SECTIONAL RADIATOR SEAL ARRANGEMENT

Abstract

A sectional radiator seal arrangement including a sectional radiator having a core and a bonnet, a nozzle defined by a cylindrical sidewall extending from and in fluid communication with the bonnet and the core, the nozzle configured for creating a seal with a radiator tank and a sleeve formed from a corrosion resistant material fitted about a portion of the cylindrical sidewall of the nozzle. A retaining compound can be provided between the sleeve and the radiator tank for preventing an ingress of coolant at the seal and into contact with either the nozzle or the bonnet. A method of reducing corrosion of the radiator seal also is provided.

Claims

1. A radiator arrangement comprising: a sectional radiator including a core and a bonnet; a nozzle defined by a cylindrical sidewall extending from and in fluid communication with the bonnet and the core, the nozzle configured for creating a seal within an opening in a radiator tank at an interface between the nozzle and the opening of the radiator tank; and a corrosion-resistant material provided about at least a portion of the cylindrical sidewall of the nozzle.

2. The arrangement of claim 1, including a retaining compound for preventing an ingress of coolant at the seal.

3. The arrangement of claim 2, wherein the retaining compound is configured to prevent the ingress of the coolant between the bonnet and the radiator tank.

4. The arrangement of claim 2, wherein the retaining compound is configured to prevent the ingress of the coolant between the nozzle and the corrosion-resistant material.

5. The arrangement of claim 2, wherein the retaining compound comprises a methacrylate ester-retaining compound.

6. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the nozzle and the bonnet include aluminum.

7. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the corrosion-resistant material comprises a sleeve that includes brass.

8-11. (canceled)

12. A method comprising: providing a sectional radiator including a core, a bonnet, a seal, and a nozzle, the nozzle extending from and in fluid communication with the bonnet and the core, the nozzle having a cylindrical sidewall configured for creating the seal within an opening in a radiator tank; and providing a corrosion-resistant surface about at least a portion of the cylindrical sidewall of the nozzle.

13. The method of claim 12, including applying a retaining compound to the seal, the retaining compound configured for preventing an ingress of coolant at the seal.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein providing the sectional radiator and providing the corrosion-resistant surface comprise one or more of: providing the nozzle and the bonnet that include aluminum, providing the corrosion-resistant material that includes brass, and or providing the retaining compound that includes a methacrylate ester-retaining compound.

15-17. (canceled)

18. A method comprising: providing a corrosion-resistant surface about at least a portion of a cylindrical sidewall of a nozzle of a sectional radiator.

19-20. (canceled)

21. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the corrosion-resistant material comprises a sleeve fitted about the at least the portion of the cylindrical sidewall of the nozzle.

22. The arrangement of claim 21, wherein the sleeve includes a flared flange at a first end to fit the sleeve onto the bonnet such that the flared flange is positioned adjacent to the bonnet.

23. The arrangement of claim 21, wherein the sleeve has a predetermined diameter that creates an interference fit with the nozzle.

24. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the seal comprises a grommet or a nitrile seal.

25. The method of claim 12, wherein providing the corrosion-resistant material forms a sleeve about the at least the portion of the cylindrical sidewall of the nozzle.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the sleeve that is formed includes a flared flange at a first end to aid in fitting the sleeve onto the bonnet such that the flared flange is positioned adjacent to the bonnet, the sleeve further including an internal lip located at a second end opposite to the flared flange located at the first end.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the sleeve includes brass.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the sleeve is provided with a predetermined diameter to create an interference fit with the nozzle.

29. The method of claim 18, further comprising: applying a retaining compound to a seal of the nozzle, the retaining compound configured for preventing an ingress of coolant at the seal.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the retaining compound is applied to a grommet or a nitrile seal as the seal.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] The inventive subject matter may be understood from reading the following description of non-limiting embodiments, with reference to the attached drawings, wherein below:

[0010] FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of a radiator including multiple sectional radiator cores in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0011] FIG. 2 is a bottom sectional view of FIG. 1 showing internal surfaces of a core header plate and tube in accordance with the present disclosure;

[0012] FIG. 3 shows a partial bottom perspective view of a sectional radiator core and nozzle of FIG. 1 wherein the sleeve has been separated from the nozzle in accordance with the present disclosure; and

[0013] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view of the nozzle located on a sectional radiator core of FIG. 1 in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] For purposes of the description hereinafter, the terms upper, lower, right, left, vertical, horizontal, top, bottom, lateral, longitudinal, and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as it is oriented in the drawing figures. However, it is to be understood that the invention may assume various alternative variations, except where expressly specified to the contrary. It is also to be understood that like reference numerals are being used throughout the drawings to depict like components throughout the figures. It is further understood that the specific devices illustrated in the attached drawings, and described in the following specification, are simply exemplary embodiments of the invention. Hence, specific dimensions and other physical characteristics related to the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting.

