GB1585450A - Support assembly and grill for a radiator - Google Patents

Description

(54) A SUPPORT ASSEMBLY AND GRILL FOR A RADIATOR (71) We, CATERPILLAR TRACTOR CO., a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of California, United States of America, of 100 N.E. Adams Street, Peoria, Illinois, 61629, United States of America, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- In all pistoned internal combustion engines of any magnitude, it is usually necessary to provide for cooling of at least one fluid utilized in the engine. In particular, a liquid cooled engine must also include some form of a heat exchanger to allow dissipation of accumulated engine heat to the ambient atmosphere. Furthermore, internal combustion engines of any magnitude generally require either a vast quantity of lubricant contained in a large lubricant reservoir, or a more workable quantity of lubricant coupled with a smaller reservoir and a lubricant cooler, commonly referred to as an oil cooler.

The environment that construction equipment is operated in is generally detrimental to the relatively fragile construction of heat exchangers, which are usually made in the form of a finned radiator. Such heat exchangers generally are the most efficient and, therefore, are utilized extensively in such equipments. Accordingly, it is necessary to first support the heat exchanger relatively to the vehicle and, secondly, to provide sufficient protection to the heat exchanger so that the relatively vulnerable portions are not pierced or damaged by foreign objects.

Mounting a heat exchanger or a radiator requires a special degree of care in that the radiator is generally comprised of a plurality of parallel-arranged passages through which the fluid to be cooled is passed. Each passage may be interconnected to the next adjacent passage by thin metal sheets or fins generally perpendicular to the axis of the passages. The thin metal sheets, as is well known in the art, conduct heat from the passages for radiation of the ambient air. Generally a fluid such as air is passed over the fins or thin metal sheets to carry away radiated heat. The very nature of this structure, coupled with the fact that a relatively soft metal such as bronze or brass is utilized for the radiator, dictates, in part, the special mounting method.

Flexure of the vehicle frame and vibrations in the frame which occur during operation, when communicated to the rather soft structure of a radiator, may result in fatigue and early failure of the radiator.

Resulting rapid loss of either the cooling fluid or the lubricant from the failed radiator can cause engine failure and thus, additional expense to the operator of the vehicle.

Accordingly, the radiator structure must be isolated or at least insulated from undue stresses, strains, and vibrations imparted thereto from the vehicle frame. Although the vehicle frame can be made practically rigid, a certain amount of movement between frame members due to bending and the like is almost inevitable. Vibrations on the frame may be lessened by springing and the like, but not eliminated. Accordingly, it is common practice to resiliently mount the radiator relatively to the frame and couple the radiator to the fluid to be cooled through flexible conduits, such as rubber tubing or the like.

The nature of the metal utilized to construct a radiator is such that protection is usually advisable and, in the construction equipment environment, usually necessary.

In the heavy construction vehicle, it has been appropriate to utilize a rather massive structure to encompass the radiator. In certain instances, the grillwork was incorporated into such a structure. In most cases, it was necessary to utilize rather heavy lifting equipment to remove the protective support structure that surrounded the radiator. Thus, routine maintenance on the radiator, such as replacement of interconnecting hoses or replacement of the radiator itself, necessitated rather massive equipment to remove the supporting structure. Therefore, a failure in the cooling system in the field was a major maintenance problem requiring extensive support equipment.

In accordance with the invention, a radiator assembly comprises a support frame; resilient means mounting a radiator in the support frame; and guard means carrying a grill and fixed to the support frame in overlapping relationship to protect the radiator; the support frame being arranged to be mounted with one upright open face of the frame adjacent to a fan so that in use, cooling air can be drawn through the grill and radiator, and the support frame having an opposite upright open face to which the guard means is fitted and through which the radiator can be inserted into and removed from the support frame in a substantially horizontal direction when the guard means is removed.

An example of a radiator assembly constructed in accordance with the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an exploded view in perspective of the assembly; Figure 2 is a side elevation view partly in section of the assembly; and Figure 3 is a partial sectional view of the assembly taken at section line III-III in Figure 2.

Shown in Figure 1 is an exploded view of a support assembly and grill 10 for a heat exchanger, such as a radiator 12 which may be used with an internal combustion engine.

It is to be understood that this invention is described in the context of a heavy construction vehicle wherein radiator 12 may encompass multiple cooling units; for example, one unit for engine coolant and a second unit for engine lubricant. The structure described herein is also applicable to stationary equipment and, in fact, is applicable to any environment wherein a heat exchanger is supported by a frame and must be protected by grillwork. It is, however, particularly applicable to radiators utilized in internal combustion engined construction vehicles.

