I used to work as an engineer in a chemical plant. We had lots of heat exchangers. Failures at the tube sheet to tube interface were usually caused by stresses due to thermal expansion and contraction being too rigidly restrained. On our CACs and RADs if the ends are solidly fastened (restrained), then as the units heat up the expansion has only one way to resolve itself - by flexing the tube sheet on the ends or by flexing the tubes. Particularly with materials that work harden - copper and aluminum - they will eventually crack. If this is where our leaks are occurring then we really would benefit from creating a more forgiving mounting.
A Google search identified some rubber bushing being used to mount CACs. I'll see if I can get some pictures in the next week of how large trucks are mounting things.
One of the smarter guys who had a bird and now has a Prevost changed his CAC out with a DuraLite one. It was an impressive piece.
that was david? did he change the mounting from ridgid to flexible?
tom
I have read a significant number of posts of folks changing from the Prevost installed CAC units to the DuraLite units. No one has mentioned changing the mounting. Apparently, different Prevosts have different arrangements some stack there CAC on top, some on the front, some apparently in an L shaped configuration.
Does Duralite make one for a newell and who and how much?
Don't know Ron.
http://www.duralite.net/content/charge-air-coolers
They made a custom one for David Brady for his Blue Bird and now it is a stock item that they are selling.
According to Dura Lite:
Quote:What if a Dura-Lite™ Part # is not available?
Dura-Lite’s professionally certified engineers can custom design a Charge Air Cooler, Radiator, and/ or Radiator/ Charge Air Cooler Cooling Module for any application.
How do you determine which Dura-Lite™ Charge Air Cooler fits a vehicle?
Determine the Original Equipment Part # of the Charge Air Cooler on the vehicle. Distributor/ Dealers can then cross the Part # to a Dura-Lite™ Part # on Dura-Lite’s Website Catalog and/ or printed Catalog or contact Dura-Lite™ Customer Support at 800-661-1117 for further assistance.
last summer when i was having radiator problems i contacted atlas radiator that made the cac and radiator for my newell.
they said this was a drawing of the ones i have.
i never validated it but they know which coaches have what sizes in them i believe.
tom
One thought would be to allow for the expansion and flex. A way to do this might be with something like this
http://www.energysuspensionparts.com/pro...rod=3.4142
If the charge air cooler is hard mounted on the radiator and of different materials, their expansion rate would be different also stressing/flexing at different rates...
There are many options to allow for flex/expansion here is another example.
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