JP2003343255A - Method for manufacturing purifying device containing honeycomb structure - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suitably hold a honeycomb structure in a container, and to generate and maintain uniform and sufficient compression force in the overall periphery of a buffer member, in a method for manufacturing a purifying device for holding the structure via the buffer member in a container formed by connecting a plurality of dividing elements made of a metal. <P>SOLUTION: The buffer member (3) is mounted on the periphery of the honeycomb structure (2) and contained in the container (10) formed by connecting the plurality of dividing elements (10a, 10b) made of the metal. The container is radially reduced in the range of at least the buffer member to hold the member in a compressed state, and the structure is held in the container by a surface pressure to be imparted to the structure by the compression restoring force of the member. At least one end of the plurality of the elements are formed previously in a predetermined shape, and when the elements are connected, a necking part may be constituted by, for example, spinning the container. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a purifying device for holding a honeycomb structure in a container formed by joining a plurality of metallic divided bodies with a cushioning member between the divided bodies.
The present invention relates to a manufacturing method suitable as a manufacturing method of a catalytic converter in which a catalyst carrier of a honeycomb structure is held in the container via a buffer mat.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A purifying device is known in which a honeycomb structure having a filter function for fluids is built in a metal container via a buffer member, and is used for purifying various fluids. For example, in an automobile exhaust system, a catalytic converter or a diesel particulate filter (hereinafter,
A DP filter) is mounted, and a fragile ceramic honeycomb structure is used as a catalyst carrier (or filter). As a method for manufacturing such a purifying device, a ceramic cushioning mat is wound around the outer periphery of the above-mentioned honeycomb structure as a cushioning member having a sealing function, and these are divided into a plurality of metal divided bodies (so-called half bodies). A method of accommodating and holding it in a metal container made of (commonly known as "centering") is widely used.

Regarding a method of manufacturing a honeycomb catalytic converter, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 56-64116,
If you assemble the catalytic converter by pressing only the flanges on both ends of the catalytic converter, the parts on both sides near the flange of each case will be pressed strongly, so the holding material will be compressed strongly, but the central part away from the flange will not have the holding material. The problem is that the cross-sectional shape of the case is distorted enough and the holding material becomes unequal in compression state as a result. A method has been proposed in which the central portions of both cases are pressed to weld the both flanges.

In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-138715, a plate-shaped elastic holding member is previously compressed in its thickness direction, and a casing half of a split casing is sandwiched around the catalyst carrier. As described above, there has been proposed a method of assembling a catalytic converter in which they are brought close to each other to form a ring-shaped connection. As a result, there is no concern that the elastic holding member will be caught between the two split casings and that the abutting end surfaces of the elastic holding member will be separated from each other.

Further, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-112260, a catalyst carrier having a cylindrical shape and carrying a catalyst, a holding mat wound around the outer peripheral surface of the catalyst carrier, and a state in which the holding mat is compressed are disclosed. And a casing provided with a cylindrical carrier holding portion for holding the catalyst carrier,
In the catalytic converter, wherein the cylindrical carrier holding part is an assembly in which both side edges extending in the axial direction of both halves in the radial direction are fitted to each other and the fitted parts are joined together. As the shaped carrier holding portion, a catalytic converter having an oval cross section having a major axis extending between the fitting portions has been proposed. Then, when the cross-sectional shape of the cylindrical carrier holding portion is specified as described above, the half-body is expanded and the interval between the side edges of each half is larger than that in the case where each half has an arcuate inner peripheral surface. Since it is possible to make the inner peripheral surface of the catalyst smooth, in the process of sandwiching the catalyst carrier by both halves,
It is described that it is possible to reduce the amount of biting into the outer peripheral surface of the holding mat at both side edges of each half body and reduce the frictional force of the outer peripheral surface of each half body with respect to the outer peripheral surface of the holding mat, thereby relaxing the tension to the holding mat. .

Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-47046 discloses a ceramic catalytic converter in which an outer cylinder is divided into at least one location along a dividing line along the axial direction, and a pair of dividing end portions is formed along the dividing line. Is formed,
At least one of the pair of divided ends is provided with a deformable deformation mechanism that comes into contact with the other divided end and is welded. Due to the deformation of the deformation mechanism, the size of the ceramic catalyst carrier and the outer cylinder is increased. It is described that it is possible to absorb variations in the size. Then, regarding the assembling method, "a holding material is wound around a ceramic catalyst carrier to form a covering body. Then, an outer cylinder is assembled to the covering body, and the holding material generates a constant holding surface pressure. Up to the above, the outer cylinder is pressed from the outside. After that, the divided end portion provided with the deformation mechanism is pressed against the other divided end portion, and both are welded. "

[0007]

The holding force required to hold the honeycomb structure at a predetermined position in the metal container will be described below. The holding force in the radial direction of the metal container is the honeycomb holding force. It is the compressive restoring force of the cushioning member that acts in a direction orthogonal to the outer surface of the structure and the inner surface of the metal container. On the other hand, for example, with respect to a metal container fixed to an exhaust system of an automobile, an axial force is generated in the honeycomb structure and the buffer member due to vibration or exhaust gas pressure. A holding force in the direction (longitudinal direction) is required, which contributes to the frictional force between the cushioning member and the honeycomb structure and the frictional force between the cushioning member and the metal container.

