JP2019048769A - Honeycomb structure - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a honeycomb structure having no limit in a setting position of a sensor even when a honeycomb segment has any shape, and capable of being easily and accurately set.SOLUTION: A honeycomb structure in which a plurality of honeycomb segments 10 for partitioning and forming a plurality of cells extending from an inlet end face to be a flow channel of fluid to an outlet end face are integrally joined in their joint surfaces via a junction 13 includes in the junction 13, at least one hole 14 for sensor insertion, formed as a slender stop hole extending from at least one portion of an outlet end face and a lateral face of the honeycomb structure.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5E

Description

  The present invention relates to a honeycomb structure. More specifically, in the segment type honeycomb structure, there is no limitation on the installation position of a sensor such as a thermocouple for measuring the temperature of the bonding portion, and the bonding surface of the honeycomb segment has any shape. The present invention relates to a honeycomb structure that enables installation of a sensor.

  The exhaust gas emitted from engines such as automobiles contains harmful particulate matter (also called "particulate matter" or "PM"), and in accordance with the exhaust gas regulations being strengthened year by year, these particulate matter Collection is required. A ceramic honeycomb structure is incorporated into an exhaust gas system of a diesel engine as a filter ("diesel particulate filter" or "DPF") for collecting the particulate matter.

  Among such honeycomb structures, there are segment type honeycomb structures in which a plurality of honeycomb segments are joined by a bonding material. In order to design the honeycomb structure, set the usage standard, or calculate the thermal stress of each part of the honeycomb structure, it is necessary to grasp the temperature inside the honeycomb structure, etc., in particular, the temperature of the joint with a thermocouple There is a need to. In the flow path of the fluid of the honeycomb structure, the arrangement of the sensor is relatively easy, but the arrangement at the joint portion is difficult. Therefore, it was only possible to indirectly estimate the temperature of the junction from the temperature near the junction. Therefore, there has been a strong demand for the development of technology that enables measurement of the temperature of the junction with high accuracy.

  Conventionally, in the measurement of the joint temperature of a segment type honeycomb structure, a long hole of about 1 mm is formed in the joint by using a tool such as a drill to arrange a thermocouple at the joint of a plurality of honeycomb segments. Open and put a thermocouple in the hole. In such drilling, since it is necessary to form a straight hole, it is difficult to confirm whether the actual drilling position is a desired position, in addition to the limitation of the measurement position. Also, when drilling with a drill, only large holes with a diameter of 1 mm or more can be made, so when using a thin thermocouple such as 0.3 mm or 0.5 mm, for example, the gap between the thermocouple and the hole The drawback was that the As described above, if the gap is large, accurate temperature measurement can not be performed, and it has conventionally been necessary to fill the gap with a ceramic material or the like.

  In addition, it is difficult to make an elongated hole in a thin joint because of the possibility of breakage of a joint or a tool for processing the joint. In particular, in the segment type honeycomb structure, since a hard ceramic such as silicon carbide, silicon nitride, cordierite, alumina, mullite or the like is used as a bonding portion, the drill blade is easily broken during processing, which causes a problem in cost. there were. In addition, the depth of the hole to be drilled was also limited to about 40 mm. Furthermore, it was necessary to prepare an extra honeycomb segment in consideration of failure in drilling and breakage of the honeycomb structure.

  In addition, as described in Patent Document 1, when the bonding surface of the adjacent honeycomb segments has a curvature or when the segments are vertically and horizontally shifted, it is further described in Patent Document 2 It is necessary to make curved holes if adjacent honeycomb segments have warpage, which is substantially impossible by the method using a conventional drill.

JP 2007-260530 A WO 2005/047210 JP 2004-262670 A

  The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the prior art. The problem is that in the segment type honeycomb structure, there is no limitation on the setting position of the sensor to the joint portion regardless of the shape of the honeycomb segment, and the honeycomb can be easily and accurately set. It is to provide a structure.

  According to the present invention, a honeycomb structure shown below is provided.

[1] A honeycomb structure in which a plurality of honeycomb segments defining a plurality of cells extending from an inflow end surface to a fluid flow path to an outflow end surface are integrally joined at a joint surface via a joint portion. A honeycomb structure having at least one hole for sensor insertion formed in a joint as an elongated blind hole extending from at least one of the outflow end surface and the side surface of the honeycomb structure.

[2] The honeycomb structure according to [1], wherein the hole has a linear shape.

[3] The honeycomb structure according to [1], wherein the hole has a curved shape including at least one curved portion.

[4] The honeycomb structure according to [3], wherein a radius of curvature of the curved portion is 2 mm or more and 5 times or more of an outer diameter of the sensor.

