Metal working – Means to assemble or disassemble
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-26
2003-06-03
Rosenbaum, I Cuda (Department: 3726)
Metal working
Means to assemble or disassemble
C029S890000, C422S180000, C072S146000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06571458
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The invention concerns an apparatus for producing a honeycomb body, in particular a catalytic converter carrier body, having at least one stack of a plurality of at least partially structured metal sheets.
Carrier bodies for catalytic converters which provide for a reduction in the amount of pollutants in exhaust gases, in particular exhaust gases of an engine, can be in the form of a metallic honeycomb body. Such honeycomb bodies include a stack having a plurality of at least partially structured metal sheets. U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,109 describes a honeycomb body which has a stack of at least partially structured metal sheets, the stack being wrapped or twisted in opposite directions around itself and around a central region.
Published German Patent Application DE 195 21 685 A1 discloses a method for producing such a honeycomb body. In accordance with that method it is proposed that initially a stack is formed from a plurality of at least partially structured sheet metal layers. The stack is thereafter introduced into an open mould formed from mould segments corresponding to the outside shape of the honeycomb body to be produced, and the stack is held by a wrapping device in a central region. Thereupon the stack is wound or wrapped around in a direction of rotation and the mould is closed by pivoting the mould segments in the opposite direction to the direction of rotation of the wrapping device when a predetermined degree of wrapping is attained.
German Patent DE 195 22 327 discloses a method for producing a honeycomb body having a plurality of channels through which a fluid can flow. The honeycomb body has a plurality of at least partially structured sheet metal layers. This method is suitable in particular for producing a honeycomb body as is known from International Patent Application WO 90/03220. Such a honeycomb body has at least three stacks of metal sheets. At least three of the stacks are folded around a respective associated bend line in the central region of the honeycomb body and twisted in the folded condition in the same direction around each other and around the central region with the bend lines. Production of such a honeycomb body is effected in accordance with Published German Patent Application DE 195 22 327 A1 by virtue of each stack being folded about a respective bend line. The stacks when folded in that way are introduced into a mould. Each stack is held by a wrapping or twisting device in a central region. The wrapping or twisting device has winding bars which engage into the bent stack in the region of each bend line. The individual stacks are twisted in the same direction by rotation of the winding bars about a central axis.
International Patent Application WO 94/01661 discloses a honeycomb body which is made up of only a small number of metal sheets. The structure of the honeycomb body is suitable for at least one elongate electrical conductor to be integrated into at least one of the sheet metal layers or for one of the sheet metal layers itself to be in the form of an elongate insulated electrical conductor. For the production of such a metallic honeycomb body consisting of at least partially structured sheet metal layers, WO 94/01661 proposes that a hollow cone is produced from a small number of at least partially structured sheet metal strips. That hollow cone or circular ring is deformed from the outside inwardly at least at three lines so that a corresponding number of reversal lines are formed both in an outer region of the ring and also in an inner region thereof. The resulting star-like or rosette-like structure, which has loop configurations, is twisted by same-directional, rotational twisting of the loop configurations, which extend between the inner reversal lines and the outer reversal lines, about the inner reversal lines.
It has been found that defects, which adversely affect the quality of the honeycomb body, occur in some regions in the macrostructure of the finished honeycomb body. Such defects occur in an irregular fashion when successively producing a plurality of honeycomb bodies, which are manufactured using the same apparatuses. This requires particular measures in the quality control of the honeycomb bodies produced.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an apparatus for producing a honeycomb body which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known methods of this general type and which improves the quality of the honeycomb body produced. A further object of the invention is to provide a method for producing a plurality of honeycomb bodies that simplifies quality assurance.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a method for producing a honeycomb body having a plurality of at least partially structured sheet metal layers and formed with a plurality of channels through which a fluid can pass. The method comprises the following steps:
a) forming a stack with a plurality of at least partially structured sheet metal layers defining channels and with a central region, the channels defining a longitudinal direction;
b) introducing the stack into a mould;
c) holding the stack in the mould with a wrapping device and with positioning elements reaching at least partially into the channels in the central region of the stack, the wrapping device being pivotable around a winding axis and having at least two winding bars located essentially parallel to the winding axis and extending along the longitudinal direction of the channels, the at least two winding bars engaging the stack at a respective exterior surface at the central region of the stack; and
d) wrapping the stack until a predetermined degree of wrapping of the stack is attained, while maintaining, in the central region of the stack, a structural configuration of structures disposed relative to one another and formed by the at least partially structured-sheet metal layers.
With the objects of the invention in view there is also provided a method for producing honeycomb bodies, each having a plurality of at least partially structured sheet metal layers and each formed with a plurality of channels through which a fluid can pass. The method which comprises the following steps:
a) forming a stack with a plurality of at least partially structured sheet metal layers defining channels and with a central region, the channels defining a longitudinal direction;
b) introducing the stack into a mould;
c) holding the stack in the mould with a wrapping device and with positioning elements reaching at least partially into the channels, in the central region of the stack, the wrapping device being pivotable around a winding axis and having at least two winding bars located essentially parallel to the winding axis and extending along the longitudinal direction of the channels, the at least two winding bars engaging the stack at a respective exterior surface at the central region of the stack; and
d) wrapping the stack until a predetermined degree of wrapping of the stack is attained for producing a honeycomb body;
e) removing the stack in its wrapped condition from the mould; and
f) repeating steps a) to e) with further stacks for producing further honeycomb bodies, the stack and each of the further stacks formed with the same structural configuration in the respective central region, the structural configuration having structures disposed relative to one another and formed by the at least partially structured sheet metal layers, and maintaining, during the wrapping step, the structural configuration of the at least partially structured sheet metal layers of each of the stacks.
In accordance with another mode of the invention, the structural configuration in the central region of the stack for the honeycomb body is determined after the step of forming the stack, and the further stacks are formed such that the structural configuration in the central region of the stack is repeated by layering further pluralities of at least part
Brück Rolf
Diewald Robert
Cuda Rosenbaum I
Emitec Gesellschaft fur Emissionstechnologie mbH
Greenbe Laurence A.
Hong John C.
Mayback Gregory L.
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