In this case, the variation of the surface pressure due to the outer diameter error of the honeycomb structure is taken into consideration, or the occurrence of the surface pressure capable of suppressing the movement of the honeycomb structure due to the acceleration when mounted on a vehicle is taken into consideration. In the above, it is desirable to apply the surface pressure, that is, the compressive force as strong as possible and uniformly in the circumferential direction. However, if the compression force is set too high, and /
Alternatively, if the honeycomb structure is set to be non-uniform (large variation) in the circumferential direction, the honeycomb structure is likely to be damaged, and therefore the compression force cannot be made larger than a predetermined value. Further, in order to increase the compression force, the amount of compression of the cushioning member must be set large, and it is not easy to accommodate a thick cushioning member between the honeycomb structure and the container. In particular, in the method of accommodating in a metal container composed of a plurality of metal divided bodies (half bodies), since only the compressive force in the direction in which the divided bodies approach each other can be applied, a uniform pressure is applied over the entire circumference. It is structurally impossible to obtain a compressive force.

In the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-138715, there is proposed an assembling method in which the elastic holding member is previously compressed in its thickness direction and then the casing halves are joined together so as to sandwich the catalyst carrier. Although this makes assembly easier, it does not solve the above problems.
On the other hand, in the above-mentioned JP-A-9-112260 and JP-A-10-47046, it is intended to obtain a uniform compressive force over the entire circumference, but both of them have structurally cut surfaces. It is not possible to sufficiently secure the compressive force in the parallel direction. In particular, as described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-47046, providing a portion having a low rigidity such as a deformation mechanism is against the request to secure a sufficient compression force over the entire circumference, and the above-mentioned problems are encountered. Can not be solved.

Therefore, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure built-in purification apparatus, which holds a honeycomb structure via a cushioning member in a container formed by joining a plurality of metal divided bodies together, An object of the present invention is to provide a manufacturing method capable of appropriately holding the inside of a container and generating and maintaining a uniform and sufficient compression force over the entire circumference of the cushioning member.

[0011]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the method for manufacturing a purification device with a built-in honeycomb structure of the present invention comprises joining a plurality of metallic divided bodies as described in claim 1. In a method of manufacturing a purification device with a built-in honeycomb structure in which a honeycomb structure is held in a container via a buffer member, the buffer member is mounted around the honeycomb structure and is housed in the container, and at least the buffer is provided. Holding the buffer member in a compressed state by reducing the diameter of the container over the range in which the member exists, the honeycomb structure with the surface pressure applied to the honeycomb structure by the compression restoring force of the buffer member, It is intended to be held in the container.

Further, as described in claim 2, at least one end portion of each of the plurality of divided bodies is formed in advance into a predetermined shape, and when the plurality of divided bodies are joined, the necking portion is attached to the container. Should be configured.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the necking portion of the container is
As described in (1), the diameter may be further reduced to form a predetermined end shape. In the necking portion of the container, the necking portion is reduced in diameter such that the central axis of the container and the central axis of the necking portion are at least one of coaxial, eccentric, inclined and twisted. Spinning is preferably performed in the state of 1) to form a predetermined end shape.

