USRE30766E

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Info

Publication number: USRE30766E
Application number: US06/152,014
Authority: US
Inventors: Erwin J. H. Bentz
Original assignee: Caterpillar Tractor Co
Current assignee: Caterpillar Inc
Priority date: 1975-10-09
Filing date: 1980-05-21
Publication date: 1981-10-13
Anticipated expiration: 1995-02-28

Abstract

A heat exchanger is provided with pivotally mounted, angularly disposed, cooling modules or cores so as to increase the cooling capacity of the heat exchanger and, at the same time, to have a self-cleaning capability for the modules or cores. The angular disposition of the modules or cores results in a larger effective frontal area to the heat exchanger thereby increasing the cooling capacity of the heat exchanger. The angular orientation of adjacent modules or cores slightly compresses the oncoming air which provides an increased level of cooling for the cores. Each module or core can be pivoted about an axis a sufficient amount such that the opposite surface of each module or core is swept by the oncoming air which passes around and through the modules or cores in a direction opposite to an initial pass of said air whereby the modules or cores are cleaned by the reverse flow of air.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to heat exchangers and, more particularly, to improved angularly disposed pivotally-mounted modules or cores for heat exchangers.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Heat exchangers, and primarily the type of heat exchangers used to cool internal combustion engines either on a moving vehicle or on a fixed stationary frame, must be provided with sufficient capacity to cool the engine by the passage of fluid, such as air, past and around the heat exchange element. In general, the volume of air passing the heat exchange member is the combined air from movement of the vehicle and from the cooling fan driven by the engine. In order to provide sufficient cooling capacity for the engine, it is necessary sometimes to use large fans operating at high speeds which cause vibrations and air noises. By government edict, the noise levels generated by the operation of an engine must be maintained within certain defined limits which limits, in many cases, cannot be met while still maintaining adequate cooling for the vehicle engine.

In addition, many vehicles are operated in areas where there is a considerable amount of flying particles, such as wood chips, leaves, dirt and the like, which particles cling to the heat exchange element and block the passage of air past, around and through the fins, thereby reducing the effective cooling of the vehicle engine.

To prevent the buildup of debris in the cooling fins of the heat exchanger, a rotating anti-clog screen was proposed by Boyajian in U.S. Pat. No. 3,344,854, whereby a screen is moved past the front of the heat exchange core, which screen collects the debris and carries it on past the cooling surface of the heat exchange core. The anti-clog screen is a separate element that is separately operated. The Howard U.S. Pat. No. 2,310,086 describes a system and apparatus whereby a heat exchange core is subdivided into segments which are each pivotally mounted. The segments are interconnected so that they can be rotated to open a space between adjacent segments and to permit the cooling air to flow past the segments at an angle. Howard does not provide an increased cooling surface area, nor does he provide for self-cleaning the segments of the core.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A heat exchanger is formed by mounting a plurality of modules or cores of the heat exchanger at an angle with respect to a centerline of the engine with each module or core being pivotally mounted at the top and at the bottom thereof with the surfaces of the module or core lying at an angle with respect to the adjacent module or core so that the effective surface of the heat exchanger exposed to the cooling air is substantially increased. Each module or core engages a stop so as to prevent the module or core from pivoting during use. Upon releasing the module or core from the stop, the module or core can be rotated about the pivotal axis thereof so as to expose the opposite surface to the flow of air through the module or core. The reversal of the direction of the air flow through the module or core will clean the debris and foreign matter from the module or core thereby restoring the effective cooling capacity of the module or core and extending the life span of the heat exchanger.

By angularly mounting the surfaces of the modules or cores of the heat exchanger, the effective cooling surface of the heat exchanger is substantially increased which increases the cooling capacity of the heat exchanger. Therefore, a smaller heat exchanger can be used to effectively cool a particular vehicle or the same size heat exchanger may be employed, but a smaller volume of air is required to be forced through the heat exchanger to create the desired amount of cooling. The smaller heat exchanger or the smaller volume of air to effectively cool the engine, permits the use of fans driven at lower speeds which are quieter in operation and within specified noise levels.

