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Metal collecting tank for a heat exchanger, especially for motor vehicles

Metal collecting tank for a heat exchanger, especially for motor vehicles description/claims

The invention relates to a metal collecting tank for a heat exchanger, especially for motor vehicles, according to the preamble to patent claim 1.

Metal collecting tanks are utilized at the present time for heat exchangers of motor vehicles, especially soldered radiators and soldered coolant coolers and, to be precise, for reasons of recycling and physical strength. Prior to this development resulting in individual types of heat exchangers, plastic tanks were used as the collecting tanks and distribution tanks of radiators and coolant coolers, which plastic tanks offered the advantage, among other things, that connecting pieces could be injection-molded onto the plastic tanks in a single piece. This facility does not exist in the case of metal water tanks, which are preferably manufactured from aluminum sheet by non-cutting shaping, such as deep-drawing. On the contrary, metal tanks for heat exchangers exhibit only a single, inward-formed or outward-formed sheet metal collar, which is soldered to a pipe coupling, via which a connection to a heating or cooling circuit of the motor vehicle is possible.

Previously disclosed in DE 197 52 139 A1 by the applicant was a soldered radiator for a motor vehicle with metal collecting tanks, into which an inlet connecting piece and an outlet connecting piece are soldered. These connecting pieces are executed in this case mainly as pipe couplings, so-called plug-in fork couplings, as previously disclosed in DE 44 03 402 A1 by the applicant. In this case, the pipe coupling exhibits on the one hand a cylindrical area, which is inserted into a collar in the metal water tank and is soldered to it in a leakproof manner. On the other hand, the pipe coupling (also referred to as the connecting piece) exhibits an extended area, into which a pipe end of a heating line is capable of being inserted, sealed by means of a sealing ring and fixed axially by means of a plug-in fork coupling. This kind of pipe connection to a metal collecting tank requires a large number of component parts, that is to say a collecting tank with a collar formed thereon, a pipe coupling (connecting piece) capable of being soldered to the collecting tank including sealing and locking means, and a pipe end of the connection line.

Similar pipe couplings, also referred to as a pipe connection or a pipe connection coupling, in particular with a plug-in fork coupling, were previously disclosed in DE 196 21 282 A1 and DE 196 21 283 A1 by the applicant. A variant of a pipe connection coupling having an elastic retaining clip ring was previously disclosed in DE 196 48 162 A1 by the applicant—here, too, the pipe coupling is in the form of a cup inserted and welded in place in a metal collecting tank. The connection with the pipe end of the connecting line is effected by means of a sealing ring and the retaining clip ring, which is supported on a bead at the end of the pipe.

The object of the present invention is to manufacture a metal collecting tank of the kind mentioned by way of introduction more simply and at lower cost, in particular having regard for the one or more pipe connections.

This object is achieved through the characterizing features of patent claim 1. It is provided according to the invention that at least one connecting piece is capable of being manufactured in a single piece from the collecting tank and its starting blank. The one or more connecting pieces are formed in this way from a sheet metal blank by non-cutting shaping, such as hole punching, multi-stage deep-drawing and/or upsetting. The associated advantage is that an expensive operation, such as soldering of a pipe coupling and/or a pipe connection piece to the collecting tank, is avoided. This results in lower manufacturing costs for the collecting tank and accordingly for the entire heat exchanger, for example a radiator or a coolant cooler for a motor vehicle. The connecting piece according to the invention can thus be connected directly to a connecting pipe or to a connecting hose.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the connecting pieces can be arranged on the long sides or on the upper side of the collecting tank. The connecting piece is preferably of circular cylindrical configuration, which can be represented most easily by non-cutting shaping process steps.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the connecting piece exhibits an encircling bead, which is capable of being manufactured preferably by upsetting the connecting piece. The advantage of an axial fixability of the connecting piece in question, a connecting pipe, a pipe coupling or a connecting hose is achievable in this way.

In one advantageous embodiment of the invention, the connecting piece exhibits an external diameter D and a length L, in conjunction with which the proportion of the length L to the diameter D lies in the range from 0.8 to 1.0, and preferably 0.9. A connecting piece with these dimensions offers the possibility of producing a pipe connection involving the use of means that are previously familiar from the prior art. The not inconsiderable thinning of the material due to stretching in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the connecting piece necessarily results in a reduction in the original wall thickness of the sheet metal blank. The use of a multi-stage shaping process, however, makes it possible to maintain a minimum wall thickness that is required for reasons of physical strength.

According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the connecting piece according to the invention, in particular with an encircling bead, is capable of connection by means of a pipe coupling of a previously disclosed kind to a heating or cooling circuit of a motor vehicle. The pipe coupling can be secured in relation to the bead, for example by means of a plug-in fork coupling. A pipe or a hose of the coolant circuit is connected to the pipe coupling.

Illustrative embodiments of the invention are depicted in the drawing and are described in greater detail below, where:

FIG. 1 illustrates a front view of a collecting tank for a soldered radiator having two connecting pieces arranged on the upper side;

FIG. 2 illustrates the collecting tank according to FIG. 1 as a view from above;

FIG. 3 illustrates a section III-III through a connecting piece of the collecting tank;

FIG. 4 illustrates a front view of a second illustrative embodiment of a collecting tank having laterally arranged connecting pieces;

FIG. 5 illustrates the collecting tank according to FIG. 4 as a view from above;

FIG. 6 illustrates a section VI-VI through a connecting piece of the collecting tank, and

FIGS. 7-9, which are similar to FIGS. 1-3, illustrate an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

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• Utility Patent

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