Title of Invention	METHOD OF JOINING STEEL TUBES WITH ALUMINIUM RIBS
Abstract	The invention relates to a method for linking steel tubes with aluminum ribs According to said method, a zinc-aluminum alloy layer is applied to the surfaces of the steel tubes or the aluminum ribs said alloy having an aluminum content of 0-.5 % to 20 %, and then a fluxing agent in the form of cesium-aluminum tetrafluoride is introduced between the steel tubes and the aluminum ribs at room temperature before or during the mechanical contact of the aluminum ribs with the steel tubes. The steel tubes provided with the aluminurr ribs are then heated in an oven to a soldering temperature of between 370 °C and 470 °C and are then subjected to room temperature to cool off Alternatively a zinc-aluminum alloy layer can first be applied to the surfaces of the steel tubes or the aluminum ribs, said alloy having an aluminum content of 0.5 % to 20 % and a fluxing agent in the form of cesium-aluminum tetrafluonde is then applied at room temperature to the aluminum ribs at least in the zones of contact The aijminum ribs are then brought into mechanical contact with the steel tubes that nave been heated to a soldering temperature of between 370 °C and 470 °C and are then subjected to room temperature to cool off.

Title of Invention

METHOD OF JOINING STEEL TUBES WITH ALUMINIUM RIBS

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for linking steel tubes with aluminum ribs According to said method, a zinc-aluminum alloy layer is applied to the surfaces of the steel tubes or the aluminum ribs said alloy having an aluminum content of 0-.5 % to 20 %, and then a fluxing agent in the form of cesium-aluminum tetrafluoride is introduced between the steel tubes and the aluminum ribs at room temperature before or during the mechanical contact of the aluminum ribs with the steel tubes. The steel tubes provided with the aluminurr ribs are then heated in an oven to a soldering temperature of between 370 °C and 470 °C and are then subjected to room temperature to cool off Alternatively a zinc-aluminum alloy layer can first be applied to the surfaces of the steel tubes or the aluminum ribs, said alloy having an aluminum content of 0.5 % to 20 % and a fluxing agent in the form of cesium-aluminum tetrafluonde is then applied at room temperature to the aluminum ribs at least in the zones of contact The aijminum ribs are then brought into mechanical contact with the steel tubes that nave been heated to a soldering temperature of between 370 °C and 470 °C and are then subjected to room temperature to cool off.

