A heat exchanger and methods of manufacturing and assembling a heat exchanger, and more particularly to an air-flow heat exchanger having a mechanically assembled header for use in a motor vehicle. The heat exchanger comprises an all-metal bonded matrix including a plurality of substantially parallel metallic tubes and a plurality of metallic fins. The tubes have a heat transfer portion that is elongate in cross-sectional shape, and which comprises two opposing, longer sides, and two opposing shorter sides. At least one of the tubes is mechanically joined at a first end portion thereof to a first header of the heat exchanger by at least one compliant member. The compliant member extends around the first end portion of the tube to provide a seal and to permit relative movement between the mechanically joined tube and the first header due to thermal expansion and contraction of the matrix.

An alignment apparatus is capable of suppressing widening of legs of hairpin-shaped heat-exchanger tubes and aligning the hairpin-shaped heat-exchanger tubes in the horizontal direction at a regular pitch. The alignment apparatus includes: a plurality of outer guide plates that have rollers, which contact upstream sides of legs of the hairpin-shaped heat-exchanger tubes that have been stopped by a stopper apparatus, and that contact outer side surfaces of the legs; a horizontal movement apparatus that moves the outer guide plates in a horizontal direction; an up-down movement apparatus that moves the outer guide plates in an up-down direction; and a control unit that drives the horizontal movement apparatus to move the outer guide plates a predetermined distance toward an insertion position, and then drives the up-down movement apparatus to raise the outer guide plates by a predetermined distance to change an orientation of the hairpin-shaped heat-exchanger tubes to the horizontal direction.

An alignment apparatus is capable of suppressing widening of legs of hairpin-shaped heat-exchanger tubes and aligning the hairpin-shaped heat-exchanger tubes in the horizontal direction at a regular pitch. The alignment apparatus includes: a plurality of outer guide plates that have rollers, which contact upstream sides of legs of the hairpin-shaped heat-exchanger tubes that have been stopped by a stopper apparatus, and that contact outer side surfaces of the legs; a horizontal movement apparatus that moves the outer guide plates in a horizontal direction; an up-down movement apparatus that moves the outer guide plates in an up-down direction; and a control unit that drives the horizontal movement apparatus to move the outer guide plates a predetermined distance toward an insertion position, and then drives the up-down movement apparatus to raise the outer guide plates by a predetermined distance to change an orientation of the hairpin-shaped heat-exchanger tubes to the horizontal direction.

There is provided an alignment apparatus capable of aligning hairpin-shaped heat-exchanger tubes at a regular pitch. An insertion position side is configured as a regular pitch alignment unit where arrangement plates are provided at an interval that is double the pitch of through-holes in a fin stack. An upstream side is configured as a wide pitch alignment unit where arrangement plates are provided at an interval equal to an integer multiple of two or more times the regular pitch alignment unit. The regular pitch alignment unit is provided with stopper apparatuses that stop the hairpin-shaped heat-exchanger tubes at different positions on the upstream side and downstream side in an inclined direction for the respective arrangement plates. The wide pitch alignment unit is capable of moving along an alignment direction of the arrangement plates so as to allow the hairpin-shaped heat-exchanger tubes to move in order starting from the arrangement plates, out of the arrangement plates of the regular pitch alignment unit, where the hairpin-shaped heat-exchanger tubes are stopped at a more downstream position.

There is provided an alignment apparatus capable of aligning hairpin-shaped heat-exchanger tubes at a regular pitch. An insertion position side is configured as a regular pitch alignment unit where arrangement plates are provided at an interval that is double the pitch of through-holes in a fin stack. An upstream side is configured as a wide pitch alignment unit where arrangement plates are provided at an interval equal to an integer multiple of two or more times the regular pitch alignment unit. The regular pitch alignment unit is provided with stopper apparatuses that stop the hairpin-shaped heat-exchanger tubes at different positions on the upstream side and downstream side in an inclined direction for the respective arrangement plates. The wide pitch alignment unit is capable of moving along an alignment direction of the arrangement plates so as to allow the hairpin-shaped heat-exchanger tubes to move in order starting from the arrangement plates, out of the arrangement plates of the regular pitch alignment unit, where the hairpin-shaped heat-exchanger tubes are stopped at a more downstream position.

Various methods and systems are provided for an exhaust gas recirculation cooler including a plurality of cooling tubes. In one example, an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) cooler includes a plurality of cooling tubes positioned within a housing of the EGR cooler, each cooling tube of the plurality of cooling tubes extending between and directly coupled to tube sheets of the EGR cooler at ends of each cooling tube, where at least one end of one or more cooling tubes of a first portion of the plurality of cooling tubes, inward of a tube sheet coupled to the at least one end, includes a compliant region, where the first portion is positioned proximate to an exhaust inlet of the EGR cooler.

A stacking-type header includes a first plate having a first through-hole; a second plate having a plurality of second through-holes; a third plate in which a flow path that communicates between the first through-hole and the second through-holes is formed, a first pipe including a first end portion that is inserted into the first through-hole; a plurality of second pipes each including a second end portion that is inserted into a corresponding one of the second through-holes; and brazing portions. The first pipe includes a first expanded portion in the first end portion, the first expanded portion having an outer peripheral surface that is pressed against an inner peripheral surface of the first through-hole. Each of the second pipes includes a second expanded portion having an outer peripheral surface that is pressed against an inner peripheral surface of a corresponding one of the second through-holes.

A stacking-type header includes a first plate having a first through-hole; a second plate having a plurality of second through-holes; a third plate in which a flow path that communicates between the first through-hole and the second through-holes is formed, a first pipe including a first end portion that is inserted into the first through-hole; a plurality of second pipes each including a second end portion that is inserted into a corresponding one of the second through-holes; and brazing portions. The first pipe includes a first expanded portion in the first end portion, the first expanded portion having an outer peripheral surface that is pressed against an inner peripheral surface of the first through-hole. Each of the second pipes includes a second expanded portion having an outer peripheral surface that is pressed against an inner peripheral surface of a corresponding one of the second through-holes.

To enable high-speed conveying of a molded body for heat exchanger fins and, by conveying stably and with high precision, preventing deformation of the molded body for heat exchanger fins and the generation of noise when conveying the molded body for heat exchanger fins, a molding apparatus forms a plurality of cutaway portions at different positions on each molded body for heat exchanger fins of the product width. A conveying apparatus is provided with a rotational shaft that extends in the width direction and has a plurality of rotating discs that have a plurality of tapered protrusions, which are capable of advancing into the cutaway portions, formed on an outer circumferential surface thereof provided on the rotational shaft for each molded body for heat exchanger fins of the product width. When the plurality of cutaway portions of the molded bodies for heat exchanger fins of the product width, on which the plurality of cutaway portions have different positions, are disposed directly above the rotational shaft, the protrusions advance into the cutaway portions.

To enable high-speed conveying of a molded body for heat exchanger fins and, by conveying stably and with high precision, preventing deformation of the molded body for heat exchanger fins and the generation of noise when conveying the molded body for heat exchanger fins, a molding apparatus forms a plurality of cutaway portions at different positions on each molded body for heat exchanger fins of the product width. A conveying apparatus is provided with a rotational shaft that extends in the width direction and has a plurality of rotating discs that have a plurality of tapered protrusions, which are capable of advancing into the cutaway portions, formed on an outer circumferential surface thereof provided on the rotational shaft for each molded body for heat exchanger fins of the product width. When the plurality of cutaway portions of the molded bodies for heat exchanger fins of the product width, on which the plurality of cutaway portions have different positions, are disposed directly above the rotational shaft, the protrusions advance into the cutaway portions.