Clamped connection

Claim 1

A clamped connection for clamping a water box to a bottom plate which is adapted to support a bundle of tubes for a heat exchanger, the connection comprising: (a) a flange on said water box, said flange being continuous and uninterrupted along a plane parallel to its length, said flange having a substantially constant cross section in a plane perpendicular to its length; (b) an edge on said bottom plate and an edge region on said bottom plate adjacent said edge, said edge region being deformable from a first condition in which said edge region is continuous and straight or has a constant radius of curvature along most of its length and a second condition in which said edge region has a continuously corrugated configuration including alternately deformed and undeformed partial edge region areas, said edge region including a plurality of elongated apertures spaced from said edge and extending generally parallel to said edge, said apertures being present in said edge region when said edge region is in its first undeformed condition as well as when it is in its second deformed condition, said deformed partial edge region areas being bounded on the side opposite to said edge by said apertures and said undeformed partial edge region areas being located between said apertures; (c) said flange and edge region having an unclamped condition in which said deformable edge region is in its first condition and a clamped condition in which said deformable edge is in its second condition; (d) said deformed partial edge region areas positively and lockingly engaging said flange when said flange and edge region are in the locked condition to form a positive joint; (e) said edge including means for stiffening the clamping connection in the clamped condition, said stiffening means comprising said undeformed partial areas, and (f) an elastic packing member positioned between said water box and bottom plate.