Method for the manufacture of heat exchangers

Claim 1

IN A METHOD FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF HEAT EXCHANGERS CONSISTING OF PARALLEL TUBES, COOLING FINS SECURED PERPENDICULARLY THERETO, AND SPACING RINGS FOR MAINTAINING MUTUAL SPACING BETWEEN THE LATTER, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF TEMPORARILY THREADING THE COOLING FINS AND THE SPACING RINGS ONTO VERTICAL MANDRELS HAVING LENGTH WHICH IS A FRACTION OF THE LENGTH OF THE TUBES IN A SEQUENCE CORRESPONDING TO THEIR ULTIMATE POSITION, TILTING THE MANDRELS TOGETHER WITH THE COMPONENTS ON THEM INTO A HORIZONTAL POSITION, TEMPORARILY SECURING THE TUBES HORIZONTALLY IN THEIR ULTIMATE RELATIVE POSITION IN A FRAME BY THE USE OF SHIFTABLE SUPPORTS, ALIGNING THE MANDRELS TOGETHER WITH THE COMPONENTS THREADED ON SAME IN ONE AND THE SAME LINE AS THE TUBES, PUSHING THE THREADED-ON COMPONENTS ACROSS ONTO THE TUBES, REPEATING THESE OPERATIONS UNTIL THE WHOLE LENGTH OF THE TUBES IS FILLED WITH THE FINS AND SPACING RINGS, SHIFTING AND REMOVING THE SHIFTABLE SUPPORTS AS THE FINS AND SPACING RINGS ARE ADVANCED ALONG THE TUBES, AND AFTER COMPLETING THE THREADING OF THE COMPONENTS ONTO THE TUBES SECURING THE HEAT EXCHANGER''S ASSEMBLED CONSTRUCTIONAL COMPONENTS TO FORM A COMPLETED HEAT EXCHANGER.