In the above method for manufacturing a purifying apparatus with a built-in honeycomb structure, as described in claim 5, the surface pressure applied to the honeycomb structure is monitored, and the diameter of the container is reduced according to the monitoring result. Good.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A method for manufacturing a purifying apparatus for holding a honeycomb structure in a container formed by joining a plurality of metal divided bodies as described above via a cushioning member, and as a specific embodiment thereof. A method of manufacturing the catalytic converter will be described with reference to the drawings. First, as shown in FIG. 2, a pair of semicircular cross-section metal divided bodies (half bodies) 10a, 10b are brought into contact with each other to form a cylindrical intermediate processing container 10, and the contact portions are welded. And join. The welding method at this time may be any method such as arc welding, laser welding, and plasma welding as long as the sealing property can be secured. As for the structure of the joint portion, in addition to the butt structure shown in FIG. 2, as shown in FIG. 3, a divided body 10c having side end portions formed to extend so as to overlap the side end portion of the divided body 10a is used. Split body 10a,
The side end portions of 10c may be overlapped and fillet welded. In addition, the intermediate processing container 10 formed in the present embodiment
Is cylindrical, the inner cross-sectional shape thereof may be set according to the outer shape of the honeycomb structure 2 to be housed, and the outer shape is arbitrary.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1, a buffer member 3 is wound further around the outer periphery of the honeycomb structure 2 functioning as a catalyst carrier, and if necessary, fixed by a flammable tape or the like. Thereby, the integrated product 1 of FIG. 1 is configured. In this case, it is advisable to use a general winding method in which convex portions and concave portions are formed on both ends of the buffer member 3 as shown in FIG. 1 and these are fitted to each other. Although not shown in the drawings, there is a cushioning member formed in a cylindrical shape in advance, and in that case, the honeycomb structure 2 can be accommodated only by housing the honeycomb structure 2 in the cylindrical cushioning member. As a result of being mounted around, the integrated product 1 of FIG. 1 is configured. In this embodiment, the honeycomb structure 2 is made of ceramics, but the material and manufacturing method are not limited. The cushioning member 3 is
In the present embodiment, the alumina mat is used, which hardly expands due to heat. However, a thermal expansion type vermiculite type buffer member or a combination thereof may be used. Alternatively, an inorganic fiber mat not impregnated with a binder may be used. Since the surface pressure changes depending on the presence or absence of the binder and the content thereof, it is necessary to take this into consideration when setting the surface pressure. Alternatively, a wire mesh formed by knitting fine metal wires may be used, or it may be used in combination with a ceramic mat. Further, these may be combined with a metal annular retainer, a wire mesh seal ring, or the like.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the above-mentioned integrated product 1
Is clamped between a pair of clamp devices CH, and the honeycomb structure 2 is pressed by the pressing body PM of the measuring device DT in the direction orthogonal to the axis of the honeycomb structure 2 via the cushioning member 3, and The axis Z of the honeycomb structure 2 when the surface pressure applied is detected and the surface pressure reaches a predetermined value
The distance L1 between the pressure member PM and the pressing body PM is measured. After the measurement, the pressing body PM is returned to the original position, and then the grip by the clamp device CH is released. Hereinafter, the clamp device CH and the measuring device DT used in this embodiment will be described.

The clamp device CH is composed of, for example, a collet chuck, by which the upper and lower ends of the honeycomb structure 2 are clamped and the axis Z thereof is set at a predetermined measuring position. The measuring device DT of this embodiment includes a ball screw type actuator AC driven by a motor MT, a pressing body PM which is a reaction force detecting means supported at a tip end thereof via a load cell LC, and a position detecting means arranged at a rear end. A barrel rotary encoder RE is provided. The detection signals of the load cell LC and the rotary encoder RE are input to an electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as a controller) CT, converted into various data described below and stored in a memory (not shown), and the motor MT is controlled by the controller CT. It is configured to be drive-controlled.

The pressing body PM is arranged so as to advance and retreat in the direction orthogonal to the axis Z of the honeycomb structure 2 (the left-right direction in FIG. 4) and come into contact with the cushioning member 3 to be compressed. Since the contact area of the pressing body PM is known, this pressing body PM
The honeycomb structure 2 and the cushioning member 3 to be measured by
The reaction force when is pressed is detected by the load cell LC as the surface pressure on the honeycomb structure 2, and is input to the controller CT. In the controller CT,
The detection signal of the load cell LC is converted into a surface pressure value, stored in the memory, and compared with a predetermined surface pressure value separately input in advance. In addition, the rotary encoder RE is used to press the pressing body P.
The amount of advance and retreat of M and the stop position are detected as rotation information of a ball screw (not shown) and input to the controller CT. In the controller CT, the detection signal of the rotary encoder RE is converted in real time into the advance / retreat amount of the pressing body PM and the value of the stop position and stored in the memory. Incidentally, these detecting means and the controller CT may be electrically or optically connected.

By driving the measuring device DT configured as described above as follows, the distance between the axis Z of the honeycomb structure 2 and the pressing body PM and the honeycomb structure 2 at that time are measured. The relationship with the applied surface pressure can be measured. That is, the pressing body PM is set to the initial position (point P0 in FIG. 4).
Position (point P1 in FIG. 4) when the compression reaction force of the cushioning member 3 at the pressing portion reaches a predetermined value by advancing (moving to the left in FIG. 4) from and pushing a part of the cushioning member 3. To detect. This position (point P1 in FIG. 4) is the position of the inner wall surface (after the diameter reduction processing) of the intermediate processing container 10 when the surface pressure value of the cushioning member 3 after the product becomes a predetermined value. Equivalent to. Therefore, the relationship between the pressing force applied to the honeycomb structure 2 and the reaction force (surface pressure) generated thereby is stored in advance in the memory of the controller CT, and the detection signal (reaction force) of the load cell LC is based on this relationship. ) Is converted into a surface pressure value, and the pressing body PM is advanced to the above position (point P1 in FIG. 4) while comparing this with a predetermined surface pressure value, and the moving distance of the pressing body PM is obtained.