Full Text	METHOD OF JOINING STtEL TUBES WITH ALUMINUM RIBS It is conventional to produce ribbed tubes for air-cooled plants Of air-cooled condensers from steel tubes a-c steel ribs. Securement of the steel nbs to the steel tubes is realized through hot-galvanizing. Even though such ribbed tubes are very corrosion-resistant, the, offer the drawback that the ribs are made of relatively poor heat conducive siee. it is further'known ro wind continuous aluminum rbs in helical manner onto round steel tubes The aluminum nbs nay hereby be wound with narrow fool-side legs under tension in flat engagement onto She spaces of the steel tubes Another possibility involves a grooving of the surfaces of tne steel tubes and r.e placement of aluminum ribs in the grooves A drawbar of winding aluminum nbs onto steel tubes resides in the different thermal excarsion coefficients between steel and aluminum In practical terms this means tha: steel tubes with aluminum nbs can only be used up to relatively low temperatures of about 130°C. At higher temperatures, the contact between the aluminum nbs and the steel tubes gets lost as a consequence of the greater thermal expansion of aluminum. The capability of the ribbed tubes drops. A further conventional method of making ribbed tubes involves the connection of aluminum-plated flat tubes wr." the assistance of a.ummum-siliccn solder win undulated or meandering or angularly folded webs cf aluminum nbs .n an annealing . The bond between aluminum nbs and fist tubes through soldering with aluminum-silicon solder which is a component of the aluminum ribs or the flat tubes, has the drawback that such soldering can be produced only via the detour of using alumirum-olated flat tubes or plated aluminum ribs Apart from the comparably high expenditure -n view of the r.eed for diverse starting matenals and during production, there is the acced drawback that ;he flat tubes closed in circumferential direction by at 'east one longitudinal welding seam, 1 / must not be plated with aluminum in the welding zone Otherwise, a reliable welding operation cannot be assured These regions of the fiat tubes must be freed subsequently from welding by-products and ther protected against corrosion A further drawback of ribbed tubes consisting of flat tubes with folded aluminum bands is the need to carry out the soldering operation of the aluminum-plated flat tubes with aluminum ribs at comparably high temperatures in the order of about 600 °C, i.e. near the softening temperature of aluminum. The solder, required hereby, is made of aluminum-silicon eutectic which melts slightly below the softening point of aluminum. Also, with respect to this structural type, it is to be noted that as a consequence of the different thermal expansion coefficients between alum-rum and steel both soldered materials may substantially distort relative to one another. when cooled down to the ambient temperature (room temperature) after soldering at about 600 °C, so that a breakup of the soldered areas.can easily be encountered, when the aluminum has not been correctly applied-Starting from the prior art, the invention is based on the object to provide a method of joining steel tubes with aluminum ribs as components of air-cooled plants and air-cooled condensers, which method can be carried out with slight labor costs and energy costs as well as cost-savings with espect to material consumption. This object is attained in accordance with the invention by the features of claim 1. alternatively by the features of claim 2. According to one aspect of the invention, a solder of zinc-a um:num alloy with an aluminum content of 0.5-20%, preferably 5%-15% is used, which can be applied 2 onto the surfaces of the steel tubes as well as also onto the aluminum ribs Application of the solder layer may be realized by rneans of the flame spraying process. It is hereby possible, to use acetyls or also natural gas. A wire, having the composition of the solder, is hereby melted and spread evenly upon the respective surface as a result of the gas under pressure A second procedure involves the use of the electric-are process In this case, an electric arc is produced by means of two wires having the composition of the solder, thereby melting the wires. At the same time air o' an inert gas is blown in so that the melted solder is evenly distributed onto the surfaces of the steel tubes or the aluminum rips. Also, galvanization with the solder in the stated compos :ion is conceivable Finally, it is also feasible to apply a layer, made of tne solder corrposed according to the invention, onto the respective surfaces through pressure, plating or sintering. An essential feature of the method according to the invention is. however, the recognition that through the use of a fluxing agent in the form of cesium-aluminum tetrafluoride, it now becomes possible to reduce the soldering temperature from currently 600 °C to a range between 370 °C and 470 °C This lowering of the soldering temperature is not only accompanied by a reduction of the solder times by about 30% to 40% but also results in a significant saving of labor costs and energy costs- A further saving is possible when only the contact zones between the aluminum ribs and the steel tubes are wetted with the fluxing agent This may be implemented through immersion or a spray process- It is furthermore to be considered within the scope of :ne invention, that the aluminum ribs are softly annealed during conventional soldering They 3 necessarily loose hereby part of their strength property. This was still tolerated in the context of flat tubes with webs of aluminum ribs integrated between the flat tubes, because the webs of aluminum ribs are bound between the flat sides of the flat tubes after the soldering operation. Within the scope of the method according to the invention, both variations assure, however, a significant reduction of the soldering temperature so that