TWI900951B - Liquid cooler having improved aluminum weld bead structure - Google Patents

Abstract

An improved surface-modified aluminum alloy substrate structure includes a first cover, a second cover, water holes, a liquid flow channel, at least one divider island and at least one open hole. The water holes are formed on at least one of the first cover and the second cover. The liquid flow channel is formed between the first cover and the second cover and is communicated with the water holes. At least one divider island is integrally formed on the second cover and divides the liquid flow channel into a plurality of sub-flow channels. At least one open holes is formed between the at least one divider island and the at least one first cover, and the top surface of the at least one divider island and the bottom surface of the at least first cover are welded together, so that the at least one open hole is formed as at least one blind hole, and the ratio of the projected area of ​​the top surface of the at least one divider island with respect to the projected area of the bottom surface of the first cover is greater than 5%.

Description

Water-cooled radiator with improved aluminum weld structure

The present invention relates to a water-cooled radiator, and more specifically, to a water-cooled radiator with an improved aluminum weld structure.

Currently, water-cooled heat sinks for automotive IGBTs (Insulated Gate Transistors) or ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) on the market have an increasing number of chips and areas requiring heat dissipation. Consequently, the flow channel structure of these water-cooled heat sinks has developed numerous island-like structures that separate the flow channels. This allows for the diversion or recirculation of the cooling liquid, resulting in a uniform overall cooling temperature. However, as automotive water-cooled radiators become thinner and larger, the welding tolerance (gap) between the island structure and the upper cover increases. This increased welding tolerance can lead to large weld voids between the island structure and the upper cover. A weld void ratio exceeding 40% poses a risk of water channel perforation, and this problem becomes more pronounced when the island structure's relative size to the upper cover exceeds 5%.

The technical problem to be solved by this invention is to provide an improved surface-modified aluminum alloy substrate structure to address the shortcomings of existing technologies.

One embodiment of the present invention provides a water-cooled radiator with an improved aluminum weld structure, comprising: a first outer cover, a second outer cover, a plurality of water holes, a liquid flow channel, at least one partition island, and at least one open hole; wherein the plurality of water holes are formed in at least one of the first outer cover and the second outer cover; the liquid flow channel is formed between the first outer cover and the second outer cover and is connected to the plurality of water holes; at least one partition island is integrally formed in the first outer cover and the second outer cover; The second outer cover is provided with at least one partition island, and at least one partition island divides the liquid flow channel into a plurality of sub-flow channels; at least one open hole is formed between at least one partition island and the first outer cover, and the upper surface of at least one partition island is welded to the lower surface of the first outer cover so that the at least one open hole is formed into at least one blind hole, and the ratio of the projected area of the upper surface of at least one partition island to the projected area of the lower surface of the first outer cover is greater than 5%.

In a preferred embodiment, the first outer cover and the second outer cover are made of aluminum or aluminum alloy.

In a preferred embodiment, at least one of the openings is in the form of a circle, a quasi-circle, a rectangle or an irregular shape.

In a preferred embodiment, the plurality of open holes are arranged at intervals, and the ratio of the interval length between adjacent open holes to the length of the separation island is between 10% and 20%.

In a preferred embodiment, a plurality of the open holes are formed on the top of a single partition island, and a ratio of a total projected area of the plurality of the open holes formed on the single partition island to a projected area of the upper surface of the single partition island is between 3% and 10%.

In a preferred embodiment, a plurality of the separation islands are integrally formed on the second outer cover.

In a preferred embodiment, there is at least one fin structure in the liquid flow channel, and at least one of the fin structures is a wave fin structure, a pin-pin fin structure, or an offset fin structure.

In a preferred embodiment, the first outer cover and the second outer cover are respectively a composite material pre-pressed with a preformed solder.

In a preferred embodiment, a metal layer is formed on the upper surface of the first outer cover.

In a preferred embodiment, the metal layer is a cold-sprayed copper layer.

In a preferred embodiment, at least one of the separation islands is in the form of a rectangle, a square or an irregular shape.

To further understand the features and technical contents of the present invention, please refer to the following detailed description and drawings of the present invention. However, the drawings provided are only used for reference and description and are not used to limit the present invention.