[5] The honeycomb structure according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the linear distance from the opening of the hole to the stopping position of the hole is at least 50 mm.

[6] The honeycomb structure according to any one of [1] to [5], wherein a sensor is inserted into the hole.

[7] The honeycomb structure according to [6], wherein the difference between the diameter of the hole and the outer diameter of the sensor is 0.02 mm to 1.5 mm.

[8] The honeycomb structure according to any one of [1] to [7], wherein the sensor is a sensor for temperature measurement.

[9] The honeycomb structure according to any one of the above [1] to [8], wherein the hole portion is derived from a core provided in a bonding material constituting the bonding portion.

  In the honeycomb structure of the present invention, in the manufacturing method thereof, a removable core is used during or after bonding of a plurality of honeycomb segments to form a hole for sensor insertion in the bonding portion of the honeycomb segments. Therefore, the formation position of the hole is not limited. Therefore, it has become possible to easily install the sensor even at a place separated by, for example, 50 mm or more from the outflow end face of the honeycomb structure, which has not been possible conventionally. Further, the measurement position by the sensor (the tip end position of the sensor) and the drawing position of the sensor from the honeycomb structure can be freely set in any of the axial direction and the radial direction of the honeycomb structure. In addition, since the position of the hole can be set accurately, the measurement position by the sensor (for example, in the case of temperature measurement, the tip position of the thermocouple which is a temperature sensor) can be accurately grasped.

  Also, by using a curved core, it becomes possible to form a curved hole, which was impossible in the past, so that the bonding surface of adjacent honeycomb segments has a curvature, or When the segments are shifted vertically and horizontally, and even when adjacent honeycomb segments have a warp, it is possible to easily install the sensor. That is, according to the present invention, the sensor can be installed regardless of the shape of the bonding surface of the honeycomb segment. In addition, even when the bonding surfaces of the adjacent honeycomb segments do not have a curvature, it is possible to prevent the sensor from falling off by adopting a curved hole.

  In addition, by using a small diameter core, accurate temperature measurement becomes possible even when using a thin sensor, for example, 0.3 to 0.5 mm in diameter, which was conventionally impossible. The

FIG. 6 is a view seen through the inflow end face side of the honeycomb structure manufactured according to the first embodiment of the manufacturing method for manufacturing the honeycomb structure of the present invention, wherein the position of the sensor installed in the bonding portion It is a schematic diagram shown typically from the end face side. It is sectional drawing along the A-A 'line | wire of the honeycomb structure of FIG. 1A. FIG. 6 is a view seen through the inflow end face side of a honeycomb structure manufactured according to the second embodiment of the manufacturing method for manufacturing the honeycomb structure of the present invention, wherein the position of the sensor installed in the bonding portion It is a schematic diagram shown typically from the end face side. It is the figure which saw through the honeycomb structure of FIG. 2A from the side, and is the schematic diagram which showed typically the position of the sensor installed in the junction part from the side. FIG. 6 is a view seen through from the inflow end face side of a honeycomb structure manufactured according to a third embodiment of a manufacturing method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure of the present invention, wherein the position of the sensor installed in the bonding portion It is a schematic diagram shown typically from the end face side. It is the figure which saw through the honeycomb structure of FIG. 3A from the side, and is the schematic diagram which showed typically the position of the sensor installed in the junction part from the side. FIG. 17 is a view seen through from the inflow end face side of a honeycomb structure manufactured according to the fourth embodiment of the manufacturing method for manufacturing the honeycomb structure of the present invention, wherein the position of the sensor installed in the bonding portion It is a schematic diagram shown typically from the end face side. It is the figure which saw through the honeycomb structure of FIG. 4A from the side, and is the schematic diagram which showed typically the position of the sensor installed in the junction part from the side. It is the perspective view which showed typically process A of the manufacturing method for manufacturing the honeycomb structure of this invention. It is the perspective view which showed process C of the manufacturing method for manufacturing the honeycomb structure of this invention typically. It is the perspective view which showed process C of the manufacturing method for manufacturing the honeycomb structure of this invention typically. It is the figure which showed typically process D of the manufacturing method for manufacturing the honeycomb structure of this invention, and is the perspective view which showed the honeycomb structure after removing a core typically. It is the figure which saw through the enlarged part of the outflow end face of the honeycomb structure manufactured according to the first embodiment from the outflow end face, and is a schematic diagram of the sensor insertion hole formed after removing the core.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and various modifications, improvements, etc. can be made to the following embodiments based on the ordinary knowledge of those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention. It should be understood that those to which is added are also within the scope of the present invention.