soft annealing does no longer occur. Regardless of their association, the aiumrnum ribs maintain their full strength properties. In the event of, e.g., fabricating ribbed tubes of elliptic configuration through placement of punched aluminum ribs onto the steel tubes and application of the fluxing agent at every location where the aluminum ribs nave their final position the aluminum nbs can conduct heat well and can be ftxed on the steel tubes permanently and protected against corrosion up to operating temperatures of above 350 °C. When the aluminum ribs are attached through helical winding onto the steel tubes, the fluxing agent is suitably applied at the leading engagement point of the rib band directly before the engagement of the rib band on the surface of the steel tube. This enables to bring the steel tubes, provided with the wound aluminum ribs, to a required soldering temperature between 370 °C and 470 °C in a continuous furnace or also later in an anneaiing furnace. It is, however, also conceivable to wind bands of aluminum ribs, after coating with the solder, onto steel tubes which have been heated to a soldering temperature between 370 °C and 470 °C, and to utilize the latent tube heat for soldering. In this type of ribbed tube, it is realized that the steel tubes are protected against corrosion by the migrating solder fruther. a firm metallic heat conductive connection between the aluminum ribs and the steel tubes is realized, 4 Ribbed tubes, fabricated in this manner. are suitable or operating temperatures of about 350 °C When attaching undulated or meandering or angularly (triangularly or rectangularly) folded aluminum ribs onto steely flat tubes, the latter or also the aluminum ribs are provided, after application of the solder, with the special fluxing agent in the form of cesium-aluminum tetrafluoride across the entire surface area, and subsequently alternatingly an aluminum rib band, a flat tube, again an aluminum rib band, and so on, are stacked on top of one another The thus-formed stack of aluminum ribs (cake) is then placed in a soldering furnace (continuous furnace or annealing furnace) and subjected there to the required sofdering temperature between 370 °C and 470 °C The solder liquefies so that the aluminum rib bands are joined with the seal tubes in a metallic and heat-conductive manner. Moreover, the outer surface of the entire flat tube is protected against corrosion. As an alternative, it is also possible to move flat tubes through an annealing furnace for heating to the required soldering temperature. Thereafter, the flat tubes are joined with the aluminum rib bands through use of the solder and the fluxing agent. Regardless of the sequence of the respective production process, the respectively joined arrangement of steel tubes and aluminum ribs is then subjected to the ambient temperature (room temperature) and thereby cooled, so that the aluminum ribs are reliably joined with the steel tubes in a heat-conductive manner. The special solder of a zinc-aluminum alloy with an aluminum content of 0.5% to 20%, preferably 5% to 15%. in conjunction with the special f'uxing agent in the form of cesium-aluminum tetrafluoride enables a melting of the solder layer at the 5 respectively advantageous temperature between 370 °C and 470 °C such that a melting of the aluminum ribs is precluded in any event. In this context, ihe driving force is the eutectic zinc/aluminum, whereby aluminum is alloyed in the solder layer, so that liquid zinc is prevented from dissolving the aluminum ribs The particular fluxing agent in the form of cesium-aluminum tetrafluoride may be prepared on an alkaline, acidic or neutral base The respective soldering temperature is dependent on the fraction of the aluminum in the solvent. The higher the aluminum fraction, the higher the soldering temperature An advantageous errbodiment is realized, when the solder has a fraction of 15% aluminum whereby the soldering temperature is at about 430 °C, 6 7 We Claim 1. A method of connecting aluminium rib strips folded so as to be corrugated, to the flat sides of flat steel tubes, characterized in that a layer of soldering agent consisting of a zinc - aluminium alloy with an aluminium content of 0.5% to 20% is applied to the flat sides of the flat tubes and a fluxing agent in the form of caesium aluminium tetrafluoride is applied to the contact zones of the rib strips with the flat sides, the application being carried out at room temperature, whereupon the rib strips are brought into mechanical contact with the flat sides and, in that configuration, are heated in a Furnace to a soldering temperature between 370°C and 470°C, and are finally exposed to room temperature for cooling. The invention relates to a method for linking steel tubes with aluminum ribs According to said method, a zinc-aluminum alloy layer is applied to the surfaces of the steel tubes or the aluminum ribs said alloy having an aluminum content of 0-.5 % to 20 %, and then a fluxing agent in the form of cesium-aluminum tetrafluoride is introduced between the steel tubes and the aluminum ribs at room temperature before or during the mechanical contact of the aluminum ribs with the steel tubes. The steel tubes provided with the aluminurr ribs are then heated in an oven to a soldering temperature of between 370 °C and 470 °C and are then subjected to room temperature to cool off Alternatively a zinc-aluminum alloy layer can first be applied to the surfaces of the steel tubes or the aluminum ribs, said alloy having an aluminum content of 0.5 % to 20 % and a fluxing agent in the form of cesium-aluminum tetrafluonde is then applied at room temperature to the aluminum ribs at least in the zones of contact The aijminum ribs are then brought into mechanical contact with the steel tubes that nave been heated to a soldering temperature of between 370 °C and 470 °C and are then subjected to room temperature to cool off.