[0015] Reference is now made to FIG. 1 which shows a schematic front view of a radiator, generally indicated as 10, including multiple sectional radiator cores 20 and a pair of tanks 22 located at opposite ends of the radiator cores 20, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. Radiators 10 can be used in a variety of applications, such as air-to-air after-cooler assemblies, exhaust gas recirculation coolers, and the like, wherein the series of tubes is laid out according to various arrangements. With continuing reference to FIG. 1 and with further reference to FIG. 2, each of the sectional radiator cores 20 include a tube core 24 made up from a series of tubes 26. The tubes 26 can be used in junction with any type of fin and tube arrangement. These arrangements include, but are not limited to, staggered, parallel, canted, plate fin, Serpentine, Conn., and the like. According to the arrangement shown in FIG. 2, the tubes 26 forming the core 24 are positioned parallel to each other and inserted into openings 28 in a header 30. According to an alternative arrangement, the tubes 26 forming the core 24 can be positioned in a staggered array and inserted into openings in the header. The staggered array arrangement provides less tube side pressure drop as the core includes more tubes in the same volume of core as the core arrangement of FIG. 2, given that the web or minimum distance between the openings 28 in the header 30 remains the same. It can be appreciated that any type of header can be used in connection with the presently-invented arrangement. For example, the header can be soldered, brazed, welded or mechanically bonded to the tubes. Any such attachment or joining methodology is envisioned for fixing the tubes 26 of each core 24 to the header 30.

[0016] Reference is now made to FIGS. 3-4 which show the sectional radiator seal, generally indicated as 12, in accordance with the present invention. The sectional radiator seal arrangement 12 can be used to extend the life expectancy of the seal 15. The seal 15 includes the sectional radiator 20 having the core 24 and a bonnet 32 located thereon. A nozzle 34 defined by a cylindrical sidewall 36 extends from and in fluid communication with the bonnet 32 via opening 38. The nozzle 34 is configured for creating a seal with the radiator tank 22. A cylindrical sleeve 40 is fitted about a portion of the cylindrical sidewall 36 of the nozzle 34. The sleeve 40 is formed from a corrosion resistant material, such as brass, however, it can be appreciated that other corrosion resistant materials can be used to form the sleeve. The bonnet 32 and the nozzle 34 are typically formed from aluminum which corrosively reacts with the coolant within the radiator and creates pitting on the nozzle 34 and the adjacently disposed portions of the bonnet 32.

[0017] A retaining compound 50, as shown in FIG. 4, can be applied that prevents the ingress of the coolant at the seal and further increases the service life of the sealing arrangement 15. According to one embodiment, the sealant can be a methacrylate ester retaining compound, such as a Loctite product designation 640 or Loctite product designation 648, both of which are commercially available by the Henkel Corporation. It can be appreciated that other well-known sealant materials can be used. The retaining compound is configured to prevent the ingress of coolant between the bonnet 32 and the radiator tank 22, as well as, between the nozzle 34 and sleeve 40. The radiator seal 15 must be constructed to ensure that relative movement of the nozzle 34 during expansion and contraction of the sectional radiator core 20 can occur while maintaining the seal 15 and reducing corrosion at the nozzle interface.

[0018] With continuing reference to FIGS. 3-4, the sleeve 40 can include a flared flange 42 at a first end 44 to aid in fitting the sleeve onto a surrounding flat portion 33 of the bonnet 32 wherein upon installation of the sleeve 40 about the cylindrical sidewall 36 of the nozzle 34, the flared flange 42 is positioned adjacent to the bonnet 32 and flares out into contact with the surrounding flat portion 33 of the bonnet 32. The sleeve 40 can also include an internal lip 46 located at a second end 48 of the sleeve 40 and opposite to the flared flange 42 located at the first end 44. The sleeve 40 has a predetermined height H such that the internal lip 46 is positioned slightly below an end portion 35 of the nozzle 34 so as to create a smooth transition from the end portion 35 of the nozzle 34 to the sleeve 40. The sleeve 40 can also be constructed to be cylindrical in shape and have a predetermined diameter D so that upon placement onto the nozzle 34, an interference fit is created between the sleeve 40 and the nozzle 34. It can be appreciated that the sleeve 40 can be secured onto the nozzle by other techniques such as brazing, welding, gluing, mechanical interlocking, and the like.

