Method of making heat exchangers

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF MAKING A HEAT EXCHANGE DEVICE WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF: (A) PROVIDING A HEAT EXCHANGE PANEL HAVING A PATTERN OF INTERNAL UNJOINED PORTIONS DISPOSED BETWEEN SOLID PORTIONS OF SAID PANEL WITH THE UNJOINED PORTIONS FORMING OPPOSED WALLS INTEGRALLY JOINED TO SAID SOLID PORTIONS, (B) FORMING A PLURALITY OF ELONGATED APERTURES IN SAID PANEL, EACH OF SAID APERTURES EXTENDING FROM ONE LATERAL EDGE OF SAID PANEL TO A POINT SPACED FROM THE OPPOSITE EDGE THEREOF, EACH OF SAID APERTURES LYING WHOLLY WITHIN ONE OF SAID SOLID PORTIONS AND BEING OF A LENGTH TO DEFINE A PLURALITY OF SPACED FINGERS CONTAINING SAID UNJOINED PORTIONS AND PROJECTING OUT FROM A LATERAL MARGINAL PORTION OF SAID PANEL ADJACENT SAID OPPOSITE LATERAL EDGE, (C) PROVIDING AT LEAST ONE SHEET METAL FIN HAVING A PLURALITY OF SLOTS CORRESPONDING IN SPACING AND NUMBER TO THE SPACING AND NUMBER OF SAID FINGERS, EACH OF SAID SLOTS BEING AT LEAST EQUAL IN LENGTH TO THE WIDTH OF SAID FINGERS AND GREATER IN WIDTH THAN THE UNEXPANDED THICKNESS OF SAID PANEL, (D) FORMING ON SAID FIN ADJACENT THE SLOTS THEREOF MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID FIN ON SAID PANEL, (E) ASSEMBLING SAID FIN ON SAID PANEL IN A SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR RELATIONSHIP TO SAID PANEL BY INSERTING THE FINGERS THEREOF INTO THE CORRESPONDING SLOTS OF SAID FIN, AND (F) EXPANDING SAID WALLS INTO CONTACT WITH SAID MEANS OF PARAGRAPH (D) BY THE APPLICATION OF A FLUID PRESSURE INTO SAID UNJOINED PORTIONS, WHEREBY SAID WALLS EXERT SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL AND OPPOSITE MOMENTS ON SAID FIN TO CONSTRAIN SAID FIN IN SAID PERPENDICULAR RELATIONSHIP.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF MAKING A HEAT EXCHANGE DEVICE WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF: (A) PROVIDING A HEAT EXCHANGE PANEL HAVING A PATTERN OF INTERNAL UNJOINED PORTIONS DISPOSED BETWEEN SOLID PORTIONS OF SAID PANEL WITH THE UNJOINED PORTIONS FORMING OPPOSED WALLS INTEGRALLY JOINED TO SAID SOLID PORTIONS, (B) FORMING A PLURALITY OF ELONGATED APERTURES IN SAID PANEL, EACH OF SAID APERTURES EXTENDING FROM ONE LATERAL EDGE OF SAID PANEL TO A POINT SPACED FROM THE OPPOSITE EDGE THEREOF, EACH OF SAID APERTURES LYING WHOLLY WITHIN ONE OF SAID SOLID PORTIONS AND BEING OF A LENGTH TO DEFINE A PLURALITY OF SPACED FINGERS CONTAINING SAID UNJOINED PORTIONS AND PROJECTING OUT FROM A LATERAL MARGINAL PORTION OF SAID PANEL ADJACENT SAID OPPOSITE LATERAL EDGE, (C) PROVIDING AT LEAST ONE SHEET METAL FIN HAVING A PLURALITY OF SLOTS CORRESPONDING IN SPACING AND NUMBER TO THE SPACING AND NUMBER OF SAID FINGERS, EACH OF SAID SLOTS BEING AT LEAST EQUAL IN LENGTH TO THE WIDTH OF SAID FINGERS AND GREATER IN WIDTH THAN THE UNEXPANDED THICKNESS OF SAID PANEL, (D) FORMING ON SAID FIN ADJACENT THE SLOTS THEREOF MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID FIN ON SAID PANEL, (E) ASSEMBLING SAID FIN ON SAID PANEL IN A SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR RELATIONSHIP TO SAID PANEL BY INSERTING THE FINGERS THEREOF INTO THE CORRESPONDING SLOTS OF SAID FIN, AND (F) EXPANDING SAID WALLS INTO CONTACT WITH SAID MEANS OF PARAGRAPH (D) BY THE APPLICATION OF A FLUID PRESSURE INTO SAID UNJOINED PORTIONS, WHEREBY SAID WALLS EXERT SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL AND OPPOSITE MOMENTS ON SAID FIN TO CONSTRAIN SAID FIN IN SAID PERPENDICULAR RELATIONSHIP.