FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a radiator header assembly, and in particular to an assembly for retaining the ends of automobile radiator core tubes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Conventional automobile radiator cores include a plurality of elongated, narrow diameter tubes with metal fins mounted thereon for effecting heat exchange between the air and a liquid coolant passing through the tubes between tanks on each end of the tubes. In general, it is often difficult and/or time consuming to repair radiators, because of the need to disassemble and reassemble the devices. Over the years, many attempts have been made to simplify radiators, so that the task of disassembling and reassembling is made easier.

Examples of patents relating to radiators include Canadian Patent No. 1,241,636 issued to Philip G. Lesage on September 6, 1988, and U.S. Patents Nos. 3,391,732 issued to C. B. Murray on July 9, 1968; 3,447,603, issued to S. P. Jones on June 3, 1969; 3,471,178, issued to R.C. Roe on October 7, 1969; 3,750,744 issued to S. Bouras on August 7, 1973; 4,120,352 issued to J. Husson on October 17, 1978; 4,730,668, issued to . LeMaster on March 15, 1988; 5,052,475 issued to B. J. Grundy on October 1, 1991 and 5,178,213, issued to R.W. Watson on January 12, 1993. Structures of the type illustrated in the Grundy

U.S. Patent No. 5,052,475 are indicative of the substantial advances which have been made in simplifying radiator structures. However, structures of Grundy type suffer from the disadvantage of including a large number of elements (in the Grundy case grommets in a header plate) , making the product somewhat complicated and/or expensive to produce.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to further simplify the structure of a radiator header assembly, so that it is relatively inexpensive to produce, and easy to assemble and disassemble.

Accordingly, the present invention relates to a radiator header assembly for retaining the ends of radiator core tubes comprising one-piece, heat resistant, plastic body means; a plurality of holes extending through said body means for receiving the ends of the radiator tubes, tank means including side and end walls, said side and end walls having free edges defining a periphery of an open side of the tank means; groove means in one side of said body means for receiving said free edges, and first flange means parallel to and extending downwardly from said side and end walls for overlapping the sides and ends of said body means when the free edges are placed in the groove means.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described in greater detail

with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein:

Figure 1 is a schematic, exploded, perspective view of a radiator core and a header assembly in accordance with the present invention; with parts omitted;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a header body used in the assembly of Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the header body of Fig. 2 and a backplate used in the assembly of Fig. 1;

Figure 4 is an exploded, cross-sectional view of the top end of the radiator core and header assembly of Fig. i;

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the elements of Fig. 4 in assembled condition; and

Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention, with parts omitted.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference to the drawings, the header assembly, which is generally indicated at 1 is intended for use with a conventional radiator heat exchange core including a plurality of straight tubes 2 carrying fins 3. It will be appreciated that a header assembly is mounted on each end of the radiator core. However, for the sake of simplicity only a top assembly will be described.

The basic elements of the assembly 1 include a rectangular body 5, a backplate 6 and a so-called tank 7. The body 5 is formed of a heat resistant, thermoplastic elastomer, preferably foamed polyurethane, and contains a plurality of holes 9 for receiving the top ends 10 of

the tubes 2. One surface 11 of the body 5 contains a rectangular groove 12 which is parallel to the periphery of the body, i.e. parallel to the sides 13 and ends 14 of the body 5.

The backplate 6 is a thin, rectangular panel formed of nylon or another hard, heat resistant plastic. Metal could also be used to form the backplate 6. An arcuate flange 15 is provided on the periphery of the backplate 6. In an alternative form (not shown), the flange 15 is omitted from the ends of the backplate 6.

