiator of claim 1 wherein the lateral bump stop includes an elongate one-piece body having the plurality of cushions formed integrally therein.

4. The radiator of claim 3 wherein the lateral bump stop includes a planar back face, and the plurality of cushions each include a front cushion face located opposite to the planar back face.

5. The radiator of claim 4 wherein the lateral bump stop further includes a plurality of mounting elements formed integrally in the elongate one-piece body and projecting from the planar back face.

6. The radiator of claim 4 further comprising an upper mounting plate and a lower mounting plate each supported adjacent to the first frame side, and the lateral bump stop is trapped between the upper mounting plate and the lower mounting plate.

7. The radiator of claim 1 wherein the lateral bump stop is a first lateral bump stop, the radiator further comprising:
a forward stop bar extending horizontally across a forward side of the array of tube assemblies;
a back stop bar extending horizontally across a back side of the array of tube assemblies; and
a second lateral bump stop fitted between the array of tube assemblies and the second frame side of the radiator frame and in contact with a plurality of tube clips in the array of tube assemblies.

8. The radiator of claim 7 wherein the second lateral bump stop includes a plurality of cushions arranged in a second staggered cushion pattern different from the staggered cushion pattern of the first lateral bump stop.

9. A lateral bump stop for supporting an array of tube assemblies in a radiator, the lateral bump stop comprising:
an elongate body including a back side having a planar back face, and a front side formed by a plurality of cushions distributed along a length of the elongate body from a first body end to a second body end;
the plurality of cushions being arranged in a staggered cushion pattern, and each cushion of the plurality of cushions including a front cushion face oriented parallel to the planar back face, and a horizontal support face oriented normal to the front cushion face; and
the front cushion faces being stepped off from one another by a plurality of different step distances that are based on the staggered cushion pattern, such that the front side of the elongate body forms a variable-step profile structured to complement a staggered packing pattern of the array of tube assemblies in the radiator,
wherein a lateral thickness of the elongate body extends between the planar back face and the plurality of cushion faces, and wherein the lateral thickness is stepped down, in net, from the first body end to the second body end.

10. The lateral bump stop of claim 9 wherein the elongate body is a molded one-piece body.

11. The lateral bump stop of claim 10 wherein the elongate body has a plurality of slots formed therein, each slot of the plurality of slots extending through one cushion of the plurality of cushions.

12. The lateral bump stop of claim 11 wherein:
the plurality of cushions includes a first horizontal row of cushions and a second horizontal row of cushions each arranged in the staggered cushion pattern; and
the plurality of slots includes a first set of slots extending vertically through the first horizontal row of cushions and a second set of slots extending vertically through the second horizontal row of cushions and in longitudinal alignment with the first set of slots.

13. The lateral bump stop of claim 11 wherein the plurality of slots includes a set of narrower slots, and wherein the elongate body further has a set of wider slots formed therein, the set of wider slots being in longitudinal alignment with the set of narrower slots and set back from a corresponding one cushion of the plurality of cushions.

14. The lateral bump stop of claim 9 further comprising a plurality of mounting elements arranged within a perimeter of the planar back face and projecting from the planar back face.

15. The lateral bump stop of claim 14 wherein the plurality of mounting elements is formed integrally with the elongate body.

16. The lateral bump stop of claim 9 wherein the back side includes a mounting panel formed integrally with the elongate body.

17. A shock and vibration mitigation system for a radiator, the shock and vibration system comprising:
a lateral bump stop including an elongate body having a back side with a planar back face, and a front side formed by a plurality of cushions, a depth direction extending from the planar back face toward the front side;
the plurality of cushions being arranged in a staggered cushion pattern, and each including a front cushion face oriented parallel to the planar back face;
the front cushion faces being stepped-off from one another according to the staggered cushion pattern, such that the front side of the elongate body forms a stepped profile; and
a plurality of tube clips, for mid-support of coolant tubes in the radiator, each tube clip of the plurality of tube clips being in contact with one cushion of the plurality of cushions, and the plurality of tube clips being interlocked with one another and arranged in a staggered packing pattern that is complementary to the staggered cushion pattern,
wherein the lateral bump stop further includes a plurality of slots formed therein, each slot of the plurality of slots extending through one cushion of the plurality of cushions and being open along the depth direction, and
wherein the plurality of slots includes a set of narrower slots and a set of wider slots, the set of wider slots being in longitudinal alignment with the set of narrower slots and being set back from a corresponding one cushion of the plurality of cushions against the depth direction.

18. The shock and vibration mitigation system of claim 17 wherein each tube clip of the plurality of tube clips includes a tab positioned within a corresponding slot of the plurality of slots.

Assignees

• Caterpillar Inc

Inventors

• Albakhit Hussien A
• Kumar Virender
• Speichinger Jeffrey Joseph
• Voelker James Mccoy
• Wang Fei
• Lakshminarayanan Sudhakar
• Tan Dongming
• Terry Neil Alan

Classifications

• F28F2265/30

  for preventing vibrations · CPC title

• F28F2225/04

  for conduits · CPC title

• F28F9/0131

  formed by plates (F28F9/0138 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F28F9/0135

  formed by grids having only one tube per closed grid opening (F28F9/0132 and F28F9/0133 take precedence) · CPC title

• F28F2265/32

  for limiting movements, e.g. stops, locking means · CPC title