Modine Manufacturing Company

Stanislaus Lesjak

Viktor Brost

Bernhard Lamich

Hans-Dieter Hartel

A heat exchanger () includes a stack () of heat exchanger tubes (), with the stack () having a pair of spaced ends () that are received into respective manifolds () that direct a first fluid (), such as an exhaust gas flow of a vehicle, to and from interiors () of the tubes (). The manifolds () and () are bonded to the respective ends () and () using a suitable bonding technique, such as soldering. Each end () has an outer periphery () that includes furrows () and elongate, narrow protrusions (), and each manifold () has a wall () that extends continuously around the associated end () and includes inwardly directed ridges () that are received in the furrows () and elongate slots () that receive the protrusions () to provide a tight joint between the wall () and the associated end (). Preferably, the ridges () and slots () extends longitudinally along the wall () a sufficient distance to allow the wall () to be pushed over a length of the associated end () sufficient to provide an adequately large joining surface between the wall () and the associated end (), thereby allowing for a qualitatively high-grade soldering connection.

Heat exchanger

A heat exchanger having a manifold defined by a plurality of connected closure pieces. A corner of the manifold is defined by the connected joint of three closure pieces, where one closure piece has a bent edge abutting an end of a second closure piece adjacent a generally flat section of a third closure piece. The bent edge of the one closure piece adjacent the manifold corner is a bend in a thin portion of the one closure piece, where the thin portion has a sheet thickness which is less than the sheet thickness of the adjacent portions of the one closure piece. Multiple corners of the manifold can be formed in this manner by thinning the thin and bending the portion, then connecting the closure pieces using solder to form a seal in the open cross section at the corners.

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Filderstadt, Germany

Stanislaus Lesjak