Heat exchanger fin materials and heat exchangers prepared therefrom

Abstract

Disclosed herein are aluminum alloy fin materials useful for heat exchangers which consists of, in weight percentage, 0.8 to 1.8% Fe, 0.3 to 3.0% Zn, up to 0.3% Cu and at least one element selected from the group consisting of 0.05 to 0.25% Zr and 0.05 to 0.25% Cr, with the balance being Al and unavoidable impurities, wherein Mn in the unavoidable impurities is 0.3% or less. The fin material being characterized, after brazing, by its superior thermal conductivity and beneficial sacrificial anode effect. The fin material is also suitable as a core of a brazing fin material in combination with an Al-Si alloy brazing material in which the Al-Si alloy brazing material is clad as an outer cladding layer onto both sides of the core. The above unclad or clad fin materials can provide heat exchangers having high corrosion resistance and good heat transfer characteristics in combination with a fluid passage material made of brazing sheet or an extruded tube of pure aluminum or an aluminum alloy with not more than 0.5% Cu and/or not more than 0.5% Mn.