The following is an explanation of the embodiments disclosed in the present invention through specific concrete examples. Those skilled in the art can understand the advantages and effects of the present invention from the contents disclosed in this specification. The present invention can be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments. The details in this specification can also be modified and changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the concept of the present invention. In addition, the drawings of the present invention are only for simple schematic illustrations and are not depicted according to actual dimensions. Please note that the same or similar parts in the drawings are marked with the same reference numerals. The following embodiments will further explain the relevant technical contents of the present invention in detail, but the disclosed contents are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. In addition, the term "or" used herein may include any one or more combinations of the associated listed items as the case may be.

[First embodiment]

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 , a first embodiment of the present invention is provided, which provides a water-cooled heat sink with an improved weld bead structure. The water-cooled heat sink with an improved weld bead structure according to this embodiment of the present invention includes a first outer cover 1, a second outer cover 2, a plurality of water holes 3, a liquid flow channel 4, a partition island 5, and at least one opening 6.

The first outer cover 1 and the second outer cover 2 can be made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. In this embodiment, the first outer cover 1 can be the upper plate cover, and the second outer cover 2 can be the lower plate cover. A plurality of water holes 3 are formed in at least one of the first outer cover 1 and the second outer cover 2. In this embodiment, there are two water holes 3, both formed in the first outer cover 1. However, one water hole 3 can be formed in the first outer cover 1 and the other in the second outer cover 2, or both can be formed in the second outer cover 2, without limitation. Furthermore, one water hole 3 can be a water inlet, and the other water hole 3 can be a water outlet.

The liquid flow channel 4 is formed between the first outer cover 1 and the second outer cover 2 and is connected to the two water holes 3, so that the cooling liquid (water or ethylene glycol) can enter the liquid flow channel 4 through one of the water holes 3 and flow out of the liquid flow channel 4 through the other water hole 3.

The divider island 5, which can be called a median island or an island-shaped divider, is integrally formed with the second outer cover 2 and divides the liquid flow channel 4 into two left and right sub-flow channels 41. Furthermore, the ratio of the projected area of the upper surface 51 of the divider island 5 to the projected area of the lower surface 11 of the first outer cover 1 is greater than 5%.

In this embodiment, the partition island 5 is integrally formed in the second outer cover 2 by stamping, resulting in a hollow interior. This allows the flow channel structure formed between the first and second outer covers 1 and 2 to be thinner, saving material and manufacturing costs. While stamping the partition island 5 can make the water-cooled radiator thinner, lighter, and more cost-effective, it also increases the tolerance (gap) between the upper surface 51 of the partition island 5 and the lower surface 11 of the first outer cover 1. This increases the weld void rate between the upper surface 51 of the partition island 5 and the lower surface 11 of the first outer cover 1, making it more likely to exceed 40%, potentially causing water channel perforation. This problem is particularly pronounced when the ratio of the projected area of the upper surface 51 of the partition island 5 to the projected area of the lower surface 11 of the first outer cover 1 is greater than 5%.

Therefore, at least one open hole 6 is formed between the partition island 5 and the first outer cover 1, and the upper surface 51 of the partition island 5 is welded to the lower surface 11 of the first outer cover 1, so that the at least one open hole 6 is transformed into at least one blind hole. In other words, the welded open hole 6 is transformed from a double-sided through-hole into a blind hole, i.e., a single-sided closed open hole, thereby preventing the structural strength from being weakened by the perforation. In this embodiment, two open holes 6 are formed at intervals on the top of the partition island 5, but they can also be formed at a position on the first outer cover 1 corresponding to the top of the partition island 5. By forming at least one open hole 6 between the partition island 5 and the first outer cover 1, a large amount of gas generated during welding can be smoothly discharged through the at least one open hole 6, thereby reducing the weld void rate and preventing the occurrence of water channel perforation.

Furthermore, after the first outer cover 1 is welded to the partition island 5, no gas or liquid exchange occurs between the opening 6 and the liquid flow channel 4 (i.e., gas flows from the opening 6 to the liquid flow channel 4 or vice versa, or liquid flows from the liquid flow channel 4 to the opening 6 or vice versa). Furthermore, no threaded or rivet structures exist on the partition island 5.

In this embodiment, the opening 6 is circular. In other variations, the opening 6 may be quasi-circular (elliptical, as shown in FIG3 ), rectangular (as shown in FIG4 ), or other irregular shapes (as shown in FIG5 ), but is not limited thereto.

