Patent ID: 6666264
Filing Date: 2003-12-23
Classification: F28F,Y10T

Abstract:
A heat exchanger comprising a tank, a plurality of tubes in fluid communication with said tank, and a plurality of fins extending between said tubes, said tank consisting essentially of:a header member formed from a single sheet of aluminum having a header peripheral edge and a header inner side and a header outer side, said header member having an elongate generally planar base section having first and second ends and a middle portion disposed between said first and said second ends, said first and second ends having respective first and second inner side surfaces adjacent to said header peripheral edge, said middle portion being provided with a plurality of openings each sized to receive one of said plurality of tubes, a flange section extending along a first edge of said base section and having a flange inner side surface adjacent to said header peripheral edge, and a wall section extending along an opposite second edge of said base section and having a wall inner side surface adjacent to said header peripheral edge, said first and second inner side surfaces, said flange inner side surface, and said wall inner side surface cooperating to define a continuous header inner side surface adjacent to said header peripheral edge; and a cover member formed of a single sheet of aluminum, said cover member having a central section that is spaced apart from said middle portion of said header member, said cover member further having a cover peripheral edge and a cover inner side and a cover outer side, and said cover member further having a continuous cover inner side surface adjacent to said cover peripheral edge, said header inner side surface contacting said cover inner side surface and defining a fluid-tight seal between said cover member and said header member, said seal not extending beyond said header peripheral edge and said cover peripheral edge, and wherein said cover member is elongate and said central portion of said cover member is longitudinally dome-shaped, whereby said central section of said cover member has a convex curvature such that an apex of said curvature is spaced about equidistant from said first and second ends.