Thus, from the predetermined distance between the initial position of the tip of the pressing body PM (point P0 in FIG. 4) and the axis Z of the honeycomb structure 2, the pressing body PM detected by the rotary encoder RE is detected. The position of the tip of the pressing body PM (that is, the distance L1 from the axis Z) can be determined by subtracting the movement distance, and this position is the product state (that is, the intermediate processing container 10).
This means the position of the inner wall surface (after the diameter reduction processing) of the intermediate processing container 10 in the state where the surface pressure on the honeycomb structure 2 is maintained at a predetermined surface pressure value. As described above, according to this embodiment, the so-called GBD value (filling density of the cushioning member, weight per unit area / filling amount / filling amount) is not required to measure the dimensions and the characteristic values of the honeycomb structure 2 and the cushioning member 3 individually. It is possible to determine the position (point P1 in FIG. 4) at which the predetermined surface pressure value is obtained, without using (the gap size). That is, the distance L1 between the axis Z of the honeycomb structure 2 and the tip of the pressing body PM results in not only the outer diameter error of the honeycomb structure 2 but also the error of the weight per unit area of the cushioning member 3. It is not necessary to measure these errors separately, as the value also takes into consideration.

The distance L1 is stored in the memory of the controller CT in preparation for the next step, but it may be displayed if necessary. In addition, a plurality of measuring devices DT are arranged radially around the axis Z of the honeycomb structure 2 to perform multipoint measurement, or the clamp device CH and the integrated product 1 are rotated (indexed) around the axis Z. It is also possible to perform the multipoint measurement by making it possible to obtain the average of the respective measured values. In particular, when the honeycomb structure 2 does not have a circular cross section, it is necessary to perform multipoint measurement according to the shape of the honeycomb structure 2, so it is desirable to arrange a plurality of measuring devices DT. The pressing body PM does not necessarily have to be stopped at a predetermined position (point P1 in FIG. 4). After this position is detected, the pressing body PM is continuously retracted, and further, the clamping device CH is synchronized with the backward movement of the pressing body PM. The grip may be released.

As the surface pressure detecting means, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 4, a pressure sensitive element PS is interposed between the honeycomb structure 2 and the cushioning member 3, and based on the detection signal of this pressure sensitive element PS. The surface pressure may be directly detected. As the pressure-sensitive element PS, for example, a sensor that uses a sensor sheet having electrodes arranged in a matrix to detect the pressure distribution in real time is commercially available, and thus may be used. If the surface pressure detecting means is configured in this manner, it is not necessary to previously obtain the distance L1 by the measuring device DT, and the body pressure of the intermediate processing container 10 including the buffer member 3 is set to a predetermined pressure. It is possible to reduce the diameter of the honeycomb structure 2 together with the buffer member 3 so that the honeycomb structure 2 is held within the range. Therefore, the manufacturing time can be significantly reduced. If the pressure-sensitive element PS is inexpensive and does not adversely affect the function of the catalytic converter, it may be left as it is without being extracted after sizing.

Then, as shown in FIG. 1, in an intermediate processing container 10 formed by joining a pair of divided bodies 10a and 10b,
An integrated product 1 formed by mounting a cushioning member 3 around the honeycomb structure 2 is housed and held at a predetermined position. In this case, the outer surface of the cushioning member 3 is not in pressure contact with the inner surface of the intermediate processing container 10 and is set so as not to come into contact with the inner surface of the intermediate processing container 10 or to be loosely in contact therewith so that the cushioning member 3 receives almost no compressive force. It is desirable to set to.

Next, sizing (calibrating) is performed on the intermediate processing container 10 that accommodates the integrated product 1 and holds it at a predetermined position as described above, and the intermediate processing is performed until the buffer member 3 has a diameter that provides the optimum compression amount. The diameter of the container 10 is reduced. Various methods are known as this sizing method, for example, a collet type (finger type) diameter reducing machine is generally used.
For example, spinning processing may be used as described in JP-A-2002-107725. With this sizing,
As shown in FIG. 5, until the distance between the axis Z of the honeycomb structure 2 and the inner wall surface of the intermediate processing container 10 becomes the distance L1,
The diameter of the intermediate processing container 10 and the cushioning member 3 is reduced in consideration of springback, and the reduced diameter portion 11 serves as a body portion. still,
For example, while monitoring the surface pressure applied to the honeycomb structure 2 by the pressure sensitive element PS shown in FIG.
The diameter of the intermediate processing container 10 may be reduced. As a result, a step portion 12 is formed between the outer surface of the intermediate processing container 10 and the outer surface of the reduced diameter portion 11 as shown in FIG.