[0019] Referring back to FIGS. 1-2 along with FIGS. 3-4, a method of reducing corrosion of a sectional radiator seal 15 comprises providing a sectional radiator including a core 20, a bonnet 32, and a nozzle 34 extending from and in fluid communication with the bonnet 32. The nozzle 34 is defined by a cylindrical sidewall 36 having an end portion 35 configured for creating a seal with a radiator tank 22 and fitting a sleeve 40 about a portion of the cylindrical sidewall 36 of the nozzle 34. As discussed above, the sleeve 40 is formed from a corrosion resistant material, such as brass or other well-known corrosion-resistant, non-reactive materials. The method further includes applying a retaining compound 50 to the seal 15, the retaining compound configured for preventing an ingress of coolant used in the radiator 10 at the seal 15. The nozzle 34 and the bonnet 32 are typically formed from aluminum which reacts with the coolant and can become eroded and/or pitted. The retaining compound 50 can be a methacrylate ester retaining compound, such as a Loctite product designation 640, Loctite product designation 648, or any other well-known sealant material. The sleeve 40 can be cylindrical in shape and includes a flared flange 42 at a first end 44 to aid in fitting the sleeve 40 onto the bonnet 32 such that the flared flange 42 is positioned adjacent to a flat portion 33 of the bonnet 32 surrounding the nozzle 34. The sleeve 40 can further include an internal lip 46 located at second end 48 opposite to the flared flange 42 located at the first end 44. The sleeve 40 is formed to have a predetermined height H such that upon placement of the sleeve 40 onto the nozzle 34, the internal lip 46 is positioned slightly below the end 35 of the nozzle 34 so as to create a smooth transition from the end portion 35 of the nozzle 34 to the sleeve 40. The sleeve 40 can also be provided with a predetermined diameter D which is substantially the same as a diameter of the nozzle so that upon placement of the sleeve 40 onto the nozzle 34, an interference fit is created between the sleeve 40 and the nozzle 34. As stated above, other well-known techniques can be used for securing the sleeve 40 to the nozzle 34.

[0020] It can be appreciated that the corrosion resistant seal 15 of the present invention can be retrofitted onto an already constructed sectional radiator core 20 by fitting the corrosion-resistant sleeve 40 about a portion of a cylindrical sidewall 36 of the nozzle 34. The method can also include applying a retaining compound 50 to the seal to prevent an ingress of coolant at the seal 15. The sleeve 40 can be secured onto the nozzle 34 by an interference fit, brazing, welding, mechanical interlocking, and any other well-known techniques.

[0021] Further examples of the present disclosure will now be described in the following numbered clauses.

[0022] Clause 1: A sectional radiator seal arrangement comprising: (a) a sectional radiator including a core (20) and a bonnet (32); (b) a nozzle (34) defined by a cylindrical sidewall (36) extending from and in fluid communication with the bonnet (32) and core (20), the nozzle (34) configured for creating a seal with a radiator tank (22) ; and (c) a sleeve (40) fitted about a portion of the cylindrical sidewall (36) of the nozzle (34), said sleeve (40) being formed from a corrosion resistant material.

[0023] Clause 2: The arrangement according to clauses 1 or 2, including a retaining compound (50) for preventing an ingress of coolant at the seal (15).

[0024] Clause 3: The arrangement according to clause 2, wherein the retaining compound (50) is configured to prevent the ingress of coolant between the bonnet (32) and the radiator tank (22).

[0025] Clause 4: The arrangement according to clause 2, wherein the retaining compound is configured to prevent the ingress of coolant between the nozzle (34) and sleeve (40).

[0026] Clause 5: The arrangement according to clause 2, wherein the retaining compound (50) comprises a methacrylate ester retaining compound.

[0027] Clause 6: The arrangement according to any one of clauses 1-5, wherein the nozzle (34) and the bonnet (32) are formed from aluminum.

[0028] Clause 7: The arrangement according to any one of clauses 1-6, wherein the sleeve (40) is formed from brass.

[0029] Clause 8: The arrangement according to any one of clauses 1-7, wherein the sleeve (40) includes a flared flange (42) at a first end (44) to aid in fitting the sleeve (40) onto the bonnet (32) such that the flared flange (42) is positioned adjacent to the bonnet (32).

