Inclined tube radiator

• US 5,209,285 A
• Filed: 09/24/1990
• Issued: 05/11/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc. (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Joshi, Shrikant M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ford, John K.
• Application Number:
  US07/587,300
• Time in Patent Office: 960 Days
• Field of Search: 165/41, 165/44, 165/51, 165/152, 165/153, 123/41.48, 123/41.49, 180/68.1, 180/68.4
• US Class Current: 165/41
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 11/04 Arrangement or mounting of radiators, radiator shutters, or radiator blinds B60K11/085 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 11/08 Air inlets for cooling; Shutters or blinds therefor radiator or grille guards B60R19/52
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 11/10 Guiding or ducting cooling-air, to, or from, liquid-to-air heat exchangers
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 1/05366 Assemblies of conduits connected to common headers, e.g. core type radiators

Abstract

An inlet air passage in the aerodynamically configured front end of a motor vehicle directs an inlet air stream at an inclination upwardly from the bottom of the front end of the vehicle and across a radiator for cooling engine coolant and wherein the radiator has coolant tubes and air centers for forming air flow passages through the radiator between spaced headers. The tubes are inclined with respect to the vertical headers at an angle selected to locate the air flow passages parallel to an inlet air stream for aligning the inlet air stream with the air flow passages for reducing air pressure drop across the radiator.

Claims

1. A passenger vehicle having a body with a front engine compartment including an inlet ram air passage therein said inlet ram air passage extending from the bottom of the front end of the vehicle for upwardly inclined flow into the engine compartment;

a coolant radiator located within said ram air passage for cooling engine coolant by airflow across said radiator;

said radiator having an air side and a coolant side;

air flow means including spaced parallel flat tubes on the air side of said radiator for forming a plurality of air flow passages through said radiator;

means for supporting said radiator within said vehicle to locate said radiator at an acute angle with respect to a vertical plane;

each of said plurality of air flow passages inclined at an angle to substantially fully axially align said air flow passages with the direction of air flow through said inlet ram air passage to reduce airflow resistance across said radiator;

each of said air flow means including heat exchange elements extending between said tubes along the full length thereof and supported on each of said tubes;

said heat exchange elements having inlet ends and outlet ends and passages therebetween located in axial alignment with the upwardly inclined direction of said inlet ram air passage and each of said heat exchange elements having inlet edges lying in planes that are progressively displaced away from each other in the direction of air flow through said inlet ram air passage from the bottom to the top of the radiator and each of said heat exchange elements having outlet edges lying in planes that are progressively displaced away from each other in the direction of air flow through said inlet ram air passage from the bottom to the top of the radiator.