In this way, since the diameter of the intermediate processing container 10 is reduced at least over the range where the buffer member 3 exists,
The cushioning member 3 is held in a compressed state, and the honeycomb structure 2 is stably supported in the reduced diameter portion 11 by the surface pressure applied to the honeycomb structure 2 by the compression restoring force. As a result, even a particularly fragile honeycomb structure 2 can be appropriately held in the reduced diameter portion 11 without breaking.

Then, necking processing by spinning is performed on both end portions of the intermediate processing container 10 in which the honeycomb structure 2 and the cushioning member 3 are accommodated as described above. First, the body of the intermediate processing container 10 (the reduced diameter portion 1
As shown in FIG. 6, 1) is clamped by a clamp device CL for a spinning device (not shown) and fixed so as not to be rotatable and axially movable. Then, a plurality of spinning rollers SP are arranged with the axis of the mandrel MN inclined with respect to the axis of the intermediate processing container 10, which is the workpiece, and revolve around the outer periphery of one end of the intermediate processing container 10 in a circular locus of the same diameter. Thus, the spinning process is performed on one end of the intermediate processing container 10. That is, the spinning rollers SP, which are preferably arranged at equal intervals around the outer periphery of the intermediate processing container 10, are brought into close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate processing container 10 to revolve, and
Spinning is performed by driving in the axial direction (rightward in FIG. 6) while driving in the radial direction to reduce the revolution path.

As the clamp device CL, it is preferable to use a variable diameter type having a centering function, for example, a collet chuck or the like so as to cope with the diameter difference of the clamp portion. Furthermore,
Although illustration is omitted, it also has an indexing function, which is suitable when the necking portions at both ends are not formed on the same plane in the eccentricity / inclined necking processing described later. Further, the necking process is performed by the spinning roller SP in a state where the mandrel MN that can move back and forth in the axial direction is inserted into the end part of the intermediate processing container 10 as described above, so that the shape accuracy of the bottle neck part 14 is improved.
In addition, after first performing necking on one end of the intermediate processing container 10, a reduced diameter portion 11 is formed as shown in FIG. 5, and finally, the other end of the intermediate processing container 10 is necked. It may be done.

Then, as shown on the right side of FIG. 6, the intermediate processing container 10 continues from the reduced diameter portion 11 of the intermediate processing container 10.
Necking is performed by the spinning roller SP so that the diameter of the intermediate processing container 10 is sharply reduced. Is formed. In this case, a smooth surface is formed without leaving a step between the reduced diameter portion 11 and the tapered portion 13. Before performing the necking process, as shown in FIG. 5, a step portion 12 is formed as the diameter of the intermediate processing container 10 is reduced.

Further, the intermediate processing container 10 processed as described above is arranged 180 degrees upside down, and the intermediate processing container 10
The necking process by the spinning roller SP is performed on the other end of the same as above. In this embodiment, the reversing operation of the intermediate processing container 10 is performed by the clamp device CL after the process of FIG.
, The intermediate processing container 10 is taken out from the clamp device CL by a robot hand (not shown),
This is performed by reversing this and reattaching it to the clamp device CL. Then, the body portion of the intermediate processing container 10 is again clamped by the clamp device CL, and the unprocessed portion on the left side of FIG. 6 is processed by the spinning roller SP in the same manner as described above. As shown in FIG. Tapered portion 15 and bottleneck portion 1 having an axis eccentric to the axis 11
6 is formed.

Spinning methods including the above-mentioned eccentric axis and tilt axis are disclosed in Japanese Patent Nos. 2957153 and 2957154, and these processing methods are used for forming the end portion of the intermediate processing container 10. Can be applied.

Thus, according to this embodiment, since the intermediate processing container 10 does not rotate during the spinning process, a structure for securely holding the intermediate processing container 10 can be easily constructed and the intermediate processing container 10 can be easily constructed. Since the honeycomb structure 2 and the cushioning member 3 housed in the same do not rotate (spin around the axis) during the spinning process, a stable holding state can be maintained. In addition, the intermediate processing container 1
Since the necking processing for both end portions of 0 can be easily and continuously performed, the processing time can be shortened as compared with the conventional method.

Moreover, in the present embodiment, the necking portion having a smooth surface continuous with the body portion 11 can be formed by necking processing by the plurality of spinning rollers SP. Particularly, when the diameter of the intermediate processing container 10 is reduced, the stepped portion 12 (see FIG. 5) is provided between the body portion 11 (reduced diameter portion) and both ends.
Even when (1) is formed, it can be removed by the spinning roller SP, so that a smooth continuous surface from the body portion to the necking portion can be formed in an arbitrary shape. Regarding the removal of the stepped portion, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-2001
It is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 107725. Thus, for example, as a finished product of the catalytic converter shown in FIG. 7, a necking portion (taper portion 13 and bottle neck portion 14) having an inclined axis on the left side and a necking portion (taper portion having an eccentric axis on the right side (taper)). The portion 15 and the bottleneck portion 16) can be formed into a continuous smooth surface from the body portion 11 without forming a step portion.

