US2526243A - Air louver for heating or cooling units - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 17, 1950 H. J. LANGE AIR LOUVER FOR HEATING 0R .coounc; nuns H JIgENTOR.

Filed July 15, 1946 Patented Oct. 17, 1950 V i Henna-L Lange, Hammon Inda i mr tcB Gwnmtmn;

- Indiana v Th present -t as at was heating or cooling'un'its. ,k f The invention has particular 'applicationto heating or cooling units pf thetypev comprising a bank of tubes or coils throughwhi'ch the heat-'. ing or cooling medium is circulated, and on which tubes or coils are assembled sheet metal fins which serve asrair directing or'distributing surfaces and wh h s serve as thermal ra er s rfaces or increasing the effectiveheating or cooling surfaces of the tubes. The general object offthe present invention isto provide an improved construction of air "deflecting louvers which are made up as integral parts of the sheet metal fins'in the manufacture of the latter. These improved air deflecting louvers are punched directly from the sheet metal fins in the form of louver tabs inclined at the desired angle to direct the air either upwardly, downwardly,'or in any other desired direction.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved construction of louver tab which is of shorter dimension along its free'edg'e than along its base portion, whereby the louver tabs of adjacent fins can be readily nested together in the tab openings of these fins, and whereby the louvers adapt themselves either to a parallel assembly of the fins for a flat type of heating or cooling unit, or to a radial'ass-embl'y of the fins for a curved'or half-round type of unit.

Other'objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following detailed description of one preferred embodiment thereof. In the accompanying drawing illustrating such embodiment:

Figure 1 is a horizontal sectional view through proximately on the-plane "of 'the' fi d of'Figfure 3; and

Figures 6 and '7 are fragmentary side and edge views respectively of one of the fins on a larger scale, showing in greater detail the trapezoidal proportions-of the louver tab and tab opening. In Figures 1 and 2 I have shown a mere or less conventionaldesign of half-roundcooling unit mmn Ind, a. corp at n of. v

lieatign July 15; 1946, Serial No.- 683,733

ql aime. (c1. gem-.137)

adaptedfor cooling a circulated flow of air, but it will be understood that this type of structure hasbeen chosen merely. for the purpose of showing one typical or preferred adaptation of my invention,.'and that the invention can also be adapted to other heating. or cooling units. In this exemplary unit, the top and bottom of the unit are closed by upper and lower housing plates i D and i l of semi-circular outline. The straight rear edges are joined to a vertical rear wall 12, and the arcuate edges are curved inwardly at as to conceal the top and bottom edges of the sheet metal I fins. The cooling medium iscirculated through th tubes M which are bent into arcuate outlines corresponding to the half round contour of the. unit, these tubes preferably being grouped or assernbled in vertical tiers, three such tiers or vertical rows bein shown. Mounted on these tubes are the sheet metal fins. is and I! which direct; the air radially outwardly from the unit, and

which also serve to increase the effective surface area through which the tubes exert their cooling influence on the air. These fins have openings punched therein through which the tubes are passed, the fins being threaded over the tubes prior to the establishment of the coupled connections at the ends of the tubes. Air is circulated through the unit by a fan l9 revolving within an air intake opening 2 l formed in the lower wall l I of the housing. This fan is driven by an electric motor 22' which is supported in any suitable mounting bracket 23, preferably attached to the top wall Illof the housing. Thefan functions to draw air, upwardly through the intake opening Hand to impel the .air outwardly through the multiplicity of spaces between the horizontal rows of tubes l4 and between the vertically p ced fin 6 n I!- Y The louvers which constitute the fundamental feature of the present invention are shown at 251' These louvers consist of tabs or vanes which are punched directly out of the sheet metal fins I]. Preferably, in the "halferound type of unit the outer tier of tubes :4 is provided with sepaate fins .11, independ nt o th n mounted 011 th Yinner. tier or tiers of tubes, and the louver ta arepreferably formedonly in these outer fins I. However, if desired'similar louver tabs might also be punchedin the inner fins i5, it. These,

louver" tabs orvanes are inclined at the appropriate angle to direc t e air in the e i d metion, i, e. if'it is desired that a substantial part.

of "the a. e deflected i a upward rect n.

these louver, tabs" are inclined substantially at the upward angleshown; whereas'if 'it' is dea sired that the air be deflected downwardly, then these louver tabs would be inclined reversely so as to deflect the air downwardly. The punching of the tabs or tongues can be performed as a single punching and bending operation, wherein the punch pierces or cuts the metal around three edges of the tab, and then bends the tab laterally into a position projecting substantially at right angles to the plane of the fin. Of course, the outward bending of the tab 25 leaves an opening 23 of corresponding outline in the sheet metal stock, which opening I shall term the tab opening. Each tab 25 and its opening 26 are of approximately trapezoidal outline, with the free edge 25' of the tab of shorter dimension than the base portion 25" of the tab. Correspondingly, this leaves the edge 26 of the opening 23 of shorter dimension than the opposite edge 25" This trapezoidal outline of the tabs and of the openings enables the tabs to be nested together,

with the tabs extending. into the openings in adjacent fins, as shown in Figure 5. The overlapped relation of the tabs produces a continuous louver structure without any break in its continuity from end to end of the cooling or heating unit.

