Importance

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Abstract

An assembly device for a heat exchanger and tubular connector assembly, in which the tubular connector opens out into an opening in a tank of the heat exchanger and is fixed firstly to a flexible hose by a permanent connection and secondly to the tank via an easily disassembled resilient connection, with sealing between the tubular connector and the tank being provided by an elastomer ring which is radially compressed therebetween. The tubular connector and the tank are in alignment along an assembly axis and they constitute two parts to be assembled by snap fastening at least one axially-directed tab carried on one of the two parts. The tab is radially resilient and is provided with a snap-fastening catch which engages axial abutment means carried by the other one of the two parts. The tab has an expansion spring configuration whose resilient reaction acts radially in the direction tending to maintain the tab pressed against the abutment means when the said two parts are in the assembled position. The spring-forming tab is in the form of a leaf spring comprising at least a first branch and a second branch substantially parallel to each other and to the assembly axis, with the first branch projecting from one of the two parts in the assembly direction while the second branch projects from the axially inner end of the first branch in the opposite direction to the assembly direction, such that the spring-forming tab is generally U-shaped, with the catch projecting radially outwards from the second branch of the tab.

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First Claim