Further, if necessary, as shown in FIG. 8, both ends of the intermediate processing container 10 are processed so as to leave the step portion 12 formed when the diameter of the intermediate processing container 10 is reduced. It is also possible to form the taper portion 13 and the bottle neck portion 14, and the taper portion 15 and the bottle neck portion 16). As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, spinning streaks S remain on the tapered portions 13 and 15 on both sides of the finished product of the catalytic converter of this embodiment.

FIGS. 9 to 12 show another embodiment of the present invention, in which at least one end of each of the plurality of divided bodies is formed into a predetermined shape in advance, and when these are joined, the necking portion is formed. It is what constitutes. That is, as shown in FIG. 9, the divided bodies 20a and 20b formed by press working.
Taper portions 23a and 23b having an axis inclined with respect to the axis of the completed container (shown in FIG. 12) at one end of each of
In addition, bottle neck portions 24a and 24b are formed in advance. Further, at the other end of each of the divided bodies 20a and 20b, there are taper portions 25a and 25b each having an axis eccentric to the axis of the completed container, and the bottleneck portion 2.
6a and 26b are formed in advance.

Then, as shown in FIG. 10, between the body portions 21a and 21b of the above-mentioned divided bodies 20a and 20b, the integrated product 1 formed by mounting the cushioning member 3 around the honeycomb structure 2 is housed, The side end surfaces of the divided bodies 20a and 20b are welded and joined. Thus, the intermediate processing container 20 shown in FIG. 11 is formed. Since FIG. 11 is a front view of the intermediate processing container 20 as seen from the side of the one divided body 20a, the joint portion is not shown in the drawing. Even in this case, the outer surface of the cushioning member 3 is not pressure-contacted with the inner surface of the intermediate processing container 20 and is set in such a relationship that it does not come into contact with the inner surface of the intermediate processing container 20 or is in a loose contact.
It is desirable that the buffer member 3 be set so as to receive almost no compressive force.

The intermediate processing container 20 formed as described above is sized by the above-mentioned method, and the buffer member 3
The intermediate processing container 20 is reduced in diameter to a diameter that gives the optimum compression amount. Thus, as shown in FIG. 12, a reduced diameter portion 27a is formed, and step portions 22a, 22a are formed between this and both end portions. In the present embodiment as well, the diameter of the intermediate processing container 20 may be reduced while the surface pressure applied to the honeycomb structure 2 is monitored (monitored) by the pressure sensitive element PS shown in FIG.

13 and 14 show still another embodiment of the present invention, which is the division body 20a and 20b shown in FIG.
The number of welded parts is reduced by performing the press work in a form in which they are connected. That is, as shown in FIG. 13, the intermediate processing container 30 in which the divided bodies 30a and 30b are joined at the side end portions 30c is formed by pressing. Also in the present embodiment, the divided bodies 30a and 30
Tapered portions 33a and 33b having axes inclined with respect to the axis of the completed container and bottleneck portions 34a and 34b are formed in advance at one end of each b. Also,
The other end of each of the divided bodies 30a and 30b has a tapered portion 35 having an axis eccentric to the axis of the completed container.
a and 35b, and bottle necks 36a and 36b
Are formed in advance.

Then, between the body portions 31a and 31b of the divided bodies 30a and 30b joined at the side end portion 30c, as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, the honeycomb structure 2 is accommodated with the cushioning member 3 and the integrated product 1 is housed therein.
The side end surface of b is welded and joined. As a result, an intermediate processing container (not shown) similar to the intermediate processing container 20 shown in FIG. 11 is formed. After this, sizing is performed as shown in FIG. 12 to reduce the diameter of the intermediate processing container 30, and to reduce the reduced diameter portion (and step portion).
To form. Thus, a catalytic converter similar to that shown in FIG. 12 is formed.

In the above-described embodiment, one end of a plurality of divided bodies is formed in advance into a predetermined shape, and the necking portion is formed when these are joined. When it is difficult to form the necking portion into the final product shape, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, an intermediate processing container (FIG. 15) may be provided before or after the sizing step.
40) can be modified to form the final shape of the necking portion. Various methods can be applied to the necking process in this case, but the work-fixing type spinning process is preferable in terms of the allowable diameter reduction amount, the molding flexibility, the processability, and the cost.