Full Text

METHOD OF JOINING STtEL TUBES WITH ALUMINUM RIBS
It is conventional to produce ribbed tubes for air-cooled plants Of air-cooled condensers from steel tubes a-c steel ribs. Securement of the steel nbs to the steel tubes is realized through hot-galvanizing. Even though such ribbed tubes are very corrosion-resistant, the, offer the drawback that the ribs are made of relatively poor heat conducive siee.
it is further'known ro wind continuous aluminum rbs in helical manner onto round steel tubes The aluminum nbs nay hereby be wound with narrow fool-side legs under tension in flat engagement onto She spaces of the steel tubes Another possibility involves a grooving of the surfaces of tne steel tubes and r.e placement of aluminum ribs in the grooves A drawbar of winding aluminum nbs onto steel tubes resides in the different thermal excarsion coefficients between steel and aluminum In practical terms this means tha: steel tubes with aluminum nbs can only be used up to relatively low temperatures of about 130°C. At higher temperatures, the contact between the aluminum nbs and the steel tubes gets lost as a consequence of the greater thermal expansion of aluminum. The capability of the ribbed tubes drops.
A further conventional method of making ribbed tubes involves the connection of aluminum-plated flat tubes wr." the assistance of a.ummum-siliccn solder win undulated or meandering or angularly folded webs cf aluminum nbs .n an annealing . The bond between aluminum nbs and fist tubes through soldering with aluminum-silicon solder which is a component of the aluminum ribs or the flat tubes, has the drawback that such soldering can be produced only via the detour of using alumirum-olated flat tubes or plated aluminum ribs Apart from the comparably high expenditure -n view of the r.eed for diverse starting matenals and during production, there is the acced drawback that ;he flat tubes closed in circumferential direction by at 'east one longitudinal welding seam,
1

/
must not be plated with aluminum in the welding zone Otherwise, a reliable welding operation cannot be assured These regions of the fiat tubes must be freed subsequently from welding by-products and ther protected against corrosion
A further drawback of ribbed tubes consisting of flat tubes with folded aluminum bands is the need to carry out the soldering operation of the aluminum-plated flat tubes with aluminum ribs at comparably high temperatures in the order of about 600 °C, i.e. near the softening temperature of aluminum. The solder, required hereby, is made of aluminum-silicon eutectic which melts slightly below the softening point of aluminum.
Also, with respect to this structural type, it is to be noted that as a consequence of the different thermal expansion coefficients between alum-rum and steel both soldered materials may substantially distort relative to one another. when cooled down to the ambient temperature (room temperature) after soldering at about 600 °C, so that a breakup of the soldered areas.can easily be encountered, when the aluminum has not been correctly applied-Starting from the prior art, the invention is based on the object to provide a method of joining steel tubes with aluminum ribs as components of air-cooled plants and air-cooled condensers, which method can be carried out with slight labor costs and energy costs as well as cost-savings with espect to material consumption.
This object is attained in accordance with the invention by the features of claim 1. alternatively by the features of claim 2.
According to one aspect of the invention, a solder of zinc-a um:num alloy with an aluminum content of 0.5-20%, preferably 5%-15% is used, which can be applied
2

