FR3055697A1 - SOLDERING BRACKET FOR HEAT EXCHANGER, HEAT EXCHANGER. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a soldering support (1) for a heat exchanger (9) provided with a heat exchange surface (90) and comprising a connection flange (91), the soldering support being able to control the expansion of said exchanger during soldering, the brazing support (1) comprising: - at least one positioning pin (11) adapted to hold the heat exchanger (9) in position during brazing; - At least one orientation pin (12) adapted to guide an expansion of the heat exchanger (9) during brazing; - A housing (10) adapted to maintain said connection flange (91) during brazing.

Description

® FRENCH REPUBLIC

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY © Publication number: 3,055,697 (to be used only for reproduction orders) (© National registration number: 16 58177

COURBEVOIE © IntCI ⁸ : F 28 F 9/007 (2017.01), B 23 K 101/14

A1 PATENT APPLICATION

©) Date of filing: 02.09.16. © Applicant (s): VALEO THERMAL SYSTEMS (30) Priority: Simplified joint stock company - FR. @ Inventor (s): ROBILLON LIONEL, DENOUAL CHRISTOPHE and POURMARIN ALAIN. (43) Date of public availability of the request: 09.03.18 Bulletin 18/10. ©) List of documents cited in the report preliminary research: Refer to end of present booklet (© References to other national documents ® Holder (s): VALEO THERMAL SYSTEMS related: Joint stock company. ©) Extension request (s): © Agent (s): VALEO THERMAL SYSTEMS.

BRAZING SUPPORT FOR HEAT EXCHANGER, ASSOCIATED HEAT EXCHANGER.

FR 3 055 697 - A1 (3 /) The invention relates to a brazing support (1) for a heat exchanger (9) provided with a heat exchange surface (90) and comprising a flange (91) of connection, the brazing support being able to control the expansion of said exchanger during brazing, the brazing support (1) comprising:

- At least one positioning pin (11) adapted to hold the heat exchanger (9) in position during brazing;

- at least one orientation pin (12) adapted to orient an expansion of the heat exchanger (9) during brazing;

- A housing (10) adapted to maintain said connection flange (91) during brazing.

Brazing support for heat exchanger, associated heat exchanger.

The present invention relates to a brazing support for a heat exchanger, as well as an associated heat exchanger.

Patent application US20140299654 discloses a brazing support having compression means to guarantee support during brazing.

Also known from application W02006018498 is a heat exchanger comprising a heat exchange surface, the heat exchange surface having a cheek making it possible to compensate for the longitudinal expansions during brazing.

However, a drawback of these two implementations is that it requires implementing means directly on the heat exchange surface, or causing deformations of the heat exchanger, which is not acceptable. .

The invention aims in particular to improve at least some of the drawbacks of the prior art.

To do this, the invention relates to a brazing support for a heat exchanger provided with a heat exchange surface and comprising a connection flange, the brazing support being able to control the expansion of said exchanger during brazing, the brazing support comprising:

- at least one positioning pin adapted to keep the heat exchanger in position during soldering;

- at least one orientation pin adapted to direct expansion of the heat exchanger during brazing;

- A housing adapted to maintain said connection flange during brazing.

Therefore, the invention makes it possible to at least partially resolve some of the drawbacks of the prior art.

In particular, the invention makes it possible to implement means for holding the heat exchanger, during the brazing operation, which do not reduce the heat exchange surface of the heat exchanger and do not deteriorate the performance of the exchanger.

In addition, such means make it possible to maintain the heat exchanger during brazing, without causing deformation of all or part of this exchanger.

According to one aspect of the invention, the orientation pin directs the expansion towards the positioning pin.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the housing comprises a plurality of protrusions adapted to be positioned along the periphery of the connection flange.

In a variant of the invention, the positioning pin has a tip capable of cooperating forcibly with the heat exchanger.

