HEAT EXCHANGER FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE WITH AN ALUMINUM ALLOY AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE

Abstract

A heat exchanger for a motor vehicle is provided. The heat exchanger contains at least one element that contains aluminum. This element that contains aluminum has a core and at least one plating layer. The core is composed of a first aluminum alloy that contains approx. 0.5% to approx. 4% by weight Mn, and approx. 0.5% to approx. 4% by weight Mg. The at least one plating layer is composed of at least one other aluminum alloy.

Claims

1. A heat exchanger for a motor vehicle, comprising at least one element that contains aluminum, wherein the at least one element that comprises aluminum has a core and at least one plating layer, wherein the core comprises a first aluminum alloy, wherein the first aluminum alloy comprises contains approx. 0.5% to approx. 4% by weight Mn, and approx. 0.5% to approx. 4% by weight Mg, and wherein the at least one plating layer is composed of at least one other aluminum alloy.

2. The heat exchanger for a motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the core comprises the first aluminum alloy that contains 0 to 1.0% by weight Si, 0 to 1.0% by weight Fe, 0.05 to 0.8% by weight Cu, 0.5 to 2.0% by weight Mn, 0.5 to 2.0% by weight Mg, 0 to 1.0% by weight Zn, and less than 0.05% by weight other components.

3. The heat exchanger for a motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the core contains at least one second plating layer, wherein the at least one second plating layer is on a side of the core opposite the at least one plating layer.

4. The heat exchanger for a motor vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the at least one plating layer and/or the at least one second plating layer contain 0.006 to 0.8% by weight Si, 0.006 to 0.8% by weight Fe, 0.003 to 0.20% by weight Cu, 0.002 to 0.30% by weight Mn, 0.006 to 0.30% by weight Mg, 0.006 to 1.5% by weight Zn, and less than 0.05% by weight other components.

5. The heat exchanger for a motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the at least one element that contains aluminum is glued to at least one other component.

6. The heat exchanger for a motor vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the thickness (d3) of the at least one plating layer and/or the thickness (d4) of the at least one second plating layer is 5 to 20% of the overall thickness of the at least one element that contains aluminum.

7. The heat exchanger for a motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the portion of recycled aluminum in the at least one element that contains aluminum is more than 50% in at least the core.

8. The heat exchanger for a motor vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the aluminum alloy used for the at least one plating layer and/or the at least one second plating layer is at least 10 mV more electron-negative than the aluminum alloy used for the core.

9. The heat exchanger for a motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the element that contains aluminum forms a sheet, fin, or tube, wherein the sheet, fin, or tube can also have corrugations, grooves, or notches.

10. The heat exchanger for a motor vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the at least one plating layer and/or the at least one second plating layer are applied with rollers.

11. The heat exchanger for a motor vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the adhesive system used for gluing contains polyolefins, epoxy resins, or polyurethane, preferably polypropylene.

12. The heat exchanger for a motor vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the at least one plating layer is attached to the side of the core exposed to air, and/or the at least one second plating layer is attached to the core on the side exposed to coolant.

13. A method for producing a heat exchanger according to claim 1 for a motor vehicle, wherein at least one element that contains aluminum is provided, wherein a second component is provided, wherein the at least one element that contains aluminum has a core and at least one plating layer, wherein the core is composed of a first aluminum alloy, wherein the first aluminum alloy contains approx. 0.5% to approx. 4% by weight Mn, and approx. 0.5% to approx. 4% by weight Mg.

14. The method for producing a heat exchanger for a motor vehicle according to claim 13, wherein the at least one element that contains aluminum is glued to at least one second component, and the at least one element that contains aluminum is glued to the second component using an adhesive system containing polyolefins, epoxy resins, or polyurethane.

15. Use of the heat exchanger for a motor vehicle according to claim 3 in battery cooling plates or radiators.

16. The heat exchanger for a motor vehicle of claim 2, wherein the first aluminum allow comprises 0 to 0.6% by weight Si, 0 to 0.8% by weight Fe, 0.05 to 0.25% by weight Cu, 0.8 to 1.4% by weight Mn, 0.8 to 1.3% by weight Mg, 0 to 0.25% by weight Zn, and less than 0.05% by weight other components.

17. The heat exchanger of claim 6, wherein the thickness (d3) of the at least one plating layer and/or the thickness (d4) of the at least one second plating layer is preferably 10 to 15% of the overall thickness of the at least one element that contains aluminum.

18. The heat exchanger of claim 7, wherein the portion of recycled aluminum in the at least one element that contains aluminum is more than 80%, at least in the core.

Description

[0103] Further advantages of the invention shall be described in the following descriptions of the drawings. Therein, schematically:

[0104] FIG. 1: shows a cross section of an example of a preferred element that contains aluminum, with plating on both sides, in the form of a plate;

[0105] FIG. 2: shows an exemplary part of a cross section of a preferred radiator that is glued together;

[0106] FIG. 3: shows a cross section of a preferred exemplary battery cooling plate that is glued together;

[0107] FIG. 4: shows a section of the part of the preferred radiator from FIG. 2, that is glued together;

[0108] FIG. 5: shows a rough illustration of the layers of an element that contains aluminum in a preferred battery cooling plate such as that shown in FIG. 3; and

[0109] FIG. 6: shows a flow chart for an advantageous embodiment of the method according to the invention.

