US1742348A - Heat-exchange device - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 7, 1930. J, AMBLE 1,742,348

' I HEM EXCHANGE DEVICE Filed March 24. 192a ATTORNEYS @u/a UMAM Patented Jan. 7. 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM JOHN GAMBLE, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO CARRIER CON STBUCTION COMPANY, INC.,

0F. NEWARK, NEW JERSEY v HEAT-EXCHANGE DEVICE 7 Application filed March 24, 1926. Serial No. 96.986.

This invention relates to tubular radiators? or heaters of that kind which have spaced radiating tubes connected to a header or headersand adapted for the flow of steam or other medium through the tubes, and which are used to effect an interchange of heat between the medium flowingthrough the tubes and the air or medium circulating between the tubes, asffor example, for heating the air orexternal medium, or for cooling the me dium circulatingthrough the tubes. More particularly, the invention relates to improvements' in radiators or heaters in which the radiating tubes and the tube plates or parts of the header or headers to which the tubes are connected are made relatively, thin and flexible, and of brass oroth'er metal of high conductivity so as to produce a radiator of light weight having the maximum conductivity and radiation, and in which the thin tube plates or parts ofthe headers to which the radiating tubes are joined are adapted to readily flex or give with the changes in length of the radiating tubes, due to the alternate expansion and contraction thereof so as to prevent distortion of the tubes or other parts of the radiator and avoid the opening or weakening of the joints between the parts of the radiator.

Radiators or heaters of the character mentioned are employed extensively in automat-i ically controlled heating and ventilating installations in which steamat relatively high pressures is used in the radiator for heating-the air that serves to heat or ventilate the building,andin which the steam is turned .on and OK, or its supply to the radiator regulated for varying or controlling, as-required,

the temperaturetof the-air in the system, and owing to the great radiation and rapid conductivity of'the metal forming the tubes and connected tube plate or header, these parts are'subj'ect torelatively sudden and extreme changes of" size or form due to the sudden changes in temperature thereof.

One of the objects of the invention is to join the radiating tubes to the flexible tube plates or parts of the headers in a novel manner-,su'ah that notwithstanding the thinness of the walls of the tubes and the tube plates,

nevertheless very strong and reliable unions are effected between the parts, which insure perfect steam-tight joints which are pretive thinness of the Walls of the tubes and the connected tube plates, relatively large hearing areas are provided between thetubes and tube plates Which-insure a strong, rigid connection and thetubes and tube plates are provided with integral, interengaging shoulders or parts which. positively secure the tubes against ,bothlinward andoutward movement relatively, to the tube plate; and also to improve the construction of tubular radiatorsor heaters in the other respects hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings Fig.1 is a transverse sectional elevation of a radiator or heater embodying my invention.

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are sections showing one construction of the joint between one of the radiating tubes and the tube plate, these figures showing respectively the parts before connection, the tube seated in the flanged hole of the tube plate, and the completed joint.

F igs; 5 and 6 are sections showing two slightly modified forms of joint between the radiating tube and the tube plate or flexible wall of the header;

comprises upper and lower headers 10 and 11 connected by parallel, spaced radiating tubes 12 so that a fluid medium supplied to one of the headers, for example, as by a pipe connected to the upper header, can ,pass through the several radiating tubes to the other header and discharge through a discharge pipe 14 connectedwith the latter. Each header, as shown, comprises a flexible or relatively thin sheet metal plate, wall or part 15 and a strong, rigid or cast plate or part 16, connected to the flexible part by a fused or other suitable form of hermetic joint, and the radiating tubes, which have relatively thin walls, are secured at their ends to the flexible plate or shellof the header, the tubes being preferably provided with the usual projecting radiating fins 17 formed by a thin metal ribbon wound helically around and soldered or otherwise suitably secured to each tube. I11 so far as this invention is concerned, however, except for the construction of the joints between the radiatingv tubes and the flexible tube plate or wall of the header, the radiator may be of any suitable form and construction.

The construction of the 'oints connecting the radiatin tubes to the exible tube plate or part of .tfie header can be modified more 6r less, as shown in the several figures of the drawings. The flexible tube plate or header art 15 is formed as by stamping'or drawing in suitable dies to rovide therein holes surrounded by integra inwardly projecting lips orflanges 18 to receive the ends of the radiating tubes. The'internal diameter of each of these flanges 18 is preferably slightly smaller than the external diameter of that portion 19 of the tube which is to fit in the flange, said portion 19 being preferably made cylindrical and of an external diameter adapting it to enter the rounded or bevelled edge 20 at the outer end of the flange 18 so that by drivin or pressing the tube into the flanged hole 0 the tube plate, the part 19. of the tube is slightly compressed or the flan e 18 slightly expanded, or 0th, and a very tig t driven fit of the tube in the flanged hole results. The tube is also provided with an external, circumferential shoulder 21 which is adapted to engage or bear against the rounded, outer end 20 of the flanged hole when the portion 19 of the tube has been fully pressed into place in the flanged hole, thereby limiting the inward movement of the tube into the hole and preventing inward movement of the tube in the tube plate in the completed joint. This external shoulder 21 on the tubecan be made by forming an outwardly projecting, circumferential bead or corrugationin the wall of the tube, as shown in Fig. 5, or the shoulder can be formed by contracting or compressing the tube at its end portion so as to make the portion 19 of the tube of less diameter than the remainder of the tube, as clearly shown in Figs. 2-4 of the drawings. By thus compressing the end portion of the tube .to make it of less than its original diameter, the metal in the reducedportion 19 is made denser or thicker, thereby strengthening it. Another beneficial effect of thus compressing or contracting the end portions of the tubes to a smaller diameter is that while the tubes as produced commercially may vary somewhat in diameters, the end portions 19 of all of the tubes can be readily reduced to the same diameter by means of dies or other suitable mechanism, so that the portions 19 of all of the tubes will accurately fit in the flanged holes of the tube plate and insure uniformly perfect joints between the walls of the tubes.