[0030] Clause 9: The arrangement according to clause 8, wherein the sleeve (40) includes an internal lip (46) located at a second end (48) opposite to the flared flange (42) located at the first end (44).

[0031] Clause 10: The arrangement according to clause 9, wherein the sleeve (40) has a predetermined height such that the internal lip (46) is positioned below an end portion (35) of the nozzle (34) so as to create a smooth transition from the end portion (35) of the nozzle (34) to the sleeve (40).

[0032] Clause 11: The arrangement according to any one of clauses 1-10, wherein the sleeve (40) has a predetermined diameter (D) so as to create an interference fit with the nozzle (34).

[0033] Clause 12: A method of reducing corrosion of a sectional radiator seal (15), said method comprising: (a) providing a sectional radiator (10) including a core (20), a bonnet (32), and a nozzle (34) extending from and in fluid communication with the bonnet (32) and the core (20), the nozzle (34) being defined by a cylindrical sidewall (36) having an end portion (35) configured for creating a seal with a radiator tank (22); and (b) fitting a sleeve (40) about a portion of the cylindrical sidewall (36) of the nozzle (34), said sleeve (40) being formed from a corrosion resistant material.

[0034] Clause 13: The method according to clause 12, including applying a retaining compound (50) to the seal (15), the retaining compound configured for preventing an ingress of coolant at the seal (15).

[0035] Clause 14: The method according to clause 13, wherein the nozzle (34) and the bonnet (32) are formed from aluminum, the sleeve (40) is formed from brass, and the retaining compound (50) comprises a methacrylate ester retaining compound.

[0036] Clause 15: The method according to any one of clauses 12-14, wherein the sleeve (40) includes a flared flange (42) at a first end (44) to aid in fitting the sleeve (40) onto the bonnet (32) such that the flared flange (42) is positioned adjacent to the bonnet (32), the sleeve (40) further including an internal lip (46) located at second end (48) opposite to the flared flange (42) located at the first end (44).

[0037] Clause 16: The method according to clause 15, wherein the sleeve (40) has a predetermined height (H) such that upon placement of the sleeve (40) on the nozzle (34), the internal lip (46) is positioned below the end portion (35) of the nozzle so as to create a smooth transition from the end portion (35) of the nozzle (34) to the sleeve (40).

[0038] Clause 17: The method according to any one of clauses 12-16, comprising providing the sleeve (40) with a predetermined diameter (D) so as to create an interference fit with the nozzle (34).

[0039] Clause 18: A method of retrofitting a nozzle (34) of a sectional radiator with a corrosion resistant seal (15), the method comprising fitting a sleeve (40) about a portion of a cylindrical sidewall (36) of the nozzle (34), said sleeve (40) being formed from a corrosion resistant material.

[0040] Clause 19: The method according to clause 18 including applying a retaining compound (50) to the seal (15), the retaining compound (50) configured for preventing an ingress of coolant at the seal (15).

[0041] Clause 20: The method according to clauses 18 or 19, wherein the corrosion resistant material comprises brass.

[0042] It is to be understood that the invention may assume various alternative variations and step sequences, except where expressly specified to the contrary. It is also to be understood that the specific devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings and described in the specification, are simply exemplary embodiments or aspects of the invention. Although the invention has been described in detail for the purpose of illustration based on what is currently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments or aspects, it is to be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose and that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments or aspects, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover modifications and equivalent arrangements that are within the spirit and scope thereof. For example, it is to be understood that the present invention contemplates that, to the extent possible, one or more features of any embodiment or aspect can be combined with one or more features of any other embodiment or aspect

[0043] The singular forms a, an, and the include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Optional or optionally means that the subsequently described event or circumstance may or may not occur, and that the description may include instances where the event occurs and instances where it does not. Approximating language, as used herein throughout the specification and claims, may be applied to modify any quantitative representation that could permissibly vary without resulting in a change in the basic function to which it may be related. Accordingly, a value modified by a term or terms, such as about, substantially, and approximately, may be not to be limited to the precise value specified. In at least some instances, the approximating language may correspond to the precision of an instrument for measuring the value. Here and throughout the specification and claims, range limitations may be combined and/or interchanged, such ranges may be identified and include all the sub-ranges contained therein unless context or language indicates otherwise.

[0044] This written description uses examples to disclose the embodiments, including the best mode, and to enable a person of ordinary skill in the art to practice the embodiments, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The claims define the patentable scope of the disclosure, and include other examples that occur to those of ordinary skill in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal language of the claims.