The support assembly and grill comprises a support frame 14 which may be affixed by appropriate means to a vehicle frame 16 or the like.

Support frame 14 is adapted to receive radiator 12 in a manner to be described.

Affixed to, in a general overlapping relation, is a guard frame 18 which is adapted to receive a protective grill, such as grill 20.

Again referring to Figure 1, taken in conjunction with Figures 2 and 3, it can be seen that support frame 14 is comprised of two elongate upstanding plate members 22 and 24, which are held in spaced apart relation by a bottom plate member 26, in turn affixed to corresponding ends of plate members 22 and 24. In addition to the just described structure, the support frame also includes a back plate member 28 which is integrally affixed to corresponding elongate edges of the upstanding plate members 22 and 24 and the corresponding edge of bottom plate member 26. Back plate member 28 is formed with a generally circular opening 27 having a major dimension or diameter generally equal to the major dimension of the radiator 12 to be affixed in the support frame 14.

Bottom plate member 26 extends outwardly from the corresponding ends of upstanding plate members 22 and 24 to form flanges 29, one of which is apparent in Figure 1, which may be utilized for fixture to frame 16 and a corresponding member of frame 16 not seen in Figure 1, but on the opposite side of support frame 14. It should be apparent that upstanding plate member 22 and upstanding plate member 24 are fixed to the bottom plate member 26 and the back plate member 28 by means well known in the art, such as welding or the like.

Integrally formed with upstanding plate member 22 and with upstanding plate member 24 are buttress members 30 and 32, a portion of which is shown in cross-section in Figure 3. Each buttress member 30 and 32 has a generally rectangular cross-section and may be formed from several plate members as indicated in Figure 3. Each plate member indicated in Figure 3 would be bonded to the adjacent plate member by means such as welding or the like. It should also be apparent that the upstanding plate member 22 and the upstanding plate member 24 may be made of more than one element as indicated in Figures 1, 2, and 3, wherein second plate members, such as plate members 34 and 36, are bondingly associated witb plate members 22 and 24, respectively. Butt.esses 30 and 32 are formed with an upwarilly closing taper and serve to strengthen the structure of support frame 14. Appropriate brackets such as bracket 38, may be affixed to the upstanding plate members, such as plate members 34 and 36, for the purpose of receiving radiator 12. Similarly, mounting holes 40 may be formed in bottom Plate 26 for the same purpose.

A representative radiator 12 is shown with a mounting pad 42 which would be appropriate for mounting on bracket 38. It should be understood that other radiators may be used in this particular structure and the mounting pad 42 may be modified for use with other radiators in the manner shown in Figure 1.

Nevertheless, as shown in Figure 2, a representative radiator 12 is shown mounted in support frame 14 utilizing bracket 28 and holes 40. Appropriate resilient members, such as resilient member 44 at the bottom and resilient member 46 at the top, serve to isolate and dampen vibrations in frame 16 from reaching radiator 12.

Guard frame 18 is formed of two generally upstanding members 48 and 50, one of which is shown generally in cross-section in Figure 3. It can be seen in Figure 3 that each upstanding member of guard frame 18 has a generally rectangular cross-section and may comprise a U-shaped member 52 having one elongate leg 54 and a flat plate member 56, which connects the legs of the U-shaped member.

Elongate legs 54 are formed to overlap the outside of buttresses 30 and 32, respectively, while flat plate member 56 abuts the front edge to which it may be affixed.

A box structure 58 may interconnect the lower ends of upstanding members 48 and 50, which taper inwardly at an angle corresponding to the angle of buttresses 30 and 32.

Plate 56, which, as previously noted, connects the U-shaped leg members of upstanding members 48 and 50, extends inwardly at the upper end thereof as can be seen in Figure 1, and has an elongate extension 59 approaching a corresponding elongate extension 59' from plate 56' on the opposite side.

Connecting upstanding member 48 and upstanding member 50 at the upper end is a plate 62, which essentially joins the webs of the U-shaped members 52 in the manner shown in Figure 1. In addition to plate 62, a cover plate 64 extends rearwardly as shown in Figure 1 toward support frame 14 and substantially covers the ends of the upstanding member 48 and 50 while interconnecting the two members. Appropriate fastening holes 66 are formed in upstanding members 48 and 50 in substantial alignment with corresponding mounting holes 68 found in support frame 14. Fastening means, such a bolts 70 (see Figure 2), may be utilized to affix guard frame 18 to support frame 14.

