Heat exchanger of a vehicle provided with a protection grid

Abstract

A heat exchanger of a vehicle, comprising a frame, a plurality of parallel tubes extending between two opposite sides of the frame, a pair of headers, each of which is arranged at a corresponding one of the two opposite sides of the frame, and a protection grid, attached at a face of the heat exchanger and including a plurality of parallel grid elements, in which each of the grid elements is adapted to shield a corresponding tube of the heat exchanger. Fastening and supporting means are provided, by means of which opposite side edges of the protection grid are directly connected and firmly fastened to the frame or to the headers, and by means of which the protection grid is supported by the heat exchanger, and anchoring means, by means of which a lower edge of the protection grid is unfirmly retained to a lower side of the heat exchanger.

1 . A heat exchanger of a vehicle, comprising
 a frame,   a plurality of parallel tubes extending between two opposite sides of the frame,   a pair of headers, each of which is arranged at a corresponding one of said two opposite sides of the frame, and   a protection grid attached at a face of the heat exchanger and including a plurality of parallel grid elements, wherein each of said grid elements is adapted to shield a corresponding tube of the heat exchanger,   characterized in that fastening and supporting means are provided, by means of which opposite side edges of the protection grid are directly connected and firmly fastened to the frame or to the headers, and by means of which the protection grid is supported by the heat exchanger, and anchoring means are provided, by means of which a lower edge of the protection grid is unfirmly retained to a lower side of the heat exchanger.   
     
     
         2 . An exchanger according to  claim 1 , wherein the fastening and supporting means are constituted, for each side edge of the protection grid, by a pair of snap-fit spring tongues for snap-fitting into a corresponding aperture arranged at the side edge of the protection grid, and by a dowelling and supporting formation for fitting into a corresponding shaped opening arranged at the side edge of the protection grid, wherein support of the protection grid on the heat exchanger is mainly provided by the dowelling and supporting formation. 
     
     
         3 . An exchanger according to  claim 2 , wherein each spring tongue extends in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the heat exchanger and is arranged in such a way as to be adapted to bend in a vertical direction, being provided with a respective detent adapted to engage a corresponding portion of the protection grid. 
     
     
         4 . An exchanger according to  claim 2 , wherein each dowelling and supporting formation extends in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the exchanger and is T-shaped in cross-section, the corresponding shaped opening being correspondingly T-shaped. 
     
     
         5 . An exchanger according to  claim 2 , wherein the aperture and the shaped opening associated to one of the side edges of the protection grid are wider in the horizontal direction than the aperture and the shaped opening associated to the other of the side edges of the protection grid. 
     
     
         6 . An exchanger according to  claim 2 , wherein the spring tongues and the dowelling and supporting formations are integrally formed on the body of said headers, or on support elements respectively attached to side plates of the frame. 
     
     
         7 . An exchanger according to  claim 2 , wherein said apertures and shaped openings are arranged on respective ear portions laterally extending from each side edge of the protection grid. 
     
     
         8 . An exchanger according to  claim 1 , wherein said fastening and supporting means are constituted by screws or rivets fitted into corresponding bores formed on the side edges of the protection grid, and engaging corresponding seats arranged on the frame or on the headers in such a way to firmly fasten the protection grid thereto. 
     
     
         9 . An exchanger according to  claim 1 , wherein said anchoring means are constituted by at least one hook portion integrally formed on and extending rearward from the lower edge of the protection grid, said at least one hook portion being adapted to engage a corresponding portion of a lower plate of the frame of the heat exchanger. 
     
     
         10 . An exchanger according to  claim 1 , wherein said anchoring means are constituted by at least one tab portion integrally formed on and extending downward from the lower edge of the protection grid, said at least one tab portion being adapted to engage a corresponding slot of a lower plate of the frame of the heat exchanger. 
     
     
         11 . An exchanger according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one preload curvature is formed on the protection grid for elastically biasing at least one of the grid elements against at least one of the tubes of the heat exchanger. 
     
     
         12 . An exchanger according to  claim 1 , wherein the protection grid is provided with a vibration-damping element of shock-absorbing material, which is arranged in such a way as to be pressed between the protection grid and the tubes of the heat exchanger.