Mechanical Properties of Heat Exchanger Tube Materials at Elevated Temperatures

Abstract

Since automotive heat exchangers are operated at elevated temperatures and under varying pressures, both static and dynamic mechanical properties should be known at the relevant temperatures. We have collected elevated-temperature tensile test data, elevated-temperature stress amplitude-fatigue life data, and creep-rupture data in a systematic fashion over the past years. For thin, soft, and braze-simulated heat exchanger tube materials tested inside closed furnaces, none of the well-established methods for crack detection and observation can be applied. In our contribution, we present a simple statistical method to estimate the time required for crack initiation.