Grill 20 is adapted to be received in guard frame 18 in an abutting relation with plates 56 and 56' and extensions 59 and 59' while means are provided on grill 20 to fit in alignment holes 72, found in box structure 58, interconnecting the upstanding members 48 and 50. Grill 20 is comprised of a plurality of louvre members 74 arranged in a parallel fashion, and, when used in this embodiment, generally parallel to bottom 58. In a construction vehicle, these may be horizontally oriented louvres. The louvres are maintained in a spaced apart relationship by a plurality of vertical members in this particular embodiment, such as tubes 76, each extending through the plurality of louvres 74 and outwardly of the base thereof, to align generally with the holes 72 found in box member 58. Thus, the spacing of the tube members 76 corresponds to the spacing of holes 72 in box member 58. Affixed to the top louvre of the plurality of louvres 74 may be a pair of brackets 78, each formed with a fastening hole 80 which may receive a bolt 82, and, in turn, may be passed through a corresponding hole 84 in extensions 59 and 59', respectively.

In operation, it can be seen that with the support assembly and grill affixed together in the operating state as shown in Figure 2, air or other cooling fluid may be passed through radiator 12 by means of a fan mounted adjacent hole 27 formed in back plate member 28. Most improtant, however, is the capability to quickly disassemble the grill 20 and the grill frame 18 from the major support frame 14 affixed to the vehicle frame 16 for access to the radiator 12. The grill is removed by disonnecting the bolts 82 and lifting the grill out from the guard frame 18. Bolts which may be used in holes 66 and 68 affix the guard frame 18 to support frame 14.

Once the bolts are removed from holes 66, complete access is available to radiator 12 for either removal or repair as necessary.

Strength is provided in this structure by support frame 14 which is rigidly affixed to frame 16 by fastening means, such as bolts 86, and the buttress members 30 and 32 lending lateral support to the upstanding plate members 22 and 24, respectively. The radiator 12 utilized in this particular embodiment is protected by the grill 20 with its louvres 74 and vertical members 76. It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the louvres 74 and the vertical members 76 may be strengthened as necessary for particular applications, depending upon whether the radiator is positioned at the front end of the construction vehicle or at the rear end of the construction vehicle. The convenience offered by the structure, described herein, lends itself to various applications in the construction machinery field wherein strength is necessary, yet accessibility to the radiator is equally important.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS:- 1. A radiator assembly comprising a support frame; resilient means mounting a radiator in the support frame; and guard means carrying a grill and fixed to the support frame in overlapping relationship to protect the radiator; the support frame being arranged to be mounted with one upright open face of the frame adjacent to a fan, so that in use, cooling air can be drawn through the grill and radiator, and the support frame having an opposite upright open face to which the guard means is fitted and through which the radiator can be inserted into and removed from the support frame in a substantially horizontal direction when the gu