FIG. 15 shows that when the intermediate processing container 40 is molded,
A preforming portion (preform portion) 48 having a central axis inclined with respect to the body portion 41 is formed, and the preforming portion 48 is reduced in diameter by spinning while the body portion 41 is firmly clamped. The taper portion 43 and the bottle neck portion 44 having the final shape are formed. The central axis Cs of the preforming portion 48 with respect to the central axis (not shown) of the body portion 41
When the inclination angle of C is not so large and it is mainly desired to increase the diameter reduction ratio, the center axis C is rotated by a spinning roller (not shown) having the center axis Cs of the preforming portion 48 as the center of revolution.
A coaxial spinning process in which drawing is performed along s is suitable. In the press working on the above-mentioned divided body, there are many restrictions on the shape of the necking portion, so the preforming portion 48
Is often far from the desired shape, but the spinning process as described above greatly improves the degree of freedom of the shape (working degree) of the necking portion.

When forming a necking portion having a more complicated shape, for example, when it is desired to increase the diameter reduction ratio as well as the inclination angle, the inclined spinning processing described in Japanese Patent No. 2957154 may be applied. That is, as shown in FIG. 16, at the time of molding the intermediate processing container 40, a preforming portion (preform portion) 49 having a central axis Cp inclined at a relatively small angle with respect to the central axis of the body portion 41 is formed. A spinning roller (not shown) having a central axis Ct inclined by a predetermined angle β with respect to the central axis Cp of the preforming portion 49 as a revolving center is subjected to drawing along the central axis Ct to obtain the final shape. This is a method of forming the taper portion 43 and the bottle neck portion 44. Then, as described in Japanese Patent No. 2957154, if a plurality of target machining axes are set between the central axis Cp and the central axis Ct and the spinning machining is performed several times, the machining limit is widened. The degree of freedom of the shape (the degree of freedom of processing) is further improved.

Incidentally, similar to the inclined spinning process described in this Japanese Patent No. 2957154, the Japanese Patent No. 2957153.
The eccentric spinning process described in the publication may be applied to the preforming part (preform part). Furthermore, if the spinning process is performed in a state where the central axis of the body portion 41 and the central axis of the bottle neck portion 44 are in a relationship of coaxial, eccentric, inclined and twisted (skew), it is more complicated. A shaped necking can be formed.

Thus, as shown in FIG. 16, after the preforming portion 49 is formed on one end side, the inclined spinning process is performed, and after the preforming portion (not shown) is formed on the other end side. When the eccentric spinning process is performed, the catalytic converter shown in FIG. 17 is formed, and the appearance is such that the spinning streak S remains on a part of the tapered portions 43 and 45 on both sides. Even when the preforming portion is formed so that the step portion does not appear during the sizing process and the intermediate processing container is formed, and then the spinning processing is further performed on the preforming portion, as shown in FIG. , Tapered parts 43 and 45 on both sides
The appearance is such that the spinning streak S remains on a part of.

In the above embodiment, the honeycomb structure 2 has a substantially circular cross section. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an elliptical cross section, an elliptical cross section, a cross section combining a plurality of curvatures, and A non-circular cross section such as a polygonal cross section may be used.
Further, the flow passage (cell) cross section when the honeycomb structure 2 is provided as the catalyst carrier is not limited to the honeycomb (hexagonal) shape, and may be any square shape or the like. Further, the honeycomb structure 2 does not necessarily have to be one, and two may be arranged in a tandem type by arranging two in the axial direction, or three or more may be arranged in series, and the body part corresponds to each honeycomb structure. The diameter may be reduced for each portion to be formed, or may be continuously reduced. Further, the final product is not limited to the exhaust system parts of the automobile, and the manufacturing method of the present invention can be applied to various purification devices (not shown).

[0046]

Since the present invention is constructed as described above, it has the following effects. That is, in the method for manufacturing a purification device with a built-in honeycomb structure according to claim 1, a cushioning member is mounted and housed around the honeycomb structure in a container formed by joining a plurality of metal divided bodies, The container is reduced in diameter over the range where the cushioning member is present to hold the cushioning member in a compressed state, and the honeycomb structure is held in the container with the surface pressure applied to the honeycomb structure by the compression restoring force of the cushioning member. Therefore, even for the container formed by joining the divided bodies, the honeycomb structure can be easily accommodated, and the cushioning member generates a uniform and sufficient compression force over the entire circumference, The structure can be held properly in the container.

Further, as described in claim 2, if at least one end portion of each of the plurality of divided bodies is formed in advance into a predetermined shape, and the necking portion is constructed for the container to which these are joined, Since the necking portion can be formed in advance at the stage of the divided body, it can be easily and inexpensively manufactured.

In addition to the above, as described in claim 3, if the necking portion of the container is further reduced in diameter to be formed into a predetermined end shape, the necking portion is previously formed at the stage of the divided body. Even when it is not possible to form the groove, it is possible to easily form the predetermined end shape by additional machining. Particularly, if the necking portion is subjected to spinning as described in claim 4, it is possible to easily perform the diameter reduction processing, the degree of freedom in setting the shape is large, and the necking portion having a complicated shape can be formed. It can also be formed.