The tank 7 includes a semicylindrical top 16 defining side walls 18 and end walls 19. The free edges 21 of the side and end walls 18 and 19, respectively define an open side of the tank for receiving coolant from the tubes 2, or for discharging coolant into such tubes. The free edges 21 are inserted in the groove 12 when the header assembly is put together on the radiator core. A generally inverted L-shaped flange 22 extends outwardly and downwardly from the side and end walls 18 and 19, respectively of the tank 7. The vertical arm 24 of the flange 22 is parallel to the side and end walls, and extends downwardly beyond the plane of the bottom ends 21 of such walls. Thus, when the header assembly is on the radiator core, the vertical arm 24 of the flange 22 extends downwardly along the sides and ends 13 and 14, respectively of the body 5 to a position proximate the backplate 6.

The top edge of the horizontal arm 25 of the flange 22 is inclined upwardly away from the side and end walls of the tank 7 for defining a V-shaped groove with such walls. It is also possible to replace the V-shaped

groove with slots or recesses (not shown) in the vertical arms of the flange 22. Quick release connectors in the form of spring steel clips of snap locks 27 (two shown in Fig. 5 are used to hold the body 5 and the backplate 6 on the core of the radiator. Arcuate ends 28 of the lock 27 are placed on the flange 22 of the body 5 and beneath the flange 15 of the backplate 6, and a lever portion 30 of the slip is rotated to releasably latch the body 5, the backplate 6 and the tank of the radiator core. When the snap locks 27 are placed in position and closed, the body 5 becomes its own gasket, i.e. no separate gasket is required in the header assembly. Disassembly of the radiator is a relatively simple matter. It is merely necessary to release the clips 27, whereby the body 5, the backplate 6 and the tank 7 can readily be removed form the core. In order to reassemble the header assembly, the procedure is reserved.

It will be appreciated that the backplate 6 may not be required, i.e. the tank 7 can be releasably connected to the bottom (or top) of the header body 5 using quick release locks 27. However, the use of the backplate 6 is preferred, because this element facilitates the assembly procedure, the arcuate flange 15 readily receiving one end 28 of the clip 27. When it is not shown, plates extend between the header assemblies 1 together on the core. An assembly of this type is illustrated in Fig. 6.

Referring to Fig. 6, a second embodiment of the header assembly, which is generally indicated at 32 includes a rectangular body 33, a backplate 34 and a tank 35. While there are top and bottom header assemblies 32, for the sake of simplicity only the top assembly is described in detail. The body 33, like the body 5, is

formed of a heat resistant, thermoplastic elastomer, and contains a plurality of holes 37 for receiving the top ends 10 of the radiator tubes 2. There is no rectangular groove in the body 33. The backplate 34 is merely a flat rectangular plate containing holes 38 for receiving the tubes 2.

The tank 35 includes a hollow body 39 of generally triangular longitudinal section with an open bottom end. An inlet (or outlet, as the case may be) tube 40 extends from one side wall of the tank. An inverted L-shaped flange 42 extends outwardly from the periphery of the body 39, i.e. outwardly and downwardly from the sides and end thereof. In use, the L-shaped flange 42 extends downwardly over the sides and ends of the body 33, and the plate 34 (see the bottom of Fig. 6). Bolts 34 and nuts 44 are used to connect the tank 35 to the plate 34, with the body 33 sandwiched therebetween. The bolts 43 extend through aligned holes 46, 47 and 48 in the tank 35, the body 33 and the plate 34, respectively.

The two header assemblies 32 on the top and bottom ends of the radiator core are held together on the core by side rails or plates 50 (one shown) on the sides of the core. Holes 51 are provided in the ends of the plate for receiving self-tapping screws 52. The screws 52 extend through the holes 51 into holes 53 in the ends of the flange 42.

The header assembly described above is perceived as a substantial breakthrough in the radiator field. The assembly is a simple, complete takedown unit which should be a boon to truckers and heavy equipment operators. If a tank or core is broken, it can easily be replaced at a

worksite avoiding expensive downtime. The unit can be disassembled, cleaned and reassembles without being sent to a shop.

In the appended claims, it will be noted that the header assembly is described as being mounted on top of a radiator core. Of course, the assembly is also used on the bottom of a core, in which case the vertical direction is reversed.