PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF COMPOSITE MADE OF COOLING PLATE AND STRUCTURAL COMPONENT

Abstract

A process for producing a composite. The process may include providing a cooling plate through which a temperature-control fluid is flowable, providing a structural component that is coolable via the cooling plate, and fixing and thermal coupling the cooling plate and the structural component to one another via full-surface adhesive bonding the cooling plate and the structural component to one another. Full-surface adhesive bonding the cooling plate and the structural component to one another may include arranging an adhesive in a joint disposed between the cooling plate and the structural component.

Claims

1. A process for producing a composite, the process comprising: providing a cooling plate through which a temperature-control fluid is flowable; providing a structural component that is coolable via the cooling plate, fixing and thermal coupling the cooling plate and the structural component to one another via, in essence, full-surface adhesive bonding the cooling plate and the structural component to one another; and wherein full-surface adhesive bonding the cooling plate and the structural component to one another includes arranging an adhesive in a joint disposed between the cooling plate and the structural component.

2. The process according to claim 1, further comprising, before fixing and thermal coupling the cooling plate and the structural component to one another, applying the adhesive with a layer thickness of 5 to 500 micrometres to at least one of (i) a joint-delimiting joint area of the cooling plate and (ii) a joint-delimiting joint area of the structural component.

3. The process according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive is configured as a crosslinking adhesive based on at least one of (i) epoxy resin, (ii) polyurethane, and (iii) silicone.

4. The process according to claim 3, wherein a material of the structural component and a material of the cooling plate each have a coefficient of thermal expansion that is, in essence, identical.

5. The process according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive is based on polyolefin.

6. The process according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive is configured as a hot-melt adhesive.

7. The process according to claim 5, wherein a material of the structural component and a material of the cooling plate each have a different coefficient of thermal expansion.

8. The process according to claim 3, wherein: the adhesive is structured as an adhesive film; and arranging the adhesive in the joint includes introducing the adhesive film into the joint.

9. The process according to claim 8, further comprising cutting the adhesive film to size before introducing the adhesive film into the joint; and wherein introducing the adhesive film into the joint includes inserting the adhesive film between a joint-delimiting joint area of the structural component and a joint-delimiting joint area of the cooling plate.

10. The process according to claim 1, further comprising, before fixing and thermal coupling the cooling plate and the structural component to one another, full-surface-coating at least one of (i) a joint-delimiting joint area of the cooling plate and (ii) a joint-delimiting joint area of the structural component with the adhesive.

11. The process according to claim 1, wherein the structural component is configured as at least one of an electrical battery cell, a battery housing, and a power-electronics housing for at least one of an electrical battery and a power electronics.

12. The process according to claim 1, wherein: the cooling plate includes at least one channelled metal sheet having at least one fluid channel for conducting the temperature-control fluid; and the at least one fluid channel is defined at least partially by a groove-like depression disposed in the at least one channelled metal sheet.

13. The process according to claim 12, wherein, in a direction towards the joint, the at least one fluid channel at least one of: permits fluid flow; and is sealed via a metal covering sheet of the cooling plate.

14. The process according to claim 13, further comprising, before fixing and thermal coupling the cooling plate and the structural component, coherently bonding the metal covering sheet of the cooling plate to the at least one channelled metal sheet of the cooling plate in a direction facing away from the joint.

15. A composite, comprising: a cooling plate through which a temperature-control fluid is flowable; a structural component amenable to cooling via the cooling plate; and wherein the composite has been produced via the process according to claim 1.

16. The process according to claim 1, wherein full-surface adhesive bonding the cooling plate and the structural component to one another further includes: melting the adhesive; and while melting the adhesive, pressing the cooling plate and the structural component together with a force of 0.1 to 0.7 N/mm.sup.2.

17. A composite, comprising: a cooling plate including a channelled metal sheet, the channelled metal sheet including at least one groove-like depression that at least partially defines at least one fluid channel through which a temperature-control fluid is flowable; a structural component coolable via the cooling plate; and an adhesive disposed in a joint defined between the cooling plate and the structural component, the adhesive providing a full-surface adhesive bond that fixes and thermally couples the cooling plate and the structural component to one another.

18. The composite according to claim 17, wherein: the at least one groove-like depression includes a plurality of groove-like depressions; the at least one fluid channel includes a plurality of fluid channels; the channelled metal sheet has a cross-sectional profile having a rectangular-wave shape that forms the plurality of groove-like depressions; and the cooling plate further includes a metal covering sheet connected to the channelled metal sheet and closing the plurality of fluid channels in a direction towards the joint such that the channeled metal sheet and the metal covering sheet define an outer periphery of each of the plurality of fluid channels.

