Zexel Gmbh

Tadaaki Ishikawa

Takashi Sugita

Kunihiko Nishishita

Yoshikiyo Nagasaka

Yasuyuki Nagakura

A heat-exchanger includes a plurality of stacked tubular elements each having tanks, and passage-forming protrusions defining a passage connecting the tanks, fins interposed between adjacent ones of the tubular elements and contacting the passage-forming protrusions, inlet/outlet units each comprising a barrel-shaped element protruding from and open to the tank of a respective one of the tubular elements, inlet/outlet pipes fitted coaxially in contact with and joined to the barrel-shaped elements, respectively, and a measure (reinforcement) for preventing parts of the barrel-shaped elements from being deformed as the inlet/outlet pipes are fitted to the barrel-shaped elements during the assembly of the heat exchanger to in turn maintain the integrity of the joints between the inlet/outlet units and the inlet/outlet pipes. The reinforcement may include a ring disposed around the barrel-shaped element adjacent an end thereof. When the inlet/outlet pipe is fitted into and in contact with the barrel-shaped element, the ring prevents the parts of the barrel-shaped element from being forced outwardly. The reinforcement may also include, in an addition or as an alternative to the ring, at least one protrusion extending from the parts of the barrel-shaped element and contacting the inlet/outlet pipe fitted to the barrel-shaped element. The at least one protrusion prevents the inlet/outlet pipe from being moved too far axially relative to the barrel-shaped element thereby ensuring that the inlet/outlet pipe does not deform the parts of the barrel-shaped element.

Heat exchanger

A sturdy heat exchanger, having a variable configuration, is constructed by separately building a primary heat exchanger and an auxiliary heat exchanger, connecting the primary heat exchanger and the auxiliary heat exchanger via brackets mounted on the header pipes of the primary heat exchanger and on the auxiliary heat exchanger, and fluid connecting the header pipes via a connecting pipe. On the tops and bottoms of the primary heat exchanger and of the auxiliary heat exchanger, a pair of reinforcing side plates are mounted, and by engaging the opposing reinforcement plates to assemble the primary heat exchanger to the auxiliary heat exchanger, the heat exchanger's sturdiness is further reinforced, thereby preventing the header tanks from deforming the tubes.

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Konan, Japan

Tadaaki Ishikawa