The coolants in the heat exchanger may flow through hollow trunnions about which each module or core of the heat exchanger is rotated, or the fluid may be piped from a top tank into each module or core of the heat exchanger through flexible tubing.

In one modified version, additional modules or cores for the heat exchanger are mounted on the side of the vehicle to increase the cooling capacity of the heat exchanger. These additional modules or cores are pivotally mounted and are self-cleaning by reversing the direction of flow of the cooling air through the module or core.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The details of construction and operation of the invention are more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view partially in section showing a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial, enlarged front view taken along the lines 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view partially in section showing a modified version of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a partial, enlarged front view taken along the lines 4--4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the cores in partial section showing the cores positioned at a first orientation andapparatus 49 for simultaneously rotating the cores;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the cores in partial section showing the cores positioned at a second orientation andapparatus 49 for simultaneously rotating the cores; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a portion of the cores andlinkage 51 of theapparatus 49 for simultaneously rotating the cores.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 wherein a front mountedcooling system 10 is illustrated on the front end of aland vehicle 12, such as a crawler tractor or the like. It is understood that the design and construction of the present invention has wide application in surface-type heat exchangers where air is forced or drawn over the fins and tubes of coolant from an engine to reduce the temperature of the coolant. The heat exchanger may be associated with the engine of a land vehicle, with the engine of a stationary installation, or the like. As illustrated, thevehicle 12 has a frame with a pair of spaced apartside walls 14,16, each of which pivotally supports, by means of

hinges

18,20,

front grills

22,24, respectively. Anengine 26, such as a liquid cooled internal combustion engine, is mounted on the frame between thewalls 14,16 and has afan 28 driven by abelt 30 andpulley 32 on the front end thereof. The frame of the vehicle has baffles orshrouds 34 carried by thewalls 14,16 and surrounding thefan 28 so as to guide the flow of air from the front of the vehicle through the fan and on past theengine 26.

Extending between theside walls 14,16 and mounted thereto by means of

resilient pads

36,38 and fasteners 40, is a radiator orheat exchanger 42 which comprises a top orheader tank 44, a bottom oroutlet tank 46 and a plurality of angularly oriented, pivotally mounted modules orcores 48. Theengine 26 is cooled by a liquid coolant which is circulated therethrough by a pump, not shown, and is communicated throughpipe 50 to thetop tank 44 of theheat exchanger 42. The liquid coolant, which comes from the engine at an elevated temperature, is circulated through the modules orcores 48 where the temperature of the coolant is reduced. The cooled coolant flows from the modules orcores 48 into thebottom tank 46 and back to theengine 26 throughpipe 52.

The modules orcores 48 are of conventional design having a plurality of through tubes which have attached thereto a plurality of radiating fins. Atop plate 54 andbottom plate 56 of the module orcore 48 has upwardly and downwardly extending hollow nipples ortrunnions 58 which are adapted to sealingly nest in theopenings 60 formed in the thickened portions 62 of thebottom wall 64 of thetop tank 44 and in the thickenedportions 66 of the top wall 68 of thebottom tank 46. The nipples ortrunnions 58 of each core lie on a common axis which, in the form shown, is the vertical geometric centerline of the core.Seals 70 are provided between the nipples ortrunnions 58 and the thickenedportions 62,66 of the top and

bottom tanks

44,46, respectively. The hot coolant from the engine flows into thetop tank 44 and through the openings into the nipples ortrunnions 58. The coolant flows through the tubes in the modules orcores 48 where the heat in the coolant is radiated to the fins and is removed by the passage of air over, through and around the fins and tubes. The coolant, with a reduced temperature, is collected in thebottom tank 46 where it is pumped back to the block of theengine 26.