[0110] FIG. 1 shows an advantageous embodiment of an element 5 that contains aluminum, the core 2 of which is plated on both sides. This core 2 could also be plated on just one side. FIG. 1 also shows variables d, d2, d3, and d4. In this case, d represents the overall thickness of the element 5 that contains aluminum, d2 indicates the thickness of the core 2, d3 indicates the thickness of the at least one plating layer 3, and d4 indicates the thickness of the at least one second plating layer 4. If there is no second plating layer 4, the thickness d4 is eliminated. FIG. 1 shows the element 5 that contains aluminum in a cross section at a right angle to the length of the component.

[0111] FIG. 2 shows a schematic illustration of a cross section of part of a preferred radiator that is glued together. The element 5 that contains aluminum is a flat tube to which numerous corrugated fins have been bonded with an adhesive 7. The overall thickness of the element 5 that contains aluminum is advantageously 0.15 mm to 6 mm.

[0112] Possible combinations of substances for preferred corrugated fins can be derived from FIG. 4, which shall be explained in greater detail below.

[0113] FIG. 3 shows a schematic illustration of a battery cooling plate that is glued together, which comprises an element 5 that contains aluminum in the form of a bent plate, that is bonded with an adhesive 7 to a second component 8, which is also a bent plate, such that a hollow chamber is formed between the two plates. The second component 8 can also be an element 5 that contains aluminum, resulting in a component with an internal hollow chamber that can contain coolant. The overall thickness of the element 5 that contains aluminum is preferably 0.2 mm to 3.0 mm.

[0114] FIG. 4 shows a rough illustration of the layers of an element 5 that contains aluminum, to which a corrugated fin 6 is attached, thus showing a cross section of a preferred radiator that is glued together. The side exposed to air is has a plating 3 composed of EN AW-1050, EN AW-7072, or EN AW-3003 mod. +Zn, the core 2 is an EN AW-3104 aluminum alloy in various tempering states Hxx, and the side exposed to coolant is a plating 4 composed of EN AW-1050, EN AW-7072, or EN AW-3003 mod. +Zn.

[0115] FIG. 5 shows an exemplary structure for a preferred battery cooling plate that is glued together. The plating 3 on the side exposed to air in this case is also composed of EN AW-1050, EN AW-7072, or EN AW-3003 mod. +Zn, the core 2 is an EN AW-3104 aluminum alloy in various tempering states Hxx, and the side exposed to coolant is a plating 4 composed of EN AW-1050, EN AW-7072, or EN AW-3003 mod. +Zn.

[0116] FIG. 6 shows the step 600 in which at least one element that contains aluminum is provided. This at least one element that contains aluminum has a core and at least one plating layer. The core is composed of a first aluminum alloy that contains approx. 0.5% to approx. 4% by weight Mn, and approx. 0.5% to approx. 4% by weight Mg. A second component is provided according to the invention in the subsequent step 601. This second component can also be made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. Numerous elements that contains aluminum and/or numerous additional components could also be provided. FIG. 6 also shows an optional step 602. It has proven to be particularly advantageous for step 602 to follow step 601. The at least one element that contains aluminum is glued to the at least one second component in step 602. It has proven to be particularly advantageous to glued the components together using an adhesive system containing polyolefins, epoxy resins, or polyurethane. The use of an adhesive system containing polyolefins is particularly preferred.

