FR2701760A1 - Rigid assembly comprising two heat exchangers and an expansion tank. - Google Patents

Abstract

The expansion tank (11), in fluid exchange relationship with the upper fluid box (3) of the plastic radiator (1) for cooling the heat engine of a motor vehicle, is fixed on brackets ( 12, 13) molded with the metal fluid boxes (7) of a radiator (2) for cooling the charge air of this engine, this second radiator being attached to the front face of the first radiator.

Description

2701760 -

  Rigid assembly comprising two heat exchangers and an expansion vessel The invention relates to a rigid assembly comprising a first heat exchanger of generally flat shape, comprising at least one upper fluid box made of plastic material, and an expansion vessel made of fluid exchange relationship with the

  upper fluid box, located near it.

  Such assemblies are used in particular in motor vehicles, the first heat exchanger and the vessel

  expansion part of a coolant circuit

  Dissement of the heat engine of the vehicle In the case of a passenger vehicle, the expansion tank can be formed in one piece with the upper fluid box, or fixed directly on it For industrial and agricultural vehicles, given the large amount of fluid that

  must receive the expansion tank, this solution requires-

  would considerably strengthen the fluid box so that it can withstand the forces exerted by the expansion tank due to its own weight and accelerations

of the vehicle.

  It is also known to associate with the first heat exchanger used for cooling the engine a second generally flat heat exchanger used for cooling the charge air of the engine, or more precisely the air leaving the turbocharger used.

  for charge air, the first and second exchangers

  heat gorers being oriented parallel to the same substantially vertical plane and juxtaposed so as to be traversed in series by an air current directed perpendicular to this plane Due to the high temperature of the air leaving the turbocharger, the fluid boxes of the second heat exchanger are generally made of metal, in particular of aluminum alloy. The object of the invention is to take advantage of these metal elements of the second heat exchanger to ensure the

fixing the expansion tank.

  The invention relates in particular to an assembly of the kind defined in the introduction, and provides that it comprises a second heat exchanger of generally flat shape, the first and second heat exchangers being oriented parallel to the same substantially vertical plane and juxtaposed so as to be

  crossed in series by an air flow directed perpendicularly

  culially to this plane, and that the expansion vessel is rigidly fixed to at least one element of the second heat exchanger. Other characteristics, complementary or alternative, of the assembly according to the invention are set out below

  Said element is a fluid box.

  The expansion tank is extended in a direction

  horizontally and parallel to said plane, and is fixed by its two end regions respectively to the upper end regions of two lateral fluid boxes

  opposite the second heat exchanger.

  -Each end region of the expansion tank is fixed on

  two legs made of material with the corresponding fluid box

  laying, respectively by two fixing points distant from each other around the cross section of the vase

expansion.

  The fluid boxes of the second heat exchanger are

cast in aluminum alloy.

  Said upper fluid box of the first heat exchanger

heat is plastic.

  The second heat exchanger is arranged facing the rear face of the first heat exchanger

of the vehicle.

  The expansion tank is placed in front of the first

  heat exchanger, its dimension in the forward direction

  rear overlapping in part with that of the second exchanger

heat.

  The expansion tank extends to a level below the upper fluid box of the first heat exchanger, and is located in the lateral direction between the two boxes

  fluid from the second heat exchanger.

  The first heat exchanger is a radiator for cooling the engine driving the vehicle and the second heat exchanger is a radiator

  cooling air for said engine.

  The characteristics and advantages of the invention will be

  described in more detail in the description below, in

  referring to the attached drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a side view of an assembly according to the invention; Figure 2 is a partial rear view of the same assembly; and Figure 3 is a partial rear view of a box

  metallic fluid supporting the expansion tank.

  The illustrated assembly includes a radiator 1 for cooling

  ment of the thermal engine driving a motor vehicle and a radiator 2 for cooling the charge air of this engine The radiator 1 has a generally flat rectangular shape and extends substantially along a vertical plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle It comprises two plastic fluid boxes 3 and 4 extending horizontally, along the upper and lower sides respectively of the radiator and provided with fittings 5 and 6, one of which is used for the inlet and the other for the coolant outlet The fluid boxes 3 and 4 are connected to each other by vertical fluid circulation tubes The radiator 2 also has a generally flat shape and extends along a plane parallel to that of the radiator 1, being substantially attached to the face of the latter facing the front of the vehicle The radiator 2 comprises two fluid boxes 7 and 8 molded of aluminum alloy, elongated in the dir vertical section and extending respectively along the left and right sides of the radiator 1 In a manner known per se, the fluid boxes 7 and 8 are interconnected by the horizontal tubes

  for air circulation to cool The upper region

  lower 9, 10 of each of them forms an air inlet or outlet pipe which is bent backwards and bypasses the radiator 1 at the ends of its upper fluid box 3, to be connected to the air compressor

  boost and intake manifold not shown

  tees, located behind the set of radiators.