In this embodiment, the partition island 5 is in the form of a rectangle. In other variations, the partition island 5 may also be in the form of a square or other irregular shapes (as shown in FIG6 ), but is not limited thereto.

[Second embodiment]

Please refer to FIG7 , which shows a second embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is substantially the same as the first embodiment, with the differences being described below.

In this embodiment, the opening 6 is formed at a position on the first outer cover 1 corresponding to the top of the partition island 5.

[Third embodiment]

Please refer to FIG8 , which shows a third embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is substantially the same as the first embodiment, with the differences described below.

In this embodiment, the partition island 5 is integrally formed in the second outer cover 2, and the interior of the partition island 5 is solid. That is, the partition island 5 can be integrally formed in the second outer cover 2 by metal casting, or can be integrally formed in the second outer cover 2 by Metal Injection Molding (MIM) so that the interior of the partition island 5 is solid.

[Fourth embodiment]

Please refer to FIG9 , which shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is substantially the same as the first embodiment, with the differences being described below.

In this embodiment, the first outer cover 1 and the second outer cover 2 are each a composite material pre-stressed with a solder preform 7. Specifically, the lower surface 11 of the first outer cover 1 is pre-stressed with the solder preform 7, and the upper surface 51 of the partition island 5 is also pre-stressed with the solder preform 7.

[Fifth embodiment]

Please refer to FIG10 , which shows the fifth embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is substantially the same as the first embodiment, with the differences being described below.

In this embodiment, a metal layer 8 is formed on the upper surface 12 of the first outer cover 1. Furthermore, the metal layer 8 formed on the upper surface 12 of the first outer cover 1 is a cold-sprayed copper layer.

[Sixth embodiment]

Please refer to Figure 11, which shows the sixth embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is substantially the same as the first embodiment, with the differences described below.

In this embodiment, a plurality of the open holes 6 are arranged at intervals, and these open holes 6 are formed at intervals on the top of the partition island 5. In addition, the ratio of the interval length D between adjacent open holes 6 to the maximum length Y of the partition island 5 is between 10% and 20%. This allows the large amount of gas generated during welding to be discharged more evenly through these open holes 6, thereby reducing the weld void rate and avoiding the occurrence of water channel perforation.

In other embodiments, these opening holes 6 can also be formed at intervals at the top of the first outer cover 1 corresponding to the partition island 5.

[Seventh embodiment]

Please refer to FIG12, which shows the seventh embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is substantially the same as the first embodiment, with the differences being described below.

In this embodiment, the liquid flow channel 4 has at least one fin structure, which can be a wavy fin structure 9a, a pin fin structure 9b, or a lanced offset fin structure 9c.

Furthermore, the wave-type fin structure 9 a , the pin-type fin structure 9 b , or the offset fin structure 9 c may be integrally formed on at least one of the first outer cover 1 and the second outer cover 2 .

[Eighth embodiment]

Please refer to FIG13, which shows the eighth embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is substantially the same as the first embodiment, with the differences being described below.

In this embodiment, multiple partition islands 5 are integrally formed on the second outer cover 2, dividing the liquid flow channel 4 into multiple sub-flow channels 41. Multiple openings 6 are formed on the top of each partition island 5. The ratio of the total projected area of the openings 6 to the projected area of the upper surface 51 of each partition island 5 is preferably between 3% and 10%. This allows the large amount of gas generated during welding to be more effectively discharged through these openings 6, thereby reducing the weld void rate and preventing water channel perforation. Furthermore, each partition island 5 can be rectangular, square, or irregular in shape.

In summary, the water-cooled radiator with an improved aluminum weld structure provided by the present invention can be provided by at least "a first outer cover, a second outer cover, a plurality of water holes, a liquid flow channel, at least one partition island, and at least one open hole", "a plurality of water holes are formed in at least one of the first outer cover and the second outer cover, the liquid flow channel is formed between the first outer cover and the second outer cover and is connected to the plurality of water holes", "at least one partition island is integrally formed in the second outer cover, and the at least one partition island divides the liquid flow channel into a plurality of sub-flow channels, and the liquid flow channel is connected to the plurality of water holes". The invention provides a technical solution of "at least one open hole is formed between at least one partition island and the first outer cover, and the upper surface of the at least one partition island is welded to the lower surface of the first outer cover so that the at least one open hole is formed into at least one blind hole, and the ratio of the projected area of the upper surface of the at least one partition island to the projected area of the lower surface of the first outer cover is greater than 5%". As a result, a large amount of gas generated during welding can be smoothly discharged through the at least one open hole, thereby reducing the weld void rate and avoiding the occurrence of water channel perforation.

