Ford Motor Company Limited

Visteon Global Technolgoies, Inc.

Livernois Research & Development Co.

Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Gerald Joseph Selm

Carl Eckardt Schornhorst

Kevin Bennett Wise

Henry Mehraban

Kathleen L Frazier

Robert Raymond Luttermoser

Ronald Paternoster

Kevin Bonnett Wise

Jerry Lee Sexton

A fin alternating and delivering apparatus is provided for orientating and delivering fins emanating from a fin mill to a fin trayer for assembly into a heat exchanger. The fin alternating and delivering apparatus includes an entrance chute for receiving fins emanating from the fin mill in a horizontal position. The fin alternating and delivering apparatus also includes a sensor disposed adjacent the entrance chute to sense the fins entering the entrance chute. The fin alternating and delivering apparatus includes an air jet operatively connected to the sensor for delivering a blast of air to the fins upon sensing the fins entering the entrance chute to reorientate the fins from the horizontal position to a vertical position. The fin alternating and delivering apparatus further includes a discharge chute disposed adjacent the entrance chute for guiding the fins from the entrance chute to the fin trayer in the vertical position.

Fin alternating and delivering apparatus

A machine for bending a first set and a second set of folded deformable links projecting outwardly from a heat exchanger core made is disclosed. The machine comprises a base, a transport mechanism for transporting the core to a workstation, a locking mechanism for locking the core in a predetermined orientation in the workstation, and a bending mechanism attached to the base for bending a set of folded deformable links against the core.

Link bending machine

A method for transporting heat exchanger fins and forming a core subassembly for a heat exchanger uses a universal fin tray for all subassemblies instead of different tray sizes for different core subassemblies. The method includes indexing core plates forward under a stationary fin stuffing box, loading fins into the universal fin tray, indexing the loaded fins forward one at a time corresponding to the number of fins required, pushing required fins into the fin stuffing box when indexing reaches number required for the core subassembly, and pushing fins out of the fin stuffing box into the plates forming the core subassembly. A universal fin tray size, a stationary fin box, and a stationary cut off are used for all core sizes.

Method for transporting heat exchanger fins and forming a heat exchanger core subassembly

A method for forming a heat exchanger is disclosed. The method includes the steps of forming a plurality of generally planar plate members from a sheet of material, each of the plate members being connected to an adjacent plate member by a deformable link. The method further includes forming a plurality of tube members by folding the plurality of plate members at the deformable links, inserting a fin member between adjacent tube members, and compressing the plurality of tube members and fin members under a predetermined load to form a heat exchanger core. The method also includes the steps of bending the folded deformable links against the core and brazing the core at a predetermined temperature. A heat exchanger manufactured according to this method is also disclosed.

Heat exchanger and method of making the same

A machine for corrugating preformed plates that form the core element of a heat exchanger. A fold forming mechanism imparts an initial fold in the deformable links joining a series of preformed plates received from an external source. A gathering mechanism gathers the folded series of preformed plates to produce a flow of pairs of mating plates. Precut lengths of corrugated fins are then inserted between joined adjacent pairs of mating plates and a cut-off mechanism severs the deformable links of preselected pairs of links joining pairs of mating plates to separate individual core elements from the flow of plates.

Corrugation machine for making a core for a heat exchanger

An apparatus for selectively orienting consecutive fin strips relative to one another as a preliminary step in the manufacture of a heat exchanger includes a sensor for sensing the presence of each of a series of fin strips all having a common orientation relative to one another. The apparatus includes an orienting member which receives signals from the sensor as to the presence of each fin strip and rotates each consecutive fin strips in alternating clockwise and counter-clockwise directions to orient consecutive fin strips 180.degree. relative to each adjacent fin strip.

Automatic fin rotation apparatus for a heat exchanger

A tab for joining together a plurality of adjacent, contiguous plate menders of a plate tube heat exchanger is disclosed. The tab comprises a generally planar web interconnecting adjacent plates. The web includes a first edge having a plurality of recesses disposed at predetermined locations therealong and a second edge having a plurality of recesses disposed opposite the plurality of recesses along the first edge. The plurality of recesses define first and second bend zones which provide proper plate-to-plate contact when forming the plate tubes as well as proper fin height spacing between adjacent pairs of plate tubes.

Tab for an automotive heat exchanger

A corrugated heat exchanging fin assembly for use with a heat exchanger having fluid conduits is disclosed. The fin assembly includes a plurality of fin elements, each fin element including a first plurality of louvers extending therefrom and disposed at a predetermined angle to the plane of the fin element. Each fin element further includes a second plurality of louvers extending therefrom and configured to intersect the plane of the fin element to prevent nesting of stacked rows of pluralities of fin assemblies.

Growing community of inventors

Connersville, IN, United States of America

Gerald Joseph Selm