Core construction compared
Three ways to build an aluminum cooling core. Here is how each one is made, what each one is good at, and why Alumi-Core builds true bar and plate.
Side by side
The drawings show a slice through each core. Gold lines are fins, dark blocks are bars or header plates, and grey is the aluminum wall that holds the fluid.
Thin tubes run between two header plates. Corrugated fins sit between the tubes on the air side.
Flat aluminum tubes are pushed through a die with several small ports inside, then joined to air-side fins and headers.
Flat plates, formed fins and solid edge bars are stacked layer by layer and brazed into one block.
The definition
A core can be sold as bar and plate and still be built from tubes. The name describes the parts, so you can check any core against this list.
If the core is made of tubes and headers, it is not bar and plate.
Real cores
These are photos of Alumi-Core cores. Look for the rows of formed fins sitting between solid aluminum.
The comparison
| Tube and fin | Extruded tube | Bar and plate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built from | Thin tubes, corrugated fins, header plates | Multi-port extruded tubes, corrugated fins, header plates | Plates, formed fins and solid edge bars, brazed as one block |
| Fins inside the passage | None, or a simple insert | None. Ports are fixed by the die. | Yes, chosen for each layer |
| Pressure and pulses | Lower | Good for its weight | Built for the highest loads of the three |
| Vibration and rough service | Thin tube walls are the weak point | Tube-to-header joints carry the load | Load is shared across the whole block |
| Custom sizes | Limited to tooled tube and header sizes | Limited to available extrusions | Made to the height, width and thickness you need |
| Best for | Light duty, high-volume, cost-driven | Compact, lightweight OEM coolers | Heavy duty, high boost, oil cooling, off-highway, industrial |
| Trade-off | Less durable under hard use | Less flexible in size and fin design | Heavier than a light-duty tube core |
Why it wins
Fins inside the passage add surface area and stir the flow, so more heat leaves the oil, coolant or charge air. Tube cores rely mostly on the air-side fins.
Plates, bars and fins are brazed into a single structure. Pressure and heat cycles are carried by the whole block, not by a row of thin tube joints.
Every fin is bonded to the plates on both sides, and solid bars frame the core. That is the right build for trucks, equipment and engines that work hard.
Bar and plate is built up layer by layer, so a core can be made to the height, width and thickness a job calls for, with the fin choice to match.
An honest note
For light-duty, cost-driven work, a tube and fin or extruded core can do the job, and it weighs less. When the job means heavy duty, high boost or high pressure, bar and plate is the build made for it, and it is the only one Alumi-Core makes.
Thousands in stock and ready to ship, with delivery as quick as same day.