The contents disclosed above are merely preferred feasible embodiments of the present invention and do not limit the scope of the patent application of the present invention. Therefore, any equivalent technical changes made by using the contents of the description and drawings of the present invention are included in the scope of the patent application of the present invention.

1: First outer cover 11: Lower surface 12: Upper surface 2: Second outer cover 3: Water hole 4: Liquid flow channel 41: Sub-flow channel 5: Divider island 51: Upper surface 6: Open hole 7: Solder preform 8: Metal layer 9a: Corrugated fin structure 9b: Pin-shaped fin structure 9c: Offset fin structure D: Spacing length Y: Maximum length

FIG1 is a schematic top view of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG2 is a schematic cross-sectional view along line II-II of FIG1 .

FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a modified embodiment of the open hole of the present invention.

FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a modified embodiment of the open hole of the present invention.

FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a modified embodiment of the open hole of the present invention.

FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a modified embodiment of the separator island of the present invention.

FIG7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG11 is a schematic top view of the sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG12 is a schematic top view of the seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG13 is a schematic top view of the eighth embodiment of the present invention.

1: First outer cover 3: Water hole 4: Liquid flow channel 41: Sub-flow channel 5: Divider island 51: Top surface 6: Opening hole

Claims (11)

A water-cooled radiator with an improved aluminum weld structure includes: a first outer cover, a second outer cover, a plurality of water holes, a liquid flow channel, at least one partition island, and at least one open hole; wherein the plurality of water holes are formed in at least one of the first outer cover and the second outer cover; the liquid flow channel is formed between the first outer cover and the second outer cover and is connected to the plurality of water holes; at least one partition island is integrally formed in the second outer cover, and at least one partition island divides the liquid flow channel into a plurality of sub-flow channels; at least one open hole is formed between at least one partition island and the first outer cover, and the upper surface of at least one partition island is welded to the lower surface of the first outer cover so that the at least one open hole is formed as at least one blind hole, and the ratio of the projected area of the upper surface of at least one partition island to the projected area of the lower surface of the first outer cover is greater than 5%. The water-cooled radiator with an improved aluminum weld structure as described in claim 1, wherein the first outer cover and the second outer cover are made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. A water-cooled radiator with an improved aluminum weld structure as described in claim 1, wherein at least one of the open holes is circular, quasi-circular, rectangular or irregular in shape. A water-cooled radiator with an improved aluminum weld structure as described in claim 1, wherein a plurality of the open holes are arranged at intervals, and the ratio of the interval length between adjacent open holes to the maximum length of the partition island is between 10% and 20%. A water-cooled radiator with an improved aluminum weld structure as described in claim 1, wherein a plurality of the open holes are formed on the top of a single partition island, and the ratio of the total projected area of the plurality of the open holes formed on the single partition island to the projected area of the upper surface of the single partition island is between 3% and 10%. A water-cooled radiator with an improved aluminum weld structure as described in claim 1, wherein a plurality of the partition islands are integrally formed on the second outer cover. A water-cooled heat sink with an improved aluminum weld structure as described in claim 1, wherein there is at least one fin structure in the liquid flow channel, and at least one of the fin structures is a wavy fin structure, a needle-column fin structure, or an offset fin structure. The water-cooled radiator with an improved aluminum weld structure as described in claim 1, wherein the first outer cover and the second outer cover are respectively composite materials pre-pressed with a preformed solder. A water-cooled radiator with an improved aluminum weld structure as described in claim 1, wherein a metal layer is formed on the upper surface of the first outer cover. A water-cooled radiator with an improved aluminum weld structure as described in claim 9, wherein the metal layer is a cold-sprayed copper layer. A water-cooled radiator with an improved aluminum weld structure as described in claim 1, wherein at least one of the partition islands is in the form of a rectangle, a square or an irregular shape.