tubes and the tube plate. Also the tubes can be reduced at their ends in this way at less expense and with less danger of loss by rupturing or weakening the tubes than if the shoulders 21 are formed by expanding the After the end of the tube has been pressed, or driven into the flanged hole of the tube plate with the shoulder 21 of the tube against the outer edge 20 of the hole, the extremity of the tube is flanged outwardly or shaped by suitable means to provide an external shoulder or enlargement on the end of the tube which en ages the inner end of the flange 18 of the tu e plate so as to rigidly and permanently retain the tube in the flanged hole of the tube plate and prevent relative outward movement of the tube in the hole. The end of the tube can be simply expanded or flared outwardly to form" a shoulder 22 engaging the inner end of the tube plate flange 18, as shown in Fig. 1, but preferably the end of the tube is bent or rolled back over the end of the flange 18 so as to ti htly embrace the latter, as shown at 23,

Figs, 4 and'5. By the described construction,

even though the tube plate is relativel thin, each tube has a driven fit and a relative y long bearin in the'tube late and, in addition, is secured against en wise movement in both directions by integral shoulders on the tube engaging the opposite ends of its bearing, that is the flange '18 of the tube plate. In pressin the tubes into the holes in the tube plate, t e rounded, outer edges 20 of the flanged holes, which are uite rigid, act in the nature of dies on the sil pulders 21 of the tubes and press the shoulders to the shape of the edges 20, thereby ensuring very close contact and fit of the shoulders against the edges 20.

After the tubes have been firmly secured in the flanged holes in the tube plate, as thus described, the joints between the tubes and steam is used in the radiator.

The joint shown in Fig. 6 is similar to that shown in Fig. 4, except that a strengthening collar 25 surrounds and tightly fits the hole flange on the tube plate, and the out-turned flange atthe end of the tube overhangs this collar as well as the hole flange, thereby securing the collar in place. Thecollar is [of substantial cross section and is therefore strong and rigid and greatly strengthens the hole flange against expansion. In this construction a'res'triction ring 26 'is also shown secured in the end of the tube. The openings of these restriction rings are so proportioned relatively to the fluid supply to the radiator as to prevent the steam or other fluid from flowing through a part only-of the tubes.

They, therefore, act' to equalize the distribution of the steam or fluid to all ofthe tubes and prevent dead or inactive tubes in the steam su ply or other radiator. As in the other construction, the several parts of the joint are soldered or welded together.

Since manufacturing considerations make it practically essential that ready access be afforded to the ends of the tubes at the inner side of the tube plate or shell in making joints of the character described between the tubes and the tube plate or shell, the tubes are joined to the tube plate or shell before the which the radiating tubes are joined is flexible and can be formed from a relatively thin plate oi sheet of suitable metal having the required flexibility and conductivity, such for instance as sheet brass, so that this plate orwall can readily flex or give with changes in dimensions of the tubes due to variations in holes at the outer side of the tube plate, and said tubes having their inner ends flanged over the inner ends of said jflanges of the flexible wall and said'strengthening collars.

3. In a heat exchange device, the combinaprojections which engage the edges of said tion of a header having a thin flexible wall provided with holes surrounded by integral I inwardly projecting flanges on said wall, radiating tu in said flanged holes, said tubes having inte-' gral external projections which engage the es having portions fitting tightly I inner and outer. ends of said flanges on said flexible wall whereby saidtubes are secured to said wall against inward and outward movement relatively thereto, and rings secured in the end portions of said tubes and having openings of smaller diameter than th internal diameter of the tubes.

4:. In a heat exchange device, the combination of a'header composed of complementary Walls joined together bya fluid tight fused metal joint, radiating tubes having relatively thin walls joined to one of said header Walls by fluid tight fused metal joints, and distribution-equalizin'g rings in the end portions of said tubes and having openings of smaller diameter than the internal diameter of the tubes.

. WILLIAM J OHN. GAMBLE.

their temperature. At the same time, how-' i ever, the other part 16 of the header which is formed or provided with the screw collar or other part 28 for the attachment of the sufficient y strong an rigid to Withstand strains and shocks incident to the attachment of the pipes to and their disconnection from the radiator, and the expansion and contraction of the pipes. v

I claim as my invention 1. In a heat exchange device, the combination of a header having a thin flexible wall provided with holes surrounded by inwardly projecting flanges formed" by inbent integral parts of said Wall, and radiating tubes having thin Walls of substantially uniform thickness throughout provided with portions having driven fits in said flanged holes and with integral circumferential external shoulders which engage the outer end edges of said holes, the inner ends of said tubes being flanged over the inner ends of the flanges of the flexible wall,.'whereby said tubes are secured to said wall against inward and outward movement relatively thereto.

2. In a heat exchange device, the combination of a header having a thin flexible wall provided with holes surrounded by integral inwardly projectin flanges on said wall, strengthening col ars surrounding said flanges, and radiating tubes having portions fitting tightly in said flanged holes, said tubes being provided with integral circumferential pipe to the radiator, is i

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