Heat exchanger and method for manufacturing same

Abstract

In a heat exchanger, a bracket is fixed to the side plate only by fastening, after an assembly including a core portion and the side plate is bonded together in a furnace. Therefore, the bracket can be readily fixed to the side plate without using an additional connection member such as a bolt. Accordingly, the core portion can be made relatively larger while it can prevent an outer dimension of the heater core from being enlarged. Further, one of the side plate and the bracket has a protrusion, and the other one of the side plate and the bracket has a hole being engaged with the protrusion. Therefore, the bracket can be further tightly fixed to the side plate without brazing.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A heat exchanger comprising: 
 a core portion having a plurality of tubes in which a first fluid flows to perform heat exchange with a second fluid flowing through the core portion outside the tubes;    a side plate, disposed on an end portion of the core portion, for reinforcing the core portion; and    a bracket for an attachment, the bracket being fixed to the side plate only by fastening.    
     
     
         2 . The heat exchanger according to  claim 1 , wherein: 
 the side plate extends in a direction parallel to a longitudinal direction of the tubes, and is formed into an approximate U-shape in cross section, to have a bottom wall portion connected to the core portion and two opposite side walls protruding from the bottom wall portion to a side opposite to the core portion; and    a part of the side walls is plastically deformed by pressing from an outside to clip and fasten the bracket between the side walls.    
     
     
         3 . The heat exchanger according to  claim 2 , wherein: 
 one of the bottom wall portion of the side plate and the bracket has a protrusion; and    the other one of the bottom wall portion of the side plate and the bracket has a hole being engaged with the protrusion.    
     
     
         4 . The heat exchanger according to  claim 3 , wherein the protrusion is press-fitted into the hole.  
     
     
         5 . The heat exchanger according to  claim 1 , wherein: 
 the bracket has an engagement portion engaged with the side plate; and    the bracket is fastened and fixed into the side plate.    
     
     
         6 . The heat exchanger according to  claim 1 , wherein: 
 the side plate has a protrusion protruding from an inner wall surface of the side plate;    the bracket has a hole into which the protrusion of the side plate is press-fitted; and    the bracket is fastened and fixed into the side plate.    
     
     
         7 . The heat exchanger according to  claim 1 , wherein a part of the side plate is plastically deformed to press-contacts the bracket so that the bracket is fastened and fixed to the side plate.  
     
     
         8 . The heat exchanger according to  claim 1 , wherein the bracket and the side plate are made of metal materials having the same electrical potential.  
     
     
         9 . The heat exchanger according to  claim 1 , wherein the bracket is made of a metal different from that of the side plate, the heat exchanger further comprising 
 a cover film provided on one of the bracket and the side plate, that is inferior in electrical potential.    
     
     
         10 . A manufacturing method of a heat exchanger comprising: 
 forming a core portion including a plurality of tubes in which a first fluid flows to perform heat exchange with a second fluid passing through the core portion outside the tubes;    forming a side plate to have an approximate U shape in cross section;    temporally assembling the side plate on one end of the core portion to form an assembly;    brazing the assembly in a furnace; and    press-deforming a part of the side plate from an outside of the side plate after a bracket is inserted into the side plate, so that the bracket is fastened and fixed to the side plate after the brazing.    
     
     
         11 . The manufacturing method according to  claim 10 , wherein one of the side plate and the bracket has a protrusion, and the other one of the side plate and the bracket has a hole, the method further comprising 
 engaging the protrusion with the hole before the press-deforming.    
     
     
         12 . The manufacturing method according to  claim 10 , wherein: 
 the side plate has a bottom wall portion bonding to the core portion and two opposite side walls protruding from the bottom wall portion to a side opposite to the core portion; and    in the press-deforming, the bracket is inserted into the side plate between the opposite side walls, and a part of the opposite side walls is pressed from an outside to be plastically deformed.