The modules orcores 48 have a generally planarfront surface 72 and a generally planarrear surface 74. The radiator orheat exchanger 42 has a vertical plane which lies perpendicular to the centerline of thevehicle 12. Adjacent modules orcores 48 have theirfront surfaces 72 angularly disposed with respect to the vertical plane of the radiator orheat exchanger 42 and with respect to each other as viewed in FIG. 1, such that each pair of modules or cores will converge toward each other to form a wedge-shaped trough therebetween. Air, which is forced or drawn through the

grills

22,24, strikes thefront surfaces 72 of the modules orcores 48 and pass through the modules or cores for cooling same. The wedge-shaped trough between adjacent modules orcores 48 has a tendency to cause the air to be slightly compressed as the bottom of the trough is approached. The slightly compressed air is more dense than regular air, which increased denseness, has a greater cooling capacity than regular air thereby increasing the cooling capacity of the radiator or heat exchanger.

The sum of the areas of the front surfaces of the modules orcores 48 is substantially larger than a large single core radiator of the conventional type. Therefore, a radiator with a plurality of angularly disposed modules orcores 48 has a substantially increased cooling capacity over a radiator of the same outside dimensions using a large single core for cooling. The angular disposition of each module orcore 48 permits larger module or core surface areas to be exposed to oncoming air for cooling purposes. As a result, a radiator with the same size as before would have increased cooling capability with the present angled core design or a smaller radiator with the angled core design could be substituted for the larger radiator and have the same cooling capability as said larger radiator.

Stops 76 are provided on the bottom surface ofwall 64 of thetop tank 44 and have angularly disposed

surfaces

78,80 withapertures 82 formed therethrough. Each module orcore 48 has an aperture 84 in one side wall thereof, which aperture 84 is adapted to align with one of theapertures 82 in the

surfaces

78,80 of thestops 76. A pin 86 is passed through the alignedapertures 82,84 to lock the module orcore 48 in angled relationship with respect to the vertical plane of the radiator. In FIG. 1, the modules orcores 48, shown in solid lines, are pinned tostops 76 so that three converging troughs are formed therebetween. Upon removing each pin 86, its associated module orcore 48 may be pivoted about thetrunnions 58 until the apertured wall of the module orcore 48 aligns with theadjacent stop 76 whereupon the pin 86 can be reinserted to lock the module orcore 48 in a position with therear surface 74 facing the

grills

22,24. Oncoming air will now pass first through therear surface 74 and on over, through and around the fins and tubes in the core and in the process will not only cool the coolants in the core, but also will flush out any debris, such as leaves, chips and the like, that was previously lodged in thefront surface 72 of the core when saidfront surface 72 was facing the

grills

22,24. In this way, the modules orcores 48 are self-cleaning. Clean, unobstructed cores are more efficient in producing maximum heat exchange, with the coolants circulating in the cores. Debris buildup in the core cannot only cause damage to the core, but also can reduce the effective cooling of the core resulting in operating the core at increase temperatures which can cause premature failure of the core. Therefore, reversing the air flow through the cores for self-cleaning can increase the useful life span of the cores.

Supplemental cooling capacity can be provided by installing anadditional radiator 88 in theside wall 16 of thevehicle 12. Theradiator 88 has a shortenedtop tank 44 andbottom tank 46 and, as shown, has one pair of modules orcores 48 pivotally mounted between said top and

bottom tanks

44,46, respectively. The design, construction and operation of the modules orcores 48 in theradiator 88 is the same as with respect to radiator orheat exchanger 42. The modules orcores 48 may be pivoted from the solid line position of FIG. 1 to the dotted line position so as to reverse flush the cores clean.Stops 76 are provided for engaging thecores 48 to hold the cores in the desired angular position. Thepipe 50 connects to top tank 44 (not shown) of theradiator 88 with astub pipe 90 connecting thetank 44 ofradiator 88 to thetop tank 44 of the radiator orheat exchanger 42.Bottom tank 46 ofradiator 88 is connected back to theengine 26 by means ofreturn pipe 92 or tobottom tank 46 ofradiator 42.

