HEAT EXCHANGER
In a heat exchanger for a vehicle, a cover member covers an upstream side end that is a part of an outer peripheral surface of a tube in which a heat medium flows, on the upstream side of the air flow. Further, the cover member is fixed to the upstream side end of the tube. For example, a width of the cover member is equal to or less than that of the tube in a direction perpendicular to the air flow direction and a flow direction of the heat medium. Thus, the heat exchanger can prevent the misalignment of the cover member with respect to the tube, thereby protecting the tube by the cover member at the front side of the vehicle. Therefore, the tube can be protected from chipping.
The application is based on a Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-195507 filed on Sep. 20, 2013, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present disclosure relates to a heat exchanger with tubes for heat exchange.
BACKGROUND ARTConventionally, there are known heat exchangers with tubes for heat exchange. For example, a heat exchanger disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a plurality of tubes and fins that promote heat exchange. In the heat exchanger, liquid adhesive is charged into gaps between the tube and the fin. That is, the fins are fixed to the tubes with the adhesive.
PRIOR ART LIST Patent Document
- [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-36428
The inventors of the present application have found through their studies that in a heat exchanger with tubes for heat exchanger, like the heat exchanger described in Patent Document 1, fine solids are caught in and mixed into air flowing around the tubes of the heat exchanger to fly toward the tubes, and then hit the tubes in some cases. For example, when the heat exchanger is mounted within an engine room of a vehicle, solids, such as small stones, thrown up by traveling of the vehicle collide with the tubes of the heat exchanger, disadvantageously causing damage to the tube.
To solve the disadvantage described above, the inventors have proposed that a protective member designed to protect the tube is provided on the upstream side of air flow, exclusively to which solids fly to come, with respect to the tube. However, the protective member needs to protect the tube while not interfering with the air flow flowing into the surroundings of the tube as much as possible. Thus, it is necessary to position the protective member without misaligning it with respect to the tube.
In view of the above matter, it is an object of the present disclosure to provide a heat exchanger that can protect tubes at the front side of a vehicle by a protective member while preventing the protective member from becoming misaligned with respect to the tube.
Further, it is another object of the present disclosure to provide a heat exchanger that can protect tubes from solids flying toward the tubes by a protective member while preventing the protective member from becoming misaligned with respect to the tube.
A heat exchanger according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes: a tube that allows a heat medium flowing therein to exchange heat with air flowing around the tube, and has an upstream side end on an upstream side of an air flow; and a protective member covering the upstream side end and being fixed to the upstream side end of the tube. The protective member is configured to protect the tube from a solid flying to the tube.
The protective member for protecting each tube from solids that are flying toward the tube is fixed to the upstream side end of the tube while covering the upstream side end, so that the protective member can be prevented from becoming misaligned with respect to the tube. Further, the protective member can protect the tube from solids that are flying toward the tube in a vehicle or the like, on the side of the tube exclusively to which solids fly to come, that is, on the upstream side of air flow on which the side end of the tube on the upstream side is positioned.
A heat exchanger for a vehicle according to a second aspect of the present disclosure includes: a core portion including a plurality of tubes, each of the tubes allowing a heat medium to flow through therein, and fins disposed on both sides of each of the tubes, the core portion being configured to exchange heat between the heat medium and air; a tank portion connected to an end in a longitudinal direction of the tube; and a protective member fixed to an upstream end of at least a part of the plurality of tubes on an upstream side of an air flow. The protective member is disposed at a front side of the vehicle with respect to the tube.
For example, the protective member may be formed by solidifying a fluid material having fluidity. Further, the tubes may be arranged, for example, to have their longitudinal directions in parallel to the vehicle width direction. The protective member may be fixed to the end of the tube on the upstream side of the air flow, in a lower part of the core portion.
For example, the protective member may be fixed to a part of the tube in the longitudinal direction. The fin may protrude toward the upstream side of the air flow with respect to the tube.
In the following, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The mutually same or equivalent parts in the respective embodiments below are indicated by the same reference characters throughout the figures.
First EmbodimentIn
As shown in
Each of the plurality of tubes 12 has an outer peripheral surface 121 forming the outer peripheral surface of the tube 12, and allows air, or the outside air to flow around the outer peripheral surface 121. In the tube 12, the engine coolant as a fluid for heat exchange that exchanges heat with the outside air flows through the tube 12. The tube 12 is a pipe that is made of an aluminum alloy and extends linearly in the vehicle width direction DR2. The engine coolant flows through the tubes 12 in the vehicle width direction DR2, while the outside air flows from the front side to the rear side of the vehicle along the vehicle front-and-rear direction DR3.
