초록 ▼

An air dryer (2) for an air brake system of a truck or the like includes separate heat exchanger and filtering housing sections (16 and 18) mounted side-by-side in a compact integral housing unit (10). The heat exchanger cools the air to condense water therefrom, and a water repellant downstream fil

An air dryer (2) for an air brake system of a truck or the like includes separate heat exchanger and filtering housing sections (16 and 18) mounted side-by-side in a compact integral housing unit (10). The heat exchanger cools the air to condense water therefrom, and a water repellant downstream filter (42) permits air flow therethrough but blocks the passage of water. A pressure responsive valve (82) communicates with the outlet of the heat exchanger and the inlet of the filter for discharging water condensed from the heat exchanger and repelled by the filter.

대표청구항 ▼

A compact air dryer construction for an air brake system, comprising: a housing unit having distally opposite ends and having a first housing portion extending between said ends, said first housing portion comprising one or more members having internal passage means and external heat radiating fins

A compact air dryer construction for an air brake system, comprising: a housing unit having distally opposite ends and having a first housing portion extending between said ends, said first housing portion comprising one or more members having internal passage means and external heat radiating fins to provide a heat exchanger for cooling air in said first housing portion to condense water therefrom, and having a second hollow cylindrical housing portion extending axially longitudinally between said ends; an air inlet to said first housing portion; an air oulet from said second housing portion; a communication passage communicating between said first and second housing portions and providing an outlet from said first housing portion and an inlet to said second housing portion; a water repellant filter in said second housing portion and having a first side communicating with said communication passage and having a second side communicating with said outlet from said second housing portion, said filter passing air therethrough and blocking the passage of water therethrough, wherein said inlet to said second housing portion is at one of said distal ends of said housing unit, said outlet from said second housing portion is at the other of said distal ends of said housing unit, said filter is a hollow tubular member spaced radially inwardly of said hollow cylindrical second housing portion to define an annular gap therebetween communicating with one of said inlet and outlet for said second housing portion, the hollow interior of said tubular filter element communicating with the other of said inlet and outlet for said second housing portion, such that air flows axially in said annular gap and in said hollow interior of said tubular filter and flows radially through said filter between said inlet and outlet of said second housing portion, wherein said one distal end of said housing unit comprises a plate axially spaced from one end of said filter to define an axial gap therebetween, said annular gap communicates through said axial gap with said inlet to said second housing portion, and comprising biasing means in said axial gap bearing between said plate and said one end of said filter to bias the latter toward said other distal end of said housing unit, said outlet from said second housing portion has a passage communicating with the hollow interior of said tubular filter, the other axial end of said filter has an annular end face encircling said last mentioned passage and biased into sealing engagement with said other distal end of said housing unit by said biasing means, and wherein said axial gap defines a collection chamber in said second housing portion a said one distal end of said housing unit for collecting water condensed from said first housing portion and repelled by said filter in said second housing portion.