The vehicle heat exchanger of FIG. 1 may operate with bothradiator 88 and radiator orheat exchanger 42, whereupon the heated coolant flows intotop tank 44 ofradiator 88 for cooling inradiator 88 with the remaining heated coolant flowing on totank 44 of radiator orheat exchanger 42 for cooling by radiator orheat exchanger 42. The radiator orheat exchanger 42 may do all the cooling for theengine 26 by means ofpipe 50 bypassingtank 44 ofradiator 88 and going directly to thetop tank 44 of radiator orheat exchanger 42.

Agrill 94 is formed in theside wall 16 to protect the modules orcores 48. Thegrill 94 may be removed by removing thebolts 96 so as to gain access to theradiator 88 and so as to rotate the modules orcores 48.

In the modified embodiment, shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the frame,engine 26,walls 14,16, grills 22,24, baffles 34,fan 28 and mounting of theradiator 142 are all substantially the same as for the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2. Theradiator 142 hastop tank 144 andbottom tank 146 with a plurality of angularly disposed modules orcores 148 pivotally mounted therebetween. The modules orcores 148 have stub shafts ortrunnions 158 mounted on the top and bottom edges thereof with saidtrunnions 158 engaging in bearingopenings 160 in mountingplates 98 carried by thebottom wall 164 oftop tank 144 andtop wall 168 ofbottom tank 146. Each module orcore 148 has aflexible hose 100 connected from an opening 102 in thetop tank 144 to an opening in the top edge of the module orcore 148 and has a secondflexible hose 104 connected from an opening in the lower edge of the module orcore 148 to anopening 106 in thebottom tank 146. Conventional fittings are used to make the actual connection between the

hoses

100 and 104, the tanks 144,146 and the modules orcores 148. The

hoses

100 and 104 are positioned in such a way as to permit ready pivoting of the modules orcores 148 about the axis of thetrunnions 158 without interference.

Stops 176 are provided on the mountingplate 98 of thetank 146 in a position to engage with one surface of the modules orcores 148 to hold the modules or cores in angled orientation relative to the plane of the radiator orheat exchanger 142. Pins or other appropriate means 186 are provided for securing the modules orcores 148 against the appropriate stops 176.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4, thestops 176 are of such a size and are located in such a way as to position the modules orcores 148 with their facingcorners 108 spaced apart a short distance so as to create an opening therebetween. In this way, some debris that normally would pile up in the converging trough between adjacent angularly disposed modules orcores 148 will be permitted to go on through, thereby reducing the frequency that the modules orcores 148 will have to be pivoted for self-cleaning purposes.

It should be understood that increased convenience and utility can be attained for the subject invention through slight design modifications. For instance, and as shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, all cooling modules or cores can be coupled and rotated simultaneously byapparatus 49 such as auniversal linkage 51 andactuator 53 that can be remotely located. Such a device can also preclude the need for stops and lock pins to maintain alternate core positions. Additionally, in the event oil from hydraulic drive or implement control systems requires cooling, parallel connected auxiliary modules or cores would perform the function very effectively.

Claims

I claim:

1. A heat exchanger for an internal combustion engine comprising a top tank connected to said engine for receiving heated coolant, a bottom tank connected to said engine for returning cooled coolant to said engine, a plurality of cooling cores extending between said top tank and said bottom tank, means for pivotally mounting each said cooling core about an axis extending between said top tank and said bottom tank, each said core having a front surface and a rear surface, means for limiting the amount of pivoting of each core about said axis so as to expose first the front surface and then the rear surface of each core to oncoming air whereby air flowing past said cores will clean accumulated foreign matter from said cores upon reversal of the surfaces of said cores.