As shown in
Each fin 14 includes a thin film made of an aluminum alloy, and molded in the form of wave as viewed from the vehicle front-and-rear direction DR3. The fin 14 is bonded to the flat surfaces of the tube 12 on both sides, for example, by brazing and the like. Such fins 14 serve to promote heat exchange between the engine coolant circulating through the tubes 12 and the air as the external fluid by increasing a heat transfer area with the air. Referring to
The first header tank 18 shown in
The second header tank 20 is symmetrically structured with respect to the first header tank 18 with the core portion 16 sandwiched between the header tanks. Specifically, the second header tank 20 is connected to the other end of each of all tubes 12, and has a shape that extends in the vehicle up-and-down direction DR1. The second header tank 20 has an internal space formed therein, which communicates with all tubes 12. The second header tank 20 includes an outlet 201 from which the engine coolant flows.
The heat exchanger 10 is configured in the way described above, whereby the engine coolant flowing from the inlet 181 into the first header tank 18 is distributed by the first header tank 18 to the respective tubes 12. The distributed engine coolants flow through the respective tubes 12 from the side of the first header tank 18 to the side of the second header tank 20 and are collected together at the second header tank 20. The collected coolant flows out of the outlet 201 toward the outside of the heat exchanger 10.
As shown in
In the lamination direction of the tubes 12, that is, in the vehicle up-and-down direction DR1, the width of the cover member 22 is set equal to or slightly smaller than the minor axis as the width of the flat-shaped tube 12 such that the cover member does not interfere with introduction of the outside air into between the adjacent tubes 12 as much as possible. As illustrated in
The cover member 22 includes resin, or polymer material, such as acrylic resin, silicon resin, a resin containing a volatile solvent, a thermosetting resin, and an UV curing resin. For example, the cover members 22 are formed as illustrated in
First, to form the cover members 22, in a first step, a resin material 221 for the cover member 22 is prepared. The resin material includes, for example, a liquid resin having a high viscosity, is prepared. The resin material 221 is a material serving as, for example, an adhesive. In the following second step, as shown in
In a next third step, the resin materials 221 applied over the upstream side ends 121a of the tubes 12 are solidified. Thus, the cover members 22 are completed. In the third step, to promote the solidification of the resin material 221, the resin materials 221 are heated as needed.
As mentioned above, in this embodiment, each of the cover members 22 is fixed to the upstream side end 121a, which is a part of the outer peripheral surface 121 of the tube 12 on the upstream side of the air flow, while covering the upstream side ends 121a. Thus, the cover members 22 are less likely to be misaligned with the tubes 12, and can protect the tubes 12 from solids on the upstream side of the air flow, exclusively to which solids fly to come, that is, at the vehicle front side. In short, the tubes 12 can be protected from chipping.
In this embodiment, as shown in
Further, in this embodiment, the width of the cover member 22 in the lamination direction of the tubes 12 is set equal to or less than the width of the tube 12, making it difficult to interfere with the introduction of the outside air into the gap between the tubes 12 without narrowing the gap between the tubes 12 as viewed from the front side of the vehicle.
In this embodiment, the cover members 22 are formed by applying and solidifying the fluid resin material 221 onto the upstream side ends 121a of the tubes 12, so that the cover members 22 can be configured as separate members from the tubes 12. Thus, if the cover member 22 is damaged, for example, has any crack or the like, the damage is less likely to be transferred to the tubes 12, which is a merit of this embodiment. The structures of the tube 12 and fin 14 do not need to be modified, compared to a structure without having the cover member 22.
Second EmbodimentNext, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. In this embodiment, a different point from the above-mentioned first embodiment will be mainly described, and the description of the same or equivalent parts as those of the first embodiments will be omitted or simplified below.
As can be seen from the comparison between
As shown in
On the other hand, the end of the fin 14 on the upstream side of the air flow is positioned to protrude toward the upstream side of the air flow, compared to the position of the end of the tube 12 on the upstream side of the air flow. The protruding amount Dwf of the fin 14 from the tube 12 toward the upstream side of the air flow is larger than a thickness Tcv of the cover member 22 in the air flow direction. In short, the fin 14 protrudes more toward the upstream side of the air flow than the cover member 22 fixed to the upstream side end 121a of the tube 12 adjacent to the fin 14.
As mentioned above, in this embodiment, the fin 14 protrudes more toward the upstream side of the air flow, compared to the cover member 22 fixed to the upstream side end 121a of the tube 12 adjacent to the fin 14. Thus, in a step of applying the liquid resin material 221 (see
(1) In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the cover member 22 is made of resin. However, material for the cover member 22 is not limited, but may be, for example, other polymer materials, such as rubber. For example, when the cover member 22 is made of soft material, such as rubber or soft resin, that is, when the cover member 22 has a lower hardness than that of the tube 12, the impact caused when solids collide with the cover member 22 is less likely to be transferred to the tubes 12, compared to when the cover member is not made so, which is another merit of the embodiment.
The cover member 22 may include metal having a lower melting point, such as a solder. If the cover member 22 includes such metal, the cover member 22 is formed by solidifying the melted metal as the material for the cover member 22 at the upstream side end 121a of the corresponding tube 12.
