CORRUGATED RIB STRUCTURE

Abstract

A corrugated rib structure for a heat exchanger may include wave-shaped wave crests and wave troughs running in a through-flow direction, and which may be connected with one another via wave-shaped walls running in the through-flow direction; and inwardly flared fins provided in at least one of: (i) the wave crests, and (ii) the wave troughs.

Claims

1. A corrugated rib structure for a heat exchanger comprising: wave-shaped wave crests and wave troughs running in a through-flow direction, and which are connected with one another via wave-shaped walls running in the through-flow direction; and inwardly flared fins provided in at least one of: (i) the wave crests, and (ii) the wave troughs.

2. The corrugated rib structure according to claim 1, wherein the fins are flared inwards about an angle Φ between 30°≤Φ≤80°.

3. The corrugated rib structure according to claim 1, wherein a wave length L in the through-flow direction is between 7 mm≤L≤12 mm.

4. The corrugated rib structure according to claim 1, wherein a wave height H in through-flow direction is between 1 mm≤H≤1.5 mm.

5. The corrugated rib structure according to claim 1, wherein the fin has a trapezoidal shape with one shorter base side, one longer base side and two legs.

6. The corrugated rib structure according to claim 5, wherein at least one of: the shorter base side has a width of about 0.88 mm; the longer base side has a width of about 1.6 mm; and the legs have a length of about 0.95 mm.

7. The corrugated rib structure according to claim 5, wherein the longer base side of the trapezoidal fin is inclined about an angle α of about 70° to the through-flow direction.

8. The corrugated rib structure according to claim 1, wherein the walls form an angle β between 92°≤β≤94° to a corresponding wave crest and wave trough connected thereto.

9. The corrugated rib structure according to claim 1, wherein the corrugated rib structure is formed as a deep-drawn sheet metal stamped part.

10. The corrugated rib structure according to claim 1, wherein at least one of: at least one wave crest has a saddle width of 2 mm to 4 mm; at least one wave trough has a trough width of 2 mm to 4 mm; and the corrugated rib structure has a height of 3 mm to 5 mm.

11. The corrugated rib structure according to claim 1, wherein a metal sheet of the corrugated rib structure has a thickness of 0.08 mm to 0.2 mm.

12. A heat exchanger comprising at least one corrugated rib structure having: wave-shaped wave crests and wave troughs running in a through-flow direction, and which are connected with one another via wave-shaped walls running in the through-flow direction; and inwardly flared fins provided in at least one of: (i) the wave crests, and (ii) the wave troughs.

13. The heat exchanger according to claim 12, wherein at least one of: the fins are flared inwards about an angle Φ between 30°≤Φ≤80°; a wave length L in the through-flow direction is between 7 mm≤L≤12 mm; a wave height H in through-flow direction is between 1 mm≤H≤1.5 mm; and the walls form an angle β between 92°≤β≤94° to a corresponding wave crest and wave trough connected thereto.

14. The heat exchanger according to claim 12, wherein the fin has a trapezoidal shape with one shorter base side, one longer base side and two legs.

15. The heat exchanger according to claim 14, wherein at least one of: the shorter base side has a width of about 0.88 mm; the longer base side has a width of about 1.6 mm; and the legs have a length of about 0.95 mm.

16. The heat exchanger according to claim 14, wherein the longer base side of the trapezoidal fin is inclined about an angle α of about 70° to the through-flow direction.

17. The heat exchanger according to claim 12, wherein at least one of: at least one wave crest has a saddle width of 2 mm to 4 mm; at least one wave trough has a trough width of 2 mm to 4 mm; and the corrugated rib structure has a height of 3 mm to 5 mm.

18. The corrugated rib structure according to claim 2, wherein 1 is approximately 55°.

19. The corrugated rib structure according to claim 11, wherein the thickness of the metal sheet is 0.15 mm.

20. A corrugated rib structure for a heat exchanger comprising: wave-shaped wave crests and wave troughs running in a through-flow direction, and which are connected with one another via wave-shaped walls running in the through-flow direction; and inwardly flared fins provided in at least one of: (i) the wave crests, and (ii) the wave troughs; wherein: the fins are flared inwards about an angle Φ between 30°≤Φ≤80°; a wave length L in the through-flow direction is between 7 mm≤L≤12 mm; a wave height H in through-flow direction is between 1 mm≤H≤1.5 mm; and the walls form an angle β between 92°≤β≤94° to a corresponding wave crest and wave trough connected thereto.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] There are shown here, respectively schematically,

[0019] FIG. 1 shows a top view onto a corrugated rib structure according to the invention,

[0020] FIG. 2 shows a view onto a corrugated rib structure according to the invention,

[0021] FIG. 3 shows a sectional illustration along the section plane A-A,

[0022] FIG. 4 shows a detail illustration Z of FIG. 1,

[0023] FIG. 5 shows a schematized illustration of the wave-shaped pass-through paths,

