Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

LaMar Stewart

Yi Zhang

Meisam Mehravaran

Garrett Michael O'Donohue

Jim Tyler

Calvin Young

Yafang Miao

A bi-channel tube for use in a heat exchanger is disclosed having a passageway or window formed in the common wall or divider separating the adjacent channels. This arrangement permits a controlled amount of interaction of the fluids flowing in the adjacent channels in the bi-channel tube. The bi-channel coolant tube includes a first fluid-carrying channel, a second fluid-carrying channel, a common wall or divider separating the first fluid-carrying channel from the second fluid-carrying channel, and at least one fluid-passing passageway or window formed in the common wall or divider. The fluid-passing passageway or window is preferably an elongated window that is formed along the long axis of the bi-channel coolant tube. The bi-channel coolant tube may be composed of a metal such as aluminum, including aluminum alloy, and steel, including stainless steel.

Bi-channel coolant tube having crossover channels to allow coolant interaction

A convex fan shroud for use with an automotive engine cooling system having a fan and a fan-cooled, liquid-to-air radiator is disclosed. The convex fan shroud has an optimized shape that leads to high air flow rates through the radiator. The convex fan shroud includes a front frame that defines an air-intake opening, a convex top wall connected to the frame, a convex bottom wall connected to the frame, and a pair of opposed convex side walls connected to the frame and to the top and bottom walls. The interior surfaces of the walls are smooth. The convex walls define a barrel-shaped shroud body that includes a round engine-facing opening to accommodate the fan. In addition to generating a higher flow rate, the disclosed inventive concept for a smooth convex fan shroud is relatively low cost to produce and has a relatively high degree of rigidity.

Convex fan shroud

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Ypsilanti, MI, United States of America

LaMar Stewart