2. In the heat exchanger as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cores are angularly disposed with respect to each other and with respect to a plane lying perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said engine.

3. In the heat exchanger as claimed in claim 1 wherein the surfaces of each adjacent pair of cores define an angle therebetween in which oncoming air is slightly compressed thereby increasing the cooling capacity of the cores.

4. In the heat exchanger as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means for pivotally mounting said cores is a hollow member through which the coolant flows to and from said cores.

5. In the heat exchanger as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means for pivotally mounting said cores is a pivot and socket member and wherein a flexible tube is connected between the top tank and each core and a second flexible tube is connected between each core and the bottom tank whereby the coolant flows to and from each core.

6. In the heat exchanger as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means for limiting the amount of pivoting of each core holds the adjacent edges of said cores spaced apart to permit loose debris to pass therebetween.

7. In the heat exchanger as claimed in claim 1 wherein holding means engage between each core and said means for limiting the amount of pivoting of each core for holding said core against said means for limiting the amount of pivoting of said core.

8. In the heat exchanger as claimed in claim 1 wherein a second heat exchanger is provided in parallel with said first heat exchanger, said second heat exchanger has at least two pivoted angularly disposed cores.

9. An internal combustion engine having a heat exchanger with a top tank and a bottom tank, said top tank being connected to said engine for receiving heated coolant, said bottom tank being connected to said engine for returning cooled coolant to said engine, a plurality of cooling cores extending between said top tank and said bottom tank, means for .Iadd.pivotally .Iaddend.mounting each said cooling core at an angle with respect to each other and at an angle to the plane lying perpendicular to the axis of the engine whereby increased cooling core surface is exposed to oncoming air passing through said heat exchanger.

10. The internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 9 wherein each core has a front surface and a rear surface and wherein each core is pivotally mounted between said top tank and bottom tank so as to be selectively positioned with either the front surface or the rear surface of the core exposed to oncoming air.

11. The internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 10 wherein the surfaces of each adjacent pair of cores define an angle therebetween in which oncoming air is slightly compressed thereby increasing the cooling capacity of the cores.

12. The internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 10 wherein the means for pivotally mounting said cores is a hollow member through which the coolant flows to and from said cores.

13. The internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 10 wherein the means for pivotally mounting said cores is a pivot and socket member and wherein a flexible tube is connected between the top tank and each core and a second flexible tube is connected between each core and the bottom tank whereby the coolant flows to and from each core.

14. The internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 10 wherein the means for limiting the amount of pivoting of each core holds the adjacent edges of said cores spaced apart to permit loose debris to pass therebetween.

15. The internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 10 wherein holding means engage between each core and said means for limiting the amount of pivoting of each core for holding said core against said means for limiting the amount of pivoting of said core.

16. The internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 9 wherein a second heat exchanger is provided in parallel with said first heat exchanger, said second heat exchanger having at least two angularly disposed cores, a top tank of said heat exchanger receiving heated coolant from said engine, said top tank of said second heat exchanger being connected to and communicating with the top tank of said first heat exchanger for transporting heated coolant from said engine to said first heat exchanger, and means for returning cooled coolant from a bottom tank of said second heat exchanger directly back to said engine.

17. The internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 16 wherein said cores are pivotally mounted for exposing opposite surfaces to oncoming air.

18. A heat exchanger, comprising:

a plurality of cooling cores each having first and second opposed outer surfaces and first and second opposed edges, said cooling cores being generally positioned in side by side relationship and movable between a first position at which the first edges of adjacent cores are in close proximity and oriented for passing cooling fluid through the cores in a direction from the first surface to the second surface and a second position at which the second edge of adjacent cores are in close proximity and oriented for passing cooling fluid through the cores in a direction from the second surface to the first surface;

means for pivotally mounting said cores for pivotal movement of the cores less than 180° during movement between the first and second positions.

19. A heat exchanger, as set forth in claim 18, including means for synchronously pivoting said cores.