[0024] FIG. 6 shows a sectional illustration through the corrugated rib structure according to the invention in the region of an inwardly flared fin.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] According to FIGS. 1 to 3, a corrugated rib structure 1 according to the invention for a heat exchanger 2, in particular for an internal combustion engine in a motor vehicle 3, has wave-shaped wave crests 5 and wave troughs 6 running in its through-flow direction 4 (cf. in particular also FIGS. 3, 4 and 6, which are connected with one another via wave-shaped walls 7 also running in through-flow direction 4, wherein in the wave crests 5 and/or in the wave troughs 6 inwardly flared fins 8 are provided (cf. in particular FIGS. 1, 3, 4 and 6). Via the wave-shaped wave crests 5 and wave troughs 6 running in through-flow direction 4, which themselves are formed in a plateau-shaped manner, and the likewise wave-shaped walls 7 and the fins 8, a ratio between a heat exchanger performance and a pressure loss can be optimized, so that a heat exchanger 2, equipped with the corrugated rib structure 1 according to the invention, has an optimum heat exchanger performance with, at the same time, a minimized pressure loss.

[0026] The fins 8 can be flared inwards here about an angle Φ between 30°≤Φ≤80°, preferably about an angle Φ of ca. 55°, i.e. according to FIG. 3 with a fin 8 from the wave crest 5 downwards and with a fin 8 from the wave trough 6 upwards. In tests, it has been found here that the pressure loss with a flare angle Φ of the respective fin 8 of ca. 30° lies at ca. 1,750 Pa and with a flare angle Φ of ca. 70° rises to 2,250 Pa. In same range, the heat output in the test rises from 76.65 Watt to 77.1 Watt, wherein the curve of the heat output exceeds the curve of the pressure loss with a (bending) angle Φ between 45° and 65°, so that in this range of the angle or respectively flare angle Φ an optimum ratio between heat output and pressure loss exists.

[0027] A wave length L in through-flow direction 4 here is preferably between 7 mm≤L≤12 mm, while a wave amplitude A in through-flow direction 4 lies between 1 mm≤A≤1.5 mm.

[0028] Observing the fin 8, in particular according to FIG. 4, more closely, it can be seen that it has a trapezoidal shape with one shorter base side 9, one longer base side 10 and two legs 11. The fin 8 is connected here via the longer base side 10 to the respective wave crest 5 or respectively to the respective wave trough 6. As can be seen according to FIG. 4, the respective fin 8 is aligned here with its shorter base side 9 contrary to the through-flow direction 4, which offers fluidic advantages. The fin 8 is firstly stamped out here in the production method and is subsequently flared, i.e. shaped. In the region of the fin 8, which is stamped out from the wave crest 5 or respectively of the wave trough 6 and flared, a window 12 results (cf. in particular FIG. 6) via which, with a corrugated rib structure 1 installed in a heat exchanger 2, a direct contact exists of the air stream flowing through the corrugated rib structure 1 with, for example, a flat tube lying in a planar manner against the respective wave crest 5 or respectively wave trough 6. Hereby, in the window 12 a particularly direct and thereby efficient heat transfer can take place.

[0029] The shorter base side 9 of the fin 8 can have a width B.sub.1 of ca. 0.8 mm, while the longer base side 10 can have a width B.sub.2 of ca. 1.6 mm. A length Ls of the leg 11 can be for example 0.95 mm (cf. in particular FIG. 4). In addition, the longer base side 10 via which the fin 8 is connected to the respective wave trough 6 or respectively to the respective wave crest 5, can be inclined by an angle α of ca. 70° (cf. FIG. 4) to the through-flow direction 4.

[0030] Observing the walls 7, it can be seen that these form an angle β between 92°≤β≤94°, in particular an angle β of ca. 93° to the wave crest 5 or respectively wave trough 6 connected thereto (cf. FIG. 3). This serves in particular for the better demouldability from a sheet metal forming tool and thereby facilitates the production and makes this more favourably priced.

[0031] Basically, a wave crest 5 can have a saddle width B.sub.S of 2.0 mm to 4.0 mm, in particular of ca. ca. 2.5 mm (cf. FIG. 3), wherein a wave trough can have a trough width B.sub.T, identical hereto, of likewise from 2.0 mm to 4.0 mm, in particular of ca.ca. 2.5 mm. The corrugated rib structure 1 can have in total a height H of 3.0 mm to 5.0 mm, in particular of ca. 4 mm, particularly preferably of 3.42 mm. For the corrugated rib structure 1 for example a metal sheet with a thickness d of 0.08 mm to 0.2 mm, in particular 0.15 mm, is used, whereby the corrugated rib structure according to the invention is not only to be shaped easily and thereby at a favourable cost, but at the same time also consumes few resources and has a low weight, which is of great advantage in particular in the case of a use in a heat exchanger 2 in an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle 3.

[0032] All in all, with the corrugated rib structure 1 according to the invention, a heat exchanger performance can be increased and, at the same time, a pressure loss can be reduced, whereby for example heat exchangers 2 equipped with such a corrugated rib structure 1 can be constructed smaller, in particular shorter, or with the same overall size achieve a higher performance.