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Manufacturing method for grip member for insertion tube in heat exchanger, manufacturing method for heat exchanger using said grip member, and air conditioner and/or outdoor unit having said heat exchanger

  • US 9,656,355 B2
  • Filed: 07/20/2012
  • Issued: 05/23/2017
  • Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2011
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A production method for a tube-grasping body (3) of a heat exchanger through pipe utilized by a heat exchanger production apparatus, which is also connectable at an exterior of a tube-enlarging mandrel (2), for moving back and forth, along said tube-enlarging mandrel (2) which is penetrable from an opening (7b) of a hairpin tube (7) inserted into a heat radiating fin (6) of the heat exchanger (5);

  • and is also equipped with a plurality of tube-contacting parts (3f), capable of radially expanding or axially compressing in a cross direction of a longitudinal length of said hairpin tube (7); and

    is also equipped with slopes (3b) which are formed beforehand and has a predetermined slope, slanting gradually in a widening direction toward the opening (7b) of the hairpin tube, wherein each of the slopes (3b) is formed to a bigger slant by curve and spread a width of each of multiple slits (3a), and formed on an exterior surface of each of said tube-contacting parts (3f); and

    which also radially expands or axially compresses each of said tube-contacting parts (3f), by a sliding means which moves back and forth in a longitudinal direction of the hairpin tube, along said slopes (3b) of the tube-contacting parts (3f), said production method comprising;

    producing the tube-grasping body (3) having the plurality of tube-contacting parts (3f) with bumps (3e) that protrude into an axial direction of the tube-grasping body (3) which comprises;

    a) cutting with a prescribed depth inside the tube-grasping body (3), which has a prescribed total length, at one end positioned at the opening (7b) of the hairpin tube (7) to an other end, forming a swelling part (3z) that bulges to the axial direction of the tube-grasping body (3) to form a smaller inner diameter;

    b) after forming the swelling part (3z), forming the multiple slits (3a) of a prescribed width (3u) in the longitudinal direction with a prescribed length and width from one end of the tube-grasping body (3) to the other end of the tube- grasping body (3) in order to form the tube-contacting part (3f) that can freely compress and expand radially in the longitudinal direction of hairpin tube (7) of tube-grasping body (3) and therefore, through the multiple slits (3a), divide the swelling part (3z) by a number of the multiple slits (3a) and forming the plurality of tube-contacting parts (3f) having the bumps (3e) that protrude into the axial direction of the tube-grasping body (3); and

    c) spreading the multiple slits (3a) from a prescribed point towards the direction of the opening (7b) of the hairpin tube (7) so as to have an expanded width (3x) gradually curved wider than the prescribed width (3u) to form a degree of inclination of each of the slopes (3b) provided on the exterior surface of each tube-contacting part (3f), which inclines in an expanding direction towards the opening (7b) of the hairpin tube (7), larger than a degree of inclination of each of the slopes (3b) when the slits (3a) were formed.

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