onto the surfaces of the steel tubes as well as also onto the aluminum ribs Application of the solder layer may be realized by rneans of the flame spraying process. It is hereby possible, to use acetyls or also natural gas. A wire, having the composition of the solder, is hereby melted and spread evenly upon the respective surface as a result of the gas under pressure
A second procedure involves the use of the electric-are process In this case, an electric arc is produced by means of two wires having the composition of the solder, thereby melting the wires. At the same time air o' an inert gas is blown in so that the melted solder is evenly distributed onto the surfaces of the steel tubes or the aluminum rips.
Also, galvanization with the solder in the stated compos :ion is conceivable
Finally, it is also feasible to apply a layer, made of tne solder corrposed according to the invention, onto the respective surfaces through pressure, plating or sintering.
An essential feature of the method according to the invention is. however, the recognition that through the use of a fluxing agent in the form of cesium-aluminum tetrafluoride, it now becomes possible to reduce the soldering temperature from currently 600 °C to a range between 370 °C and 470 °C This lowering of the soldering temperature is not only accompanied by a reduction of the solder times by about 30% to 40% but also results in a significant saving of labor costs and energy costs- A further saving is possible when only the contact zones between the aluminum ribs and the steel tubes are wetted with the fluxing agent This may be implemented through immersion or a spray process-
It is furthermore to be considered within the scope of :ne invention, that the aluminum ribs are softly annealed during conventional soldering They
3

necessarily loose hereby part of their strength property. This was still tolerated in the context of flat tubes with webs of aluminum ribs integrated between the flat tubes, because the webs of aluminum ribs are bound between the flat sides of the flat tubes after the soldering operation. Within the scope of the method according to the invention, both variations assure, however, a significant reduction of the soldering temperature so that soft annealing does no longer occur. Regardless of their association, the aiumrnum ribs maintain their full strength properties.
In the event of, e.g., fabricating ribbed tubes of elliptic configuration through placement of punched aluminum ribs onto the steel tubes and application of the fluxing agent at every location where the aluminum ribs nave their final position the aluminum nbs can conduct heat well and can be ftxed on the steel tubes permanently and protected against corrosion up to operating temperatures of above 350 °C.
When the aluminum ribs are attached through helical winding onto the steel tubes, the fluxing agent is suitably applied at the leading engagement point of the rib band directly before the engagement of the rib band on the surface of the steel tube. This enables to bring the steel tubes, provided with the wound aluminum ribs, to a required soldering temperature between 370 °C and 470 °C in a continuous furnace or also later in an anneaiing furnace.
It is, however, also conceivable to wind bands of aluminum ribs, after coating with the solder, onto steel tubes which have been heated to a soldering temperature between 370 °C and 470 °C, and to utilize the latent tube heat for soldering. In this type of ribbed tube, it is realized that the steel tubes are protected against corrosion by the migrating solder fruther. a firm metallic heat conductive connection between the aluminum ribs and the steel tubes is realized,
4

Ribbed tubes, fabricated in this manner. are suitable or operating temperatures of about 350 °C
When attaching undulated or meandering or angularly (triangularly or rectangularly) folded aluminum ribs onto steely flat tubes, the latter or also the aluminum ribs are provided, after application of the solder, with the special fluxing agent in the form of cesium-aluminum tetrafluoride across the entire surface area, and subsequently alternatingly an aluminum rib band, a flat tube, again an aluminum rib band, and so on, are stacked on top of one another The thus-formed stack of aluminum ribs (cake) is then placed in a soldering furnace (continuous furnace or annealing furnace) and subjected there to the required sofdering temperature between 370 °C and 470 °C The solder liquefies so that the aluminum rib bands are joined with the seal tubes in a metallic and heat-conductive manner. Moreover, the outer surface of the entire flat tube is protected against corrosion.
As an alternative, it is also possible to move flat tubes through an annealing furnace for heating to the required soldering temperature. Thereafter, the flat tubes are joined with the aluminum rib bands through use of the solder and the fluxing agent.
Regardless of the sequence of the respective production process, the respectively joined arrangement of steel tubes and aluminum ribs is then subjected to the ambient temperature (room temperature) and thereby cooled, so that the aluminum ribs are reliably joined with the steel tubes in a heat-conductive manner.
The special solder of a zinc-aluminum alloy with an aluminum content of 0.5% to 20%, preferably 5% to 15%. in conjunction with the special f'uxing agent in the form of cesium-aluminum tetrafluoride enables a melting of the solder layer at the
5