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (11)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. support frame 14 utilizing bracket 28 and holes 40. Appropriate resilient members, such as resilient member 44 at the bottom and resilient member 46 at the top, serve to isolate and dampen vibrations in frame 16 from reaching radiator 12. Guard frame 18 is formed of two generally upstanding members 48 and 50, one of which is shown generally in cross-section in Figure 3. It can be seen in Figure 3 that each upstanding member of guard frame 18 has a generally rectangular cross-section and may comprise a U-shaped member 52 having one elongate leg 54 and a flat plate member 56, which connects the legs of the U-shaped member. Elongate legs 54 are formed to overlap the outside of buttresses 30 and 32, respectively, while flat plate member 56 abuts the front edge to which it may be affixed. A box structure 58 may interconnect the lower ends of upstanding members 48 and 50, which taper inwardly at an angle corresponding to the angle of buttresses 30 and 32. Plate 56, which, as previously noted, connects the U-shaped leg members of upstanding members 48 and 50, extends inwardly at the upper end thereof as can be seen in Figure 1, and has an elongate extension 59 approaching a corresponding elongate extension 59' from plate 56' on the opposite side. Connecting upstanding member 48 and upstanding member 50 at the upper end is a plate 62, which essentially joins the webs of the U-shaped members 52 in the manner shown in Figure 1. In addition to plate 62, a cover plate 64 extends rearwardly as shown in Figure 1 toward support frame 14 and substantially covers the ends of the upstanding member 48 and 50 while interconnecting the two members. Appropriate fastening holes 66 are formed in upstanding members 48 and 50 in substantial alignment with corresponding mounting holes 68 found in support frame 14. Fastening means, such a bolts 70 (see Figure 2), may be utilized to affix guard frame 18 to support frame 14. Grill 20 is adapted to be received in guard frame 18 in an abutting relation with plates 56 and 56' and extensions 59 and 59' while means are provided on grill 20 to fit in alignment holes 72, found in box structure 58, interconnecting the upstanding members 48 and 50. Grill 20 is comprised of a plurality of louvre members 74 arranged in a parallel fashion, and, when used in this embodiment, generally parallel to bottom 58. In a construction vehicle, these may be horizontally oriented louvres. The louvres are maintained in a spaced apart relationship by a plurality of vertical members in this particular embodiment, such as tubes 76, each extending through the plurality of louvres 74 and outwardly of the base thereof, to align generally with the holes 72 found in box member 58. Thus, the spacing of the tube members 76 corresponds to the spacing of holes 72 in box member 58. Affixed to the top louvre of the plurality of louvres 74 may be a pair of brackets 78, each formed with a fastening hole 80 which may receive a bolt 82, and, in turn, may be passed through a corresponding hole 84 in extensions 59 and 59', respectively. In operation, it can be seen that with the support assembly and grill affixed together in the operating state as shown in Figure 2, air or other cooling fluid may be passed through radiator 12 by means of a fan mounted adjacent hole 27 formed in back plate member 28. Most improtant, however, is the capability to quickly disassemble the grill 20 and the grill frame 18 from the major support frame 14 affixed to the vehicle frame 16 for access to the radiator 12. The grill is removed by disonnecting the bolts 82 and lifting the grill out from the guard frame 18. Bolts which may be used in holes 66 and 68 affix the guard frame 18 to support frame 14. Once the bolts are removed from holes 66, complete access is available to radiator 12 for either removal or repair as necessary. Strength is provided in this structure by support frame 14 which is rigidly affixed to frame 16 by fastening means, such as bolts 86, and the buttress members 30 and 32 lending lateral support to the upstanding plate members 22 and 24, respectively. The radiator 12 utilized in this particular embodiment is protected by the grill 20 with its louvres 74 and vertical members 76. It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the louvres 74 and the vertical members 76 may be strengthened as necessary for particular applications, depending upon whether the radiator is positioned at the front end of the construction vehicle or at the rear end of the construction vehicle. The convenience offered by the structure, described herein, lends itself to various applications in the construction machinery field wherein strength is necessary, yet accessibility to the radiator is equally important. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:-

1. A radiator assembly comprising a support frame; resilient means mounting a radiator in the support frame; and guard means carrying a grill and fixed to the support frame in overlapping relationship to protect the radiator; the support frame being arranged to be mounted with one upright open face of the frame adjacent to a fan, so that in use, cooling air can be drawn through the grill and radiator, and the support frame having an opposite upright open face to which the guard means is fitted and through which the radiator can be inserted into and removed from the support frame in a substantially horizontal direction when the gu

ard means is removed.

2. An assembly according to claim 1, wherein the grill means comprises a plurality of generally parallel louvre members and at least two support members oriented normally to the louvre members with the louvre members affixed to the support members in a spaced apart manner.

3. An assembly according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the support frame comprises first and second upstanding plate members held in a spaced apart, generally parallel, relation by a bottom member interconnecting corresponding ends of the first and second upstanding generally parallel plate members, and a back plate member interconnecting elongate edges of the first and second upstanding plate members, the back plate member being formed with an opening and providing the one upright open face, and the opening having a major dimension generally equal to the major dimension of the radiator.

4. An assembly according to claim 3, wherein the opening in the back plate member is a circular opening.

5. An assembly according to claim 3 or claim 4, wherein the support frame further comprises first and second buttress members integrally formed with respective ones of the first and second upstanding plate members and extending outwardly therefrom in opposite directions.

6. An assembly according to claim 5, wherein the buttress members taper inwardly toward the top of the first and second upstanding plate members.

7. An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the guard means is a guard frame and the grill means is received in the guard frame.

8. An assembly according to claim 7, wherein the guard frame comprises first and second generally vertical members; a bottom member; a top member; the first and second generally vertical members being held in a spaced apart relation by the bottom and top members to form a generally trapezoidal opening; and means for fixing the first and second generally vertical members to the support frame.

9. An assembly according to claim 8 when dependent on claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the first and second generally vertical members each include a rearwardly extending portion which overlaps the first and second buttress members respectively.

10. An assembly according to claim 8 or claim 9, when dependent on claim 2, wherein the bottom member of the guard frame has a generally box shaped cross-section and defines therein a plurality of holes, each to receive an extension of the grill support members.

11. An assembly according to claim 1, substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.