This overlapped relation of the tabs, and the ability of the tabs to slide inwardly and outwardly of the openings 25: in adjacentfins, affords a' very desirable latitude of assembly because the fins can be assembl d in parallel relation for a fiat type of unit, or they can be assembled in radial relation for a curved or half-round type of unit, without in any way interfering with the functional relation of the louver tabs.

Each fin is also punched with the necessary holes 28 for receiving the tubes l4. Each hole 28 is preferably formed with an annular lip or flange 29 projecting laterally from the sheet metal fin. This flange 25 increases the metal-to-metal contact between the fin and each tube. These flanges also act as spacers for spacing the inner edge portions of the fins at a substantially predetermined distance from each other. Said flanges are of less height or lateral projection than the louver tabs 25, so that with the fins assembled at the lateral spacing substantially predetermined by the circular flanges 29, the louver tabs 25 will still project into the openings 26 of the next adjacent fins and establish the overlapping relation of adjacent tabs. As shown in Figure 3, the louver tabs are preferably located where they will act most efiectively on that portion of the air stream flowing horizontally between pairs of tubes I 4. In the upwardly inclined relation of the tabs the lower edges of the tabs are approximately in such relation to the tubes I i that a considerable part of any moisture collecting on the tabs can drain back onto the surfaces of the tubes. The fins are preferably stamped out of sheet aluminum, but may be made of other metal if desired.

For a fiat type of heating or cooling unit where the tubes l4 extend in straight line relation back and forth across the unit, the fins I! can be punched out identically as described above for the half-round type of unit. Figure 3 might be considered to be a transverse section through such a fiat type. As an alternative construction for the fiat type of unit, the fins may be made considerably wider, corresponding to the fins I6, 16 and I! of Figure3 being made all in one piece.

The invention has utility in heating units as well as in cooling units, and accordingly in the appended claims I have used the expressions thermal exchange unit and thermal exchange tubes to cover both types of construction.

While I have illustrated and described what I regard to be the preferred embodiment of my invention, nevertheless it will be understood that such is merely exemplary and that numerous modifications and rearrangements may be made therein without departing from the essence of the invention.

I'cla im:

1. In a thermal exchange unit of half-round type including a housing comprising spaced upper and lower plates of semi-circular form, a bank ofheat transfer tubes curved in semi-circular outline and disposed between said upper and iower plates, an air intake opening in one of said plates, a fan rotating approximately in said opening for drawing air into the space between said plates and forcing it outwardly between said tubes, an electric motor connected to drive said fan, and

a plurality of sheet metal fins having apertures with laterally projecting flanges, said fins being assembled over said bank of tubes with said fins disposed" substantially radially of the unit and said flangesspacing the adjacent fins; means for directing the" flowof said air forced outwardly between said tubes and said fins comprising louver tabs, 'of' trapezoidal outline punched out of said fins leaving, correspondingly shaped openings in said fins, said louver tabs projecting laterally from their respective fins and'extending into the tab openings of the next adjacent fins, whereby to form a substantially continuous louver around the air discharge opening of said unit.

v 2. A cooling unit comprising a plurality of tubes for receiving a coolant therein, said tubes being curved in semi-circular outline and being spaced one above the other to form a cylindrical bank, means on the concave side of said cylindrical bank for circulating air through said cylindrical bank and discharging the same on the convex side thereof, a plurality of sheet metal fins having apertures therein in which said tubes are positioned, said fins being spaced with respect to eachother and extending radially of said cylindrical bank of tubes, and louver tabs punched out of said fins on the side of said cylindrical bank from which the air is discharged forming openings in said fins, said louver tabs being inclined upwardly and extending from their respective fins with end portions thereof extending into openings in the next adjacent fins, to thereby form a plurality of substantially continuous upwardly inclined louvers positioned in the path of the air discharged through said bank of tubes for directing the discharged air in an upward direction.

3. A cooling unit comprising a plurality of tubes for receiving a coolant with said tubes being spaced one above the other to form a bank, means on one side of said bank for circulating air through said bank and discharging the same on the opposite side thereof, a plurality of sheet metal fins having apertures therein in which said tubes are positioned, said fins being spaced with respect to each other and extending substantially perpendicular to said tubes of said bank, and louver tabs punched out of said fins on the side of said bank from which the air is discharged, said louver tabs being inclined upwardly and extending from their respective fins toward the adjacent fins to form a substantially continuous louver positioned in the path of the air discharged through said bank of tubes for directing the discharged air in an upward direction.

. HENRY J. LAN'GE,

(References on following page) 5 REFERENCES CITED Number The following references are of record in the file of thls patent. 2:153:120 UNITED STATES PATENTS 6 2,128,145 Number Name Date 821,698 Briscoe May 29, 1906 1,853,315 Modine Apr. 12, 1932 Number 1,920,357 Clark Aug. 1, 1933 321320 1,957,292 Reeves May 1, 1934 10 Name Date Krackowizer Dec. 11, 1934 Young Feb. 26, 1935 Ludlow et a1 Apr. 4, 1939 Cook Sept. 30, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Nov. 21, 1929

Images