(2) In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the upstream side end 121a of the tube 12 has a shape that expands toward the upstream side of the air flow at the section of the tube 12 perpendicular to the flow direction of the engine coolant, but may have other shapes. For example, the tube 12 may have the sectional shape shown in
The tube 12 has the sectional shape shown in
(3) In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, as shown in
(4) In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the flow of the engine coolant in the heat exchanger 10 is a cross flow where the engine coolant flows in the vehicle width direction DR2. However, the engine coolant flow is not limited thereto, but may be, for example, a down flow where the engine coolant flows from the upward side to the downward side in the vehicle up-and-down direction DR1.
(5) In the above-mentioned second embodiment, the fins 14 protrude more toward the upstream side of the air flow than the cover members 22 fixed to the upstream side ends 121a of the respective tubes 12. However, the fins 14 may protrude more toward the upstream side of the air flow than only the respective tubes 12, but may not protrude more than the cover members 22. Even with such an arrangement, in the step of applying the liquid resin material 221 (see
The present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and changes can be made to the present disclosure. It is obvious that elements included in each of the above-mentioned embodiments are not necessarily essential unless otherwise specified, and except when clearly considered to be essential in principle. When referring to a specific number about a component of the above-mentioned embodiments, such as the number of components, a numerical value, an amount, or a range, the above-mentioned respective embodiments are not limited to the specific number, unless otherwise specified, except when limited to the specific number in principle, and the like. Further, when referring to the material, shape, positional relationship, or the like of the components, etc., the above-mentioned respective embodiments are not limited to such a material, shape, positional relationship, or the like, unless otherwise specified, and except when clearly limited to the specific material, shape, positional relationship, or the like in principle.
Claims
1. A heat exchanger comprising:
- a tube that allows a heat medium flowing therein to exchange heat with air flowing around the tube, the tube having an upstream side end on an upstream side of an air flow; and
- a protective member covering the upstream side end and being fixed to the upstream side end to partially cover the tube, the protective member being configured to protect the tube from a solid flying to the tube, wherein
- the protective member is made of a polymer material.
2. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein
- the protective member has a tip end located on the upstream side of the air flow, and
- the tip end of the protective member is formed to be rounded in a section of the protective member perpendicular to a flow direction of the heat medium.
3. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein
- a width of the protective member is equal to or less than that of the tube, in a direction perpendicular to an air flow direction and a flow direction of the heat medium.
4. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein
- the upstream side end of the tube has a planar shape or a concave shape recessed toward an inside of the tube.
5. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein
- fins are provided on both sides of the tube in a direction perpendicular to an air flow direction, to promote heat exchange between the heat medium and the air, and
- the fins protrude more toward the upstream side of the air flow than the tube or the protective member.
6. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein
- the protective member is made of a material obtained by solidifying a fluid material applied to the upstream side end, the fluid material having fluidity.
7. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of the tubes, wherein
- the protective member is fixed at the upstream side ends of a part of the plurality of the tubes.
8. (canceled)
9. (canceled)
10. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein
- the protective member is made of one material selected from an acrylic resin, a silicon resin, a resin containing a volatile solvent, a thermosetting resin, and an UV curing resin.
11. (canceled)
12. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, the heat exchanger being disposed outside a vehicle compartment in a vehicle, wherein
- the protective member is disposed at a front side of the vehicle with respect to the tube.
13. A heat exchanger for a vehicle, comprising:
- a core portion including a plurality of tubes, each of the tubes allowing a heat medium to flow through therein, and fins disposed on both sides of each of the tubes, the core portion being configured to exchange heat between the heat medium and air;
- a tank portion connected to an end in a longitudinal direction of the tube; and
- a protective member fixed to an upstream end of at least a part of the plurality of tubes on an upstream side of an air flow, wherein
- the protective member is disposed at a front side of the vehicle with respect to the tube, and
- the protective member is made of a polymer material.
14. The heat exchanger according to claim 13, wherein
- the protective member is made of a material obtained by solidifying a fluid material having fluidity.
15. The heat exchanger according to claim 13, wherein
- the tube is disposed to have a longitudinal direction set in a width direction of the vehicle.
16. The heat exchanger according to claim 13, wherein
- the protective member is fixed to the upstream end of the tube on the upstream side of the air flow, in a lower part of the core portion.
17. The heat exchanger according to claim 13, wherein
- the protective member is fixed to a part of the tube in a longitudinal direction of the tube.
18. The heat exchanger according to claim 13, wherein
- the fin protrudes more toward the upstream side of the air flow than the tube.
19. The heat exchanger according to claim 18, wherein
- the protective member fixed to the end of the tube on the upstream side protrudes more toward the upstream side of the air flow than the fin.
20. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein
- fins are provided on both sides of the tube in a direction perpendicular to an air flow direction, to promote heat exchange between the heat medium and the air, and
- the protective member has an upstream end protruding more toward the upstream side of the air flow than the fins.
21. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein
- the protective member has an upstream end having a cross-sectional area expanding toward upstream in the air flow.
22. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the protective member has a hardness smaller than that of the tube.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 17, 2014
Publication Date: Aug 18, 2016
Inventors: Masashi UTSUNOMIYA (Kariya-city), Osamu HAKAMATA (Kariya-city)
Application Number: 15/022,754