The invention also relates to a heat exchanger provided with a heat exchange surface and comprising a connection flange, the heat exchanger further comprising:

- a tab having a positioning orifice;

- A tab having an orientation orifice, the exchanger being placed, during brazing, on a brazing support according to one of the abovementioned embodiments.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the orientation orifice has an oblong profile.

According to one aspect of an embodiment of the invention, the orientation orifice has a length of between 4mm and 6mm.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the positioning orifice has a substantially round profile.

The invention also relates to an assembly comprising a heat exchanger according to one of the abovementioned embodiments and maintained on a brazing support according to one of the embodiments described above.

According to one embodiment of the assembly, the positioning pin is adjusted in the positioning hole.

In another alternative embodiment of the assembly, the orientation pin is slidably mounted in the orientation hole.

In another embodiment of the assembly, the protrusions have a clearance of between 1.5mm and 3mm with the periphery of the connection flange.

The invention will be better understood and other details, characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly in the light of the following description, provided by way of illustrative and nonlimiting example and with reference to the appended drawings among which:

- Figure 1 is a perspective view from above of an assembly according to an embodiment of the invention;

- Figure 2 is a top view of an exchanger according to an embodiment of the invention;

- Figure 3 is a detailed top view of a part of an assembly according to an embodiment of the invention; and

- Figure 4 is a perspective side view of another part of an assembly according to an embodiment of the invention;

- Figure 5 is a top view of another part of an assembly according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a side perspective section of FIG. 4, and

- Figure 7 is a perspective view from above of another part of an assembly according to an embodiment of the invention.

We now present, in relation to FIGS. 1 to 7, a first embodiment of the invention.

As illustrated in these figures, the brazing support 1 is provided to maintain a heat exchanger 9 during the brazing operation, so as to control the expansion of this exchanger during this brazing operation.

This brazing support 1 includes:

- At least one positioning pin 11 adapted to hold in position the heat exchanger 90 during brazing;

- At least one orientation pin 12 adapted to direct expansion of the heat exchanger 90 during brazing;

- A housing 10 adapted to hold said connection flange 91 during brazing.

In the illustrated embodiment, the brazing support comprises two positioning pins 11 as well as two orientation pins 12.

On this brazing support 1 is mounted a heat exchanger

9. This heat exchanger 9 is provided with a heat exchange surface 90. According to the embodiments, the heat exchanger comprises at least one connection flange 91 as well as:

- a tab 92 having a positioning orifice 920;

- a tab 93 having an orientation orifice 930.

In the illustrated embodiment, the heat exchanger 9 comprises two legs 92 each having a positioning orifice 920, as well as two legs 93 each having an orientation orifice 930. As a result, the embodiment of the heat exchanger 9 is complementary to the embodiment of the brazing support 1.

Thus, the assembly comprising the heat exchanger 9 maintained on the brazing support 1 makes it possible to braze the heat exchanger while limiting the deformations linked to the brazing operation, and minimizes the deformations of the linked exchanger 9 maintaining it on the brazing support 1 during the operation.

When positioning the exchanger 9 on the brazing support 1, each positioning pin 11 is placed in the positioning hole 920 which is opposite.

More particularly, in this embodiment, the positioning pins 920 are adjusted in the positioning holes.

Similarly, each orientation pin 12 is placed in the orientation hole 930 opposite.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 7, the positioning orifice 920 has a substantially round profile.

More particularly, in this embodiment, the orientation pins 12 are slidably mounted in the orientation holes 930.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 7, the orientation orifice 930 has a substantially oblong profile.

This orientation orifice 12 has, in this example, a length of between 4mm and 6mm.

However, one could provide embodiments in which these orifices would have a greater length. For example, one could provide orifices having a length between 4mm and 20mm.

When brazing the heat exchanger 9, the orientation pin 12 directs the expansion towards the positioning pin 11.

In other words, the expansion of the heat exchanger will be directed along the length of the oblong orifice.

More particularly, the differential expansions of these exchangers are of the order of 0.41 mm per 100 mm of exchanger.

