Patent ID: 9664450
Date: 2017-05-30
CPC Classifications: F28D,F28F

Claim:
1. A heat exchanger having a core comprising: (a) a plurality of flat tubes arranged in parallel relation to one another in a stack, wherein spaces are defined between adjacent pairs of said tubes, wherein the tubes have a length which is defined in a direction parallel to a longitudinal axis and a width transverse to the longitudinal axis, wherein the core has a first end and a second end spaced apart along the longitudinal axis, and wherein each of the tubes has a hollow interior defining a first fluid flow passage; (b) a plurality of corrugated cooling fins, wherein each of the fins is provided in a space between an adjacent pair of said tubes, wherein each of the spaces defines a second fluid flow passage, wherein each of the fins comprises a metal sheet in which a plurality of parallel bends define a series of corrugations, the corrugations comprising a plurality of side walls, top walls and bottom walls, wherein the side walls are arranged in spaced, side-by-side relation to one another, with adjacent side walls being joined together by one of said top walls or one of said bottom walls; (c) a fin support structure comprising a plurality of support walls and a plurality of axial walls, wherein each of the support walls is integrally joined to at least one of the axial walls, wherein each of the support walls is in contact with the endmost corrugation of one of the fins, and wherein each of the axial walls is in contact with one of the tubes;