  Fluid box 3 is in fluid communication link

  with a cylindrical expansion tank 11 of revolution-

  tion whose axis is parallel to the longitudinal direction of this same fluid box The expansion tank 11 is made of brass Its length is less than the width of the space available between the pipes 9 and 10, in front of the radiator 1 It is therefore partly arranged in this free space, and partly in front with respect to the front face of the radiator 2 It also extends, in the vertical direction, partly opposite the upper fluid box 3 of the radiator 1, partly above and partly below it The expansion vessel 11 is fixed on two pairs of legs molded with the pipes 9 and 10 respectively and arranged symmetrically with respect to the median vertical plane of the vehicle Each pair

  includes a lower tab 12 and an upper tab 13.

  The lower tab 12 extends horizontally forward and towards the median plane from the tubing 9 or 10 Le

  expansion tank rests on its upper side by means of

  diary of a junction piece 14 which is welded to the external face of the cylindrical wall of the expansion tank and projects beyond the end of the latter, where it is connected to the lug 12 by a bolt 15 near the vertical axial plane 16 of the expansion vessel The upper tab 13 extends from the upper horizontal region of the tube 9 or 10 in the direction of the median longitudinal plane of the vehicle, in a plane slightly inclined relative to vertical To this upper tab is also connected by a bolt 17 a junction piece 18 welded to the outer face of the cylindrical wall of the expansion tank, the piece 18 moving away enough from this wall to allow the housing of the bolt -is contained in the

  right dihedral delimited by the half-planes extending respective-

  backwards and upwards from the axis

longitudinal of the expansion tank.

  Preferably, provision may be made for the expansion vessel to be rigidly fixed at one of the fluid boxes and to slide freely, in the direction of the tube bundle, at the other 7 of the fluid boxes so as to allow the

expansion of the tube bundle.

  In practice, this can be done by providing a bolt 17, at the level of the fluid box 7, which is shouldered and this at the level of the connection of the tab 13 and the piece of

junction 18.

Claims (8)

Claims   1 Rigid assembly comprising a first heat exchanger (1) of generally flat shape, comprising at least one upper fluid box (3) made of plastic, and an expansion tank (11) in fluid exchange relationship with the upper fluid box, located near the latter, characterized in that it comprises a second heat exchanger (2) of generally flat shape, the first and second heat exchangers being oriented parallel to the same substantially vertical plane and juxtaposed so as to be   crossed in series by an air flow directed perpendicularly   in this plane, and in that the expansion tank is rigidly fixed on at least one element (7,8) of the second heat exchanger.   2 assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that   said element is a fluid box.   3 assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that   the expansion tank is extended in a sensitive direction-   horizontal and parallel to said plane, and is fixed by its two end regions respectively on the upper end regions (9,10) of two fluid boxes   opposite sides (7,8) of the second heat exchanger (2).   4 An assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that each end region of the expansion vessel is fixed on two legs (12, 13) made integrally with the corresponding fluid box, respectively by two fixing points (15, 17) distant from each other around the section cross section of the expansion tank.   Assembly according to one of claims 2 to 4, character-   laughed in that the fluid boxes of the second heat exchanger   heat are molded from aluminum alloy.   6 Assembly according to one of the preceding claims,   characterized in that said upper fluid box (3) of the   first heat exchanger (1) is made of plastic.   7 Assembly according to one of the preceding claims,   characterized in that the second heat exchanger (2) is arranged opposite the face of the first heat exchanger   (1) facing the rear of the vehicle.   8 Assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that the expansion tank (11) is arranged in front of the first   heat exchanger, its dimension in the forward direction   rear overlapping in part with that of the second exchanger heat.   9 Assembly according to claim 8, characterized in that the expansion tank extends to a level below the upper fluid box of the first heat exchanger, and is located in the lateral direction between the two boxes   fluid (7,8) of the second heat exchanger (2).   Assembly according to one of the preceding claims,   characterized in that the first heat exchanger is a   engine heat sink cooling radiator   ment of the vehicle and that the second heat exchanger is a charge air cooling radiator for said engine.