respectively advantageous temperature between 370 °C and 470 °C such that a melting of the aluminum ribs is precluded in any event. In this context, ihe driving force is the eutectic zinc/aluminum, whereby aluminum is alloyed in the solder layer, so that liquid zinc is prevented from dissolving the aluminum ribs
The particular fluxing agent in the form of cesium-aluminum tetrafluoride may be prepared on an alkaline, acidic or neutral base
The respective soldering temperature is dependent on the fraction of the aluminum in the solvent. The higher the aluminum fraction, the higher the soldering temperature An advantageous errbodiment is realized, when the solder has a fraction of 15% aluminum whereby the soldering temperature is at about 430 °C,
6

7 We Claim
1. A method of connecting aluminium rib strips folded so as to be corrugated, to the flat sides of flat steel tubes, characterized in that a layer of soldering agent consisting of a zinc - aluminium alloy with an aluminium content of 0.5% to 20% is applied to the flat sides of the flat tubes and a fluxing agent in the form of caesium aluminium tetrafluoride is applied to the contact zones of the rib strips with the flat sides, the application being carried out at room temperature, whereupon the rib strips are brought into mechanical contact with the flat sides and, in that configuration, are heated in a Furnace to a soldering temperature between 370°C and 470°C, and are finally exposed to room temperature for cooling.
The invention relates to a method for linking steel tubes with aluminum ribs According to said method, a zinc-aluminum alloy layer is applied to the surfaces of the steel tubes or the aluminum ribs said alloy having an aluminum content of 0-.5 % to 20 %, and then a fluxing agent in the form of cesium-aluminum tetrafluoride is introduced between the steel tubes and the aluminum ribs at room temperature before or during the mechanical contact of the aluminum ribs with the steel tubes. The steel tubes provided with the aluminurr ribs are then heated in an oven to a soldering temperature of between 370 °C and 470 °C and are then subjected to room temperature to cool off Alternatively a zinc-aluminum alloy layer can first be applied to the surfaces of the steel tubes or the aluminum ribs, said alloy having an aluminum content of 0.5 % to 20 % and a fluxing agent in the form of cesium-aluminum tetrafluonde is then applied at room temperature to the aluminum ribs at least in the zones of contact The aijminum ribs are then brought into mechanical contact with the steel tubes that nave been heated to a soldering temperature of between 370 °C and 470 °C and are then subjected to room temperature to cool off.

Documents:

« Previous Patent

Next Patent »

Patent Number

207516

Indian Patent Application Number

IN/PCT/2002/00903/KOL

PG Journal Number

24/2007

Publication Date

15-Jun-2007

Grant Date

14-Jun-2007

Date of Filing

09-Jul-2002

Name of Patentee

GEA ENERGIETECHNIK GMBH

Applicant Address

DORSTENER STR 48, 44809 BOCHUM, GERMANY

Inventors:

#	Inventor's Name	Inventor's Address
1	KORISCHEM BENEDICT	AM MUHLENACKER 30, 40489 DUSSELFORF, GERMANY
2	DINULESCH HORIA	11217 FETTERLY ROAD W, MINNETONKA, MN 55305, U.S.A.
3	WITTE RAIMUND	AUF DEM ROTT 3, 44319 DORTMUND, GERMANY
4	VOLKMER ECKARD	JAGERHOFSTR 29. 40880 RATINGEN, GERMAN

PCT International Classification Number

B 23 K 1/00

PCT International Application Number

PCT/DE01/00223

PCT International Filing date

2001-01-18

PCT Conventions:

#	PCT Application Number	Date of Convention	Priority Country
1	100 03 874.3	2000-01-28	Germany
2	100 57 180.8	2000-11-17	Germany