Aircraft heat exchanger finned plate manufacture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11898809-B2
Application number	US-202217981266-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 4, 2022
Priority date	Jan 19, 2020
Publication date	Feb 13, 2024
Grant date	Feb 13, 2024

Abstract

A method for forming a heat exchanger plate includes providing a precursor having a body with a first face and a second face opposite the first face and at least one internal passageway; and pluralities of first and second fin precursors respectively protruding from the first and second faces. First and second fin height profiles are formed by removing material from the respective fin precursors via wire electro-discharge machining.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for forming a heat exchanger plate, the method comprising:
providing a precursor having:
a body with a first face and a second face opposite the first face and at least one internal passageway;
a plurality of first fin precursors protruding from the first face; and
a plurality of second fin precursors protruding from the second face; and

forming a first fin height profile of a first plurality of fins by removing material from the first fin precursors via wire electro-discharge machining; and
forming a second fin height profile of a second plurality of fins by removing material from the second fin precursors via wire electro-discharge machining.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:
the precursor comprises said body integrally cast with said first and second fin precursors.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein:
the forming the first fin height profile cuts tip sections from the first fin precursors; and
the forming the second fin height profile cuts tip sections from the second fin precursors.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein:
the forming the first fin height profile cuts tip sections from the first fin precursors in a single traversal; and
the forming the second fin height profile cuts tip sections from the second fin precursors in a single traversal.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein:
the precursor comprises:
a plurality of said first fin precursors as legs of a first wave-form sheet metal piece and one or more others of said first fin precursors as portions of said body as a casting; and
a plurality of said second fin precursors as legs of a second wave-form sheet metal piece and one or more others of said second fin precursors as portions of said body as a casting.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein:
the first wave-form sheet metal piece, the second wave-form sheet metal piece, and the casting are of nickel-based superalloy.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein:
the forming the first fin height profile removes the material from the first fin precursors in a single traversal and
the forming the second fin height profile removes the material from the second fin precursors in a single traversal.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein:
the removed material from the first fin precursors is tip sections or peaks; and
the removed material from the second fin precursors is tip sections or peaks.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein:
the forming the first fin height profile comprises traversing wire parallel to the first fin precursors to cut the first fin precursors and
the forming the second fin height profile comprises traversing wire parallel to the second fin precursors to cut the second fin precursors.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein:
the forming the first fin height profile cuts peaks or tip sections from the first fin precursors in a single traversal and
the forming the second fin height profile cuts peaks or tip sections from the second fin precursors in a single traversal.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein:
the forming the first fin height profile cuts peaks or tip sections from the first fin precursors in a single traversal; and
the forming the second fin height profile cuts peaks or tip sections from the second fin precursors in a single traversal.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein:
the precursor comprises said body integrally cast with said first and second fin precursors.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein:
the precursor comprises said body integrally cast with said first and second fin precursors; or
the precursor comprises:
a plurality of said first fin precursors as legs of a first wave-form sheet metal piece and one or more others of said first fin precursors as portions of said body as a casting; and
a plurality of said second fin precursors as legs of a second wave-form sheet metal piece and one or more others of said second fin precursors as portions of said body as a casting.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein:
the providing comprises casting of nickel-based superalloy.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein:
the providing comprises additively manufacturing of nickel-based superalloy.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein:
the forming the first fin height profile comprises a cutting traversal parallel to the first fin precursors to cut the first fin precursors; and
the forming the second fin height profile comprises a cutting traversal parallel to the second fin precursors to cut the second fin precursors.

17. A method for forming a heat exchanger, the method comprising:
forming, according to the method of claim 1 , a plurality of heat exchanger plates; and
securing the plurality of heat exchanger plates to at least one manifold with a progressively varying orientation.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein:
the at least one manifold is arcuate; and
the arcuateness provides the progressively varying orientation.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein each said body comprises:
at least one port mated to the manifold.

20. A method for forming a heat exchanger plate, the method comprising:
providing a precursor having:
a body with a first face and a second face opposite the first face and at least one internal passageway;
a plurality of first fin precursors protruding from the first face; and
a plurality of second fin precursors protruding from the second face; and

forming a first fin height profile of a first plurality of fins by removing material from the first fin precursors via wire electro-discharge machining to cut tip sections from the first fin precursors; and
forming a second fin height profile of a second plurality of fins by removing material from the second fin precursors via wire electro-discharge machining to cut tip sections from the second fin precursors.

Assignees

• Raytheon Tech Corp
• Rtx Corp

Inventors

• Wiedenhoefer James F
• Bergman Russell J
• Stillman William P

Classifications

• F28F3/046 Primary

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

• B21D13/00

  Corrugating sheet metal, rods or profiles; Bending sheet metal, rods or profiles into wave form (tubes B21D15/00) · CPC title

• B21D53/02

  heat exchangers {or parts thereof}, e.g. radiators, condensers {fins, headers}(making finned or ribbed tubes by fixing strip material or the like to tubes B21C37/22) · CPC title

• B21D53/022

  Making the fins · CPC title

• B23P15/26

  heat exchangers {or the like (making heat exchangers by methods covered by other subclasses B21D53/02)} · CPC title