[0117] The specification can be readily understood with reference to the following Numbered Paragraphs: [0118] Numbered Paragraph 1. A heat exchanger (1) for a motor vehicle, containing at least one element (5) that contains aluminum, wherein the at least one element (5) that contains aluminum has a core (2) and at least one plating layer (3), wherein the core (2) is composed of a first aluminum alloy, wherein the first aluminum alloy contains approx. 0.5% to approx. 4% by weight Mn, and approx. 0.5% to approx. 4% by weight Mg, and wherein the at least one plating layer (3) is composed of at least one other aluminum alloy. [0119] Numbered Paragraph 2. The heat exchanger (1) for a motor vehicle according to Numbered Paragraph 1, characterized in that the core (2) is composed of a first aluminum alloy that contains 0 to 1.0% by weight Si, 0 to 1.0% by weight Fe, 0.05 to 0.8% by weight Cu, 0.5 to 2.0% by weight Mn, 0.5 to 2.0% by weight Mg, 0 to 1.0% by weight Zn, and less than 0.05% by weight other components, preferably containing 0 to 0.6% by weight Si, 0 to 0.8% by weight Fe, 0.05 to 0.25% by weight Cu, 0.8 to 1.4% by weight Mn, 0.8 to 1.3% by weight Mg, 0 to 0.25% by weight Zn, and less than 0.05% by weight other components. [0120] Numbered Paragraph 3. The heat exchanger (1) for a motor vehicle according to Numbered Paragraph 1 or 2, characterized in that the core (2) contains at least one second plating layer (4), wherein the at least one second plating layer (4) is on the side of the core (2) opposite the at least one plating layer (3). [0121] Numbered Paragraph 4. The heat exchanger (1) for a motor vehicle according to any of the Numbered Paragraphs 1 to 3, characterized in that the at least one plating layer (3) and/or the at least one second plating layer (4) contain 0.006 to 0.8% by weight Si, 0.006 to 0.8% by weight Fe, 0.003 to 0.20% by weight Cu, 0.002 to 0.30% by weight Mn, 0.006 to 0.30% by weight Mg, 0.006 to 1.5% by weight Zn, and less than 0.05% by weight other components. [0122] Numbered Paragraph 5. The heat exchanger (1) for a motor vehicle according to any of the Numbered Paragraphs 1 to 4, characterized in that the at least one element (5) that contains aluminum is glued to at least one other component. [0123] Numbered Paragraph 6. The heat exchanger (1) for a motor vehicle according to any of the Numbered Paragraphs 1 to 5, characterized in that the thickness (d3) of the at least one plating layer (3) and/or the thickness (d4) of the at least one second plating layer (4) is 5 to 20% of the overall thickness of the at least one element (5) that contains aluminum, and this thickness (d3) of the at least one plating layer (3) and/or the thickness (d4) of the at least one second plating layer (4) is preferably 10 to 15% of the overall thickness of the at least one element (5) that contains aluminum. [0124] Numbered Paragraph 7. The heat exchanger (1) for a motor vehicle according to any of the Numbered Paragraphs 1 to 6, characterized in that the portion of recycled aluminum in the at least one element (5) that contains aluminum is more than 50% in at least the core (2), and preferably the portion of recycled aluminum in the at least one element (5) that contains aluminum is more than 80%, at least in the core (2). [0125] Numbered Paragraph 8. The heat exchanger (1) for a motor vehicle according to any of the Numbered Paragraphs 1 to 7, characterized in that the aluminum alloy used for the at least one plating layer (3) and/or the at least one second plating layer (4) is at least 10 mV more electron-negative than the aluminum alloy used for the core (2). [0126] Numbered Paragraph 9. The heat exchanger (1) for a motor vehicle according to any of the Numbered Paragraphs 1 to 8, characterized in that the element (5) that contains aluminum forms a sheet, fin, or tube, wherein the sheet, fin, or tube can also have corrugations, grooves, or notches. [0127] Numbered Paragraph 10. The heat exchanger (1) for a motor vehicle according to any of the Numbered Paragraphs 1 to 9, characterized in that the at least one plating layer (3) and/or the at least one second plating layer (4) are applied with rollers. [0128] Numbered Paragraph 11. The heat exchanger (1) for a motor vehicle according to any of the Numbered Paragraphs 5 to 10, characterized in that the adhesive system used for gluing contains polyolefins, epoxy resins, or polyurethane, preferably polypropylene. [0129] Numbered Paragraph 12. The heat exchanger (1) for a motor vehicle according to any of the Numbered Paragraphs 1 to 11, characterized in that the at least one plating layer (3) is attached to the side of the core exposed to air, and/or the at least one second plating layer (4) is attached to the core on the side exposed to coolant. [0130] Numbered Paragraph 13. A method for producing a heat exchanger (1) according to any of the Numbered Paragraphs 1 to 11 for a motor vehicle, wherein at least one element (5) that contains aluminum is provided, wherein a second component is provided, wherein the at least one element (5) that contains aluminum has a core (2) and at least one plating layer (3), wherein the core (2) is composed of a first aluminum alloy, wherein the first aluminum alloy contains approx. 0.5% to approx. 4% by weight Mn, and approx. 0.5% to approx. 4% by weight Mg. [0131] Numbered Paragraph 14. The method for producing a heat exchanger (1) for a motor vehicle according to Numbered Paragraph 13, characterized in that the at least one element (5) that contains aluminum is glued to at least one second component, and the at least one element (5) that contains aluminum is preferably glued to the second component using an adhesive system containing polyolefins, epoxy resins, or polyurethane. [0132] Numbered Paragraph 15. Use of the heat exchanger (1) for a motor vehicle according to any of the Numbered Paragraphs 3 to 11 in battery cooling plates or radiators.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

[0133] 1 heat exchanger [0134] 2 core [0135] 3 at least one plating layer [0136] 4 at least one second plating layer [0137] 5 at least one element that contains aluminum [0138] d overall thickness of the at least one element that contains aluminum [0139] d2 thickness of the core [0140] d3 thickness of the at least one plating layer [0141] d4 thickness of the at least one second plating layer [0142] 6 corrugation [0143] 7 adhesive [0144] 8 second plate in a battery cooling plate in a double layered design [0145] 600 providing at least one element that contains aluminum [0146] 601 providing a second component [0147] 602 gluing the at least one element that contains aluminum to the at least one second component