If the diameter of the container is reduced in accordance with the surface pressure applied to the honeycomb structure as described in claim 5, the honeycomb structure can be reliably held with an optimum holding force. Purification devices can be manufactured.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state where an integrated product in which a cushioning member is attached to a honeycomb structure is housed in an intermediate processing container.

FIG. 2 is a manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention,
It is a perspective view which shows a state which joins a pair of division bodies and forms an intermediate processing container.

FIG. 3 shows a manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention,
It is a side view of the intermediate processing container joined by another example which joins a pair of division bodies.

FIG. 4 is a manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention,
It is a front view which shows the measuring process of a honeycomb structure and a buffer member.

FIG. 5 is a manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention,
It is sectional drawing which shows the diameter reduction state of an intermediate processing container.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a spinning state of one end portion in the manufacturing method according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention,
It is a front view which shows an example of the finished product of the catalytic converter which formed the necking part in the both ends of the intermediate processing container.

FIG. 8 is a manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention,
It is a front view which shows an example of the finished product of the catalytic converter which formed the necking part so that a step part may be left between a body part and both ends with respect to both ends of an intermediate processing container.

FIG. 9 is a manufacturing method according to another embodiment of the present invention, in which both ends of the pair of divided bodies are preliminarily molded into a predetermined shape,
It is a perspective view showing the state before joining these.

FIG. 10 is a manufacturing method according to another embodiment of the present invention, in which both ends of the pair of divided bodies are preliminarily molded into a predetermined shape,
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which an integrated product in which a cushioning member is attached to the honeycomb structure is housed between them.

FIG. 11 is a front view showing an example of an intermediate processing container in which an integrated product in which a cushioning member is mounted on a honeycomb structure is housed in a pair of divided bodies and joined in a manufacturing method according to another embodiment of the present invention. is there.

FIG. 12 is a front view showing a state in which a portion of the intermediate processing container of FIG. 11 in which the honeycomb structure is housed is reduced in diameter in a manufacturing method according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a state before both ends of a pair of split bodies are molded in a predetermined shape in advance and are joined in a manufacturing method according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a manufacturing method according to still another embodiment of the present invention, in which both ends of a pair of divided bodies are formed in advance into a predetermined shape, and a cushioning member is attached to the honeycomb structure between them to form an integrated product. It is a perspective view which shows the state which accommodates.

FIG. 15 is a partial front view showing an example of a state in which an end portion of an intermediate processing container is modified to form a necking portion having a final shape in a manufacturing method according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a partial front view showing another example of a state in which the end portion of the intermediate processing container is modified to form the necking portion having the final shape in the manufacturing method according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a front view showing a catalytic converter in which a spinning process is performed after the preforming portion is formed in the manufacturing method according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a front view showing a catalytic converter in which a spinning process is performed after the preforming portion is formed so that the step portion does not appear in the manufacturing method according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 integrated product, 2 honeycomb structure, 3 cushioning member,
10, 20, 30, 40 Intermediate processing container, 10a, 1
0b division body, 13, 15 taper part, 14, 16
Bottleneck part, 12 step part, DT measuring device, P
M pressing body, LC load cell, RE rotary encoder, CH clamp device, SP spinning roller

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F-term (reference) 3G004 AA01 BA06 BA09 DA04 DA07                       DA15 FA04 GA02 GA05                 3G091 AA02 BA07 BA25 BA39 GA06                       GB01Z GB17X GB17Z HA25                       HA26 HA27 HA31 HB01

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure built-in purifying apparatus, which holds a honeycomb structure in a container formed by joining a plurality of metal divided bodies through a buffer member, wherein the buffer member is the honeycomb structure. It is mounted around and accommodated in the container, the container is reduced in diameter over at least the range where the buffer member exists, and the buffer member is held in a compressed state, and the compression restoring force of the buffer member causes the container to be compressed. A method of manufacturing a purification device with a built-in honeycomb structure, characterized in that the honeycomb structure is held in the container by a surface pressure applied to the honeycomb structure. 2. A necking portion is formed for the container when at least one end portion of each of the plurality of divided bodies is molded in a predetermined shape in advance and the plurality of divided bodies are joined together. Item 2. A method for manufacturing a purification device with a built-in honeycomb structure according to item 1. 3. The method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure built-in purifying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the necking portion of the container is reduced in diameter to be formed into a predetermined end shape. 4. The diameter reducing process for the necking portion of the container is performed in a state where the center axis of the container and the center axis of the necking portion have at least one of a coaxial relationship, an eccentricity, an inclination and a twist. The method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure built-in purification device according to claim 3, wherein the manufacturing process is performed to form a predetermined end shape by spinning. 5. The manufacturing apparatus for a honeycomb structure built-in apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the surface pressure applied to the honeycomb structure is monitored, and the diameter of the container is reduced according to the monitoring result. Method.