These differential expansions are obviously added to the manufacturing dispersions of the various elements constituting the heat exchanger.

The orientation pin may for example comprise a portion capable of sliding inside the oblong orifice, and an upper part making it possible to keep the exchanger in contact with the brazing support, for example a threaded rod provided with a bolt for clamping the heat exchanger on the brazing support.

As for the positioning pin 11, an embodiment of which is more particularly illustrated in FIG. 4, it can comprise an upper portion 110 of diameter smaller than the diameter of the positioning orifice 920 so as to be able to insert the positioning pin 11 in the positioning tab 92, and a lower portion 111 of diameter greater than the diameter of the positioning orifice 920 so as to be able to rest the positioning tab 92 on the positioning pin 11.

More particularly, the positioning pin 11 may have an end piece 110 capable of forcing cooperation with the heat exchanger 9, by means of the positioning tab 92.

In other words, the heat exchanger is forcibly positioned on the brazing support by means of positioning lugs 92 placed by force on the positioning pins.

As regards the flange 91 for connecting the heat exchanger 9, it is held at the level of the housing 10 formed on the brazing support 1.

The housing comprises a plurality of protrusions 100 adapted to be positioned along the periphery of the flange 91 for connecting the exchanger.

In other words, the protrusions consist of deformations on at least part of the housing so as to form a flange at least partially blocking the connection flange 91.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the protrusions have a clearance of between 1.5mm and 3mm with the periphery of the connection flange 91.

Therefore, during the soldering operation, the connection flange is movable within a certain range so as to avoid deformations such as stretching of the materials when the heat exchange surface will expand during the operation of soldering.

According to the concept of the invention, the positioning of the flange must be combined with a possibility of relative displacement between the flange and the body of the heat exchanger taking into account the conventional differential expansion which is of the order of 0 , 41mm for 100mm of heat exchanger. For example, for a heat exchanger of around 300mm, a clearance on the order of 1.2mm is required as a minimum.

Claims (12)

1. Support (1) for brazing a heat exchanger (9) provided with a heat exchange surface (90) and comprising a connection flange (91), the brazing support being able to control the expansion of said exchanger during brazing, the brazing support (1) comprising: - at least one positioning pin (11) adapted to hold the heat exchanger (9) in position during brazing; - at least one orientation pin (12) adapted to orient an expansion of the heat exchanger (9) during brazing; - A housing (10) adapted to maintain said connection flange (91) during brazing. 2. Support (1) according to the preceding claim, the orientation pin (12) orienting the expansion towards the positioning pin (11). 3. Support (1) according to the preceding claim, said housing (10) comprising a plurality of protrusions (100) adapted to be positioned along the periphery of the connection flange (91). 4. Support according to one of the preceding claims, the positioning pin (11) having a nozzle (110) able to cooperate with force with the heat exchanger (9). 5. Heat exchanger (9) provided with a heat exchange surface (90) and comprising a connection flange (91), the heat exchanger (9) further comprising: - a tab (92) having a positioning orifice (920); - a tab (93) having an orientation orifice (930), the exchanger (9) being placed, during brazing, on a brazing support (1) according to one of claims 1 to 4. 6. Exchanger (9) according to the preceding claim, the orientation orifice (930) having an oblong profile. 7. Exchanger (9) according to the preceding claim, the orientation orifice (930) having a length between 4mm and 6mm. 8. Exchanger (9) according to one of claims 5 to 7, the positioning orifice (920) having a substantially round profile. 9. An assembly comprising an exchanger according to one of claims 5 to 8 and held on a brazing support according to one of claims 1 to 4. 10. Assembly according to the preceding claim, the positioning pin (11) being adjusted in the positioning orifice (920). 11. An assembly according to the preceding claim, the orientation pin (12) being slidably mounted in the orientation hole (930). 12. Assembly according to the preceding claim, the protrusions (100) having a clearance between 1.5mm and 3mm with the periphery of the connection flange (91). 1/4