1.1 Basic components of radiator
The cooling system of automobile engine is relatively complex. Its main components are radiator, thermostat, fan motor, wind shield and other parts. Among them, radiator is the most important part of engine cooling system. When the car is running, the engine will generate a lot of heat and radiate to the surrounding. In order to make the engine work normally, the engine temperature needs to be cooled. The main function of radiator is to use cold air to cool the coolant heated by the engine. The radiator of the car is heavy, light and compact. The material is mainly composed of copper and tin. Copper has good thermal conductivity and corrosion resistance, but the shortage of copper resources and high price make the radiator need to be improved in terms of materials and design. The new design should try to ensure the original performance, reduce the weight of the radiator, so that it can be used in smaller cars.
1.2 Structural form of radiator
At present, there are many types of radiator structures in my country, among which forced circulation water cooling radiators are mainly divided into direct current type and constant current type. Among them, direct current type is more widely used than constant current type. In order to make the heat dissipation surface of the DC chamber larger, the heat can be effectively dissipated. The original vertical distribution of the heat dissipation core is often changed to an upper and lower distribution. Constant-current radiators are difficult to arrange in some cars with low engine hoods due to their large size, so cars using DC radiators generally use horizontal arrangements. The water chambers on the left and right sides replace the water chambers on the upper and lower sides, and the coolant flows left and right, which is called a constant-current radiator. This type of radiator has a larger size and a larger contact surface, so the heat dissipation effect is better and the airflow is smoother.
1.3 Structural form of radiator core
The most important part of the radiator is the radiator core, which mainly plays the role of engine heat dissipation. The radiator core consists of upper and lower main plates, heat sinks, heat pipes and other parts. Due to its large heat dissipation area, it can release the heat dissipated by the engine into the atmosphere. In addition, the radiator core is made of excellent material, and is made of metal with light and thin material and good thermal conductivity. Therefore, the mass and size of the general radiator core are small, and a larger radiator surface area can be achieved, and the actual heat dissipation effect is greatly improved. There are many types of radiator cores. The most common ones in the market are tube-belt and tube-fin radiator cores.
Tube-belt radiators often use multi-row radiators. Compared with single-row and double-row radiators, they can provide more surface area for heat dissipation and have a good cooling effect. With the continuous development of my country's automobile industry, engines are also constantly being strengthened, and the heat they emit is gradually increasing. For some engines with automatic transmissions, it is often necessary to cool the engine oil. At this time, an oil-water exchanger is needed to effectively dissipate the heat of the engine. Compared with the same type of car, if the car uses a manual transmission, it is often only necessary to install a single-row cooling pipe, while for some engines with automatic transmissions, it is often necessary to install a double-row cooling pipe to meet the basic heat dissipation needs. The tube-fin radiator and the tube-belt radiator are different in composition. The tube-fin radiator is composed of many fins and heat pipes. The heat pipe and the surface of the heat sink constitute a heat dissipation duct for air circulation. Heat is often dissipated outward through the surface duct, which effectively reduces the temperature of the engine. This type of radiator is often strong and can avoid clogging with dust and oil, resulting in large engine vibration. Compared with other radiators, the tube-fin radiator has a simple manufacturing process, low cost, and high heat dissipation capacity, and is mostly used in small buses and cars. Other types of radiators are generally not widely used due to their special operating processes.
2. Material design of automobile radiators
When selecting the material of the radiator, it is necessary to pay attention to selecting materials with strong corrosion resistance and good heat transfer performance. In order to make the radiator manufacturing process simpler, the materials selected should be as good as possible in terms of processing and forming effect and welding performance, and the selection of materials should be in line with economic benefits. At present, the automotive industry mainly chooses copper alloys and copper materials for radiators. Generally, within the range of strength allowed, in order to reduce the cost of the radiator and improve the quality, the material thickness of the radiator needs to be 0.045mm. For some high-quality companies, the thickness of the radiator they produce can be controlled at 0.025mm. For other parts of the radiator, such as water chambers, main plates and other parts, the thickness can be 0.5 to 1.5mm.
3. Development of automobile radiators
As the country increases its control over resources. The consumption of copper materials that must be used in radiators is increasing. Therefore, at present, radiator materials need to be effectively replaced on the one hand; on the other hand, the utilization rate of radiator materials should be improved to reduce the consumption of resources. The most suitable material to replace copper as a radiator material is aluminum. The specific gravity of aluminum is lighter than that of copper materials, and its heat transfer performance is much greater than that of other materials, and the cost of aluminum is lower. Therefore, the performance of aluminum radiators is basically the same as that of copper, the production cost is also effectively controlled, and the consumption of copper resources is also effectively suppressed. Aluminum radiators have been used in some car brands. With the continuous development of the radiator industry, basic materials commonly used in life are also used as parts for radiators. The most common is the radiator water chamber made of nylon material, which is no longer welded with the radiator, but can be completed by mechanical assembly. The production process has been significantly optimized. At present, copper-plastic structure radiators and aluminum-plastic structure radiators have been used in many cars. Some developed countries in Europe and the United States have carried out in-depth research on double corrugated tube belt radiators. And in the radiator industry, its performance and quality in all aspects have received good feedback. This technology is being continuously extended. I believe that it will be put into the market in the near future, and the future development of the automotive radiator industry will be better.
IV. Conclusion
With the continuous acceleration of the pace of life, in order to obtain more convenient transportation, the automotive industry has been continuously developed. It is extremely necessary to conduct in-depth research on automotive parts. This article mainly analyzes the basic composition and structural form of the radiator and the structural form of the core. And combined with the current ecological environmental protection and economy, the materials of the radiator are compared. Under the current market development situation, the development direction of the radiator is analyzed. I hope it can help the design and future development of automotive radiators.