19. The composite according to claim 17, wherein the adhesive is structured as an adhesive film having a thickness of 10 to 100 micrometres.

20. The composite according to claim 17, wherein the adhesive is sandwiched directly between and completely coats (i) a joint-delimiting joint area of the cooling plate and (ii) a joint-delimiting joint area of the structural component.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The diagrams show the following:

[0028] FIG. 1 shows a sectional depiction of an example of a composite of the invention, produced by means of a process of the invention,

[0029] FIG. 2 shows, by way of example, a flow diagram of a process of the invention for the production of a composite.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] FIG. 1 is a generalized diagram of a section of an example of a composite 1 of the invention. The composite 1 can by way of example be suitable for use in a motor vehicle. The composite 1 comprises a cooling plate 2, through which a temperature-control fluid T can flow. The temperature-control fluid T in the example shown is a temperature-control liquid F. The composite 1 moreover comprises a structural component 3, which can be cooled by means of temperature-control fluid T, which is conducted through the cooling plate 2. The cooling plate 2 comprises at least one channelled metal sheet 7—in the example shown precisely one channelled metal sheet 7—which is provided with at least one fluid channel 8 for conducting the temperature-control fluid T through the cooling plate 2. The fluid channel 8 here is by way of example configured as groove-like depression 9 in the channelled metal sheet 7.

[0031] The cooling plate 2 in the example of FIG. 1 moreover comprises a metal covering sheet 10, by means of which the fluid channel 8 is sealed to prevent fluid flow in the direction towards the joint 5. However, in an alternative not shown in the figures it is also possible that this type of metal covering sheet 10 is omitted. The composite 1 here has been produced by means of a process V of the invention, which is explained in more detail below.

[0032] FIG. 2 illustrates by way of example a flow diagram of the process V of the invention for the production of a composite 1 of the type shown by way of example in FIG. 1. Accordingly, the process V comprises three measures a) to c). According to a first measure a), a cooling plate 2 is provided, through which a temperature-control fluid T can flow, which by way of example is a temperature-control liquid F. A second measure b) of the process V provides that a structural component 3 of the required composite 1 is provided. A third measure c) achieves in essence full-surface adhesive bonding of the cooling plate 2 and of the structural component 3 to one another by means of an adhesive 4. For the fixing and thermal coupling of the cooling plate 2 and of the structural component 3 to one another, the adhesive 4 here is arranged in a joint 5 that is present between the cooling plate 2 and the structural component 3.

[0033] In a variant of the process V here, before conduct of the measure c), the adhesive 4 is applied with a layer thickness d between 5 and 500 μm to a joint-5-delimiting joint area 6 of the cooling plate 2. The joint area 6 on which the adhesive 4 is applied can be present on the cooling plate 2, and also—alternatively or additionally—on the structural component 3. By way of example, a crosslinking adhesive 4 is used, based for example on epoxy resin, on polyurethane or on silicone. In this case it is possible that a material of the structural component 3 and a material of the cooling plate 2 have a coefficient of thermal expansion that is in essence identical.

[0034] In an alternative variant of the process V, an adhesive 4 based on polyolefin is used. The polyolefin base can comprise polyethylene, polypropylene or polybutylene, or a combination thereof. The adhesive 4 is by way of example a hot-melt adhesive. In this case, the material of the structural component 3 and the material of the cooling plate 2 can have different or identical coefficients of thermal expansion. The adhesive 4 is, for example, introduced in the form of a film into the joint 5. By way of example, the film has been cut to size before it is inserted between the joint-5-delimiting joint areas 6 of the structural component 3 and of the cooling plate 2. This means that before the film is inserted into the joint 5 it can be cut to size to match the joint areas 6. The film can have been laminated on the respective joint area 6. During the adhesive bonding according to the third measure c), the cooling plate 2 and the structural component 3 can be pressed together, for example at 0.1 to 0.7 N/mm.sup.2, after the adhesive 4 or the film has been melted, or during melting of the adhesive 4 or of the film.

[0035] According to the process V, by way of example, before conduct of the third measure c) at least one of the joint-5-delimiting joint areas 6 is advantageously full-surface-coated with adhesive 4. The structural component 3 comprises by way of example an electrical battery cell or a battery housing for an electrical battery or power electronics or a power-electronics housing for power electronics, or is an electrical battery cell or a battery housing for an electrical battery or power electronics or a power-electronics housing for power electronics.

[0036] For example, before the adhesive bonding according to the third measure c) with production of the cooling plate 2, the metal covering sheet 10 of the cooling plate 2 is coherently bonded to the channelled metal sheet 7 of the cooling plate 2 in the direction facing away from the joint 5. The metal covering sheet 10 and the channelled metal sheet 7 can be soldered or welded or adhesive-bonded to one another.