(1) First Embodiment of Method of Manufacturing Honeycomb Structure FIG. 1A shows a honeycomb structure 100 manufactured according to a first embodiment of a manufacturing method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure according to the present invention, FIG. 10 is a view seen through from the inflow end side, and a schematic view schematically showing the position of the sensor 16 installed in the joint 13 ′ from the inflow end side. Further, FIG. 1B shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA 'of FIG. 1A. Hereinafter, the first embodiment of the method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure may be simply referred to as “the manufacturing method of the first embodiment”. The honeycomb structure 100 is obtained by bonding a plurality of honeycomb segments 10 by a bonding material 13.

  The manufacturing method of the first embodiment includes the following steps A to D. Step A is a step of preparing a plurality of honeycomb segments that define a plurality of cells extending from the inflow end surface to the fluid flow path to the outflow end surface. Step B is a step of preparing an elongated core 11 having a larger diameter than the sensor 16 to be inserted. In step C, when the bonding material 13 is applied to the bonding surface 12 of the plurality of honeycomb segments to form a bonding portion 13 ′, one end of the core 11 is placed at a desired position, and the other core 11 is At least one core 11 is installed so that one end communicates with the outside of the honeycomb segment. Step D is a step of forming an elongated hole 14 for sensor insertion by removing the core 11 from the joint 13 ′. In addition, about the bonding | joining method of a honeycomb segment other than said process AD which concerns on this invention, etc., a conventionally well-known method can be used. Hereinafter, the steps A to D will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5A to 5E. Here, FIG. 5A is a perspective view schematically showing step A of the manufacturing method for manufacturing the honeycomb structure of the present invention. FIG. 5B is a perspective view schematically showing step C of the manufacturing method for manufacturing the honeycomb structure of the present invention. FIG. 5C is a perspective view schematically showing step C in the manufacturing method for manufacturing the honeycomb structure of the present invention. FIG. 5D is a view schematically showing step D of the manufacturing method for manufacturing the honeycomb structure of the present invention, and a perspective view schematically showing the honeycomb structure after the core is removed. is there.

(Step A)
Step A is a step of preparing a plurality of honeycomb segments 10 for partitioning and forming a plurality of cells 17 (see FIG. 5A) extending from the inflow end surface to the fluid flow path to the outflow end surface. There is no restriction | limiting in particular about the method to produce the honeycomb segment 10, A conventionally well-known method can be used. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, quadrangular honeycomb segments 10 are used, but in the present invention, the shape of the honeycomb segments 10 used is not limited. For example, the bonding surfaces 12 of the adjacent honeycomb segments 10 at the time of bonding may have curvature or may have a curvature. Also, the present invention is not limited to the quadrangular honeycomb segment, and may be a triangular prism, a hexagonal prism, another polygon, a cylinder, or a combination of a triangular prism and a hexagonal prism.

  Also, the material of the honeycomb segment 10 is not particularly limited, and a conventionally known material can be used. The material of the honeycomb segment 10 is, from the viewpoint of strength and heat resistance, silicon carbide, silicon-silicon carbide based composite material, silicon nitride, cordierite, mullite, alumina, spinel, silicon carbide-cordierite based composite material, silicon- It is preferable to use at least one selected from the group consisting of a silicon carbide composite, lithium aluminum silicate, aluminum titanate, zeolite, and Fe-Cr-Al metal.

  The honeycomb segment 10 is prepared, for example, by adding a binder such as methyl cellulose, hydroxypropoxyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, polyvinyl alcohol, surfactant, water as a solvent, etc. to appropriately selected from the above-mentioned materials. The resulting clay is extruded to form the above-mentioned shape. Then, after drying by microwave, hot air or the like, baking can be performed. The honeycomb segment 10 may be a fired body obtained by drying and firing a formed body obtained by extruding the clay, a dried body before firing, or a formed body before drying.

(Step B)
Step B is a step of preparing an elongated core 11 having a larger diameter than the sensor 16 to be inserted. The core 11 is given the reference numeral 11 in FIG. 5C. The diameter of the core 11 may be slightly larger than the diameter of the sensor 16, but if the gap between the diameter of the hole formed after removing the core 11 and the diameter of the sensor 16 is too small, the sensor 16 is inserted If the gap is too large, it is not preferable because the gap needs to be filled with a large amount of ceramic material or the like. Therefore, the gap is preferably about 0.02 mm to 1.5 mm. Depending on the material of the core 11 used, if it expands or shrinks during heating and drying, the gap obtained finally will be about 0.02 mm to 1.5 mm, depending on each material. The diameter of the core 11 may be adjusted. The length of the core 11 is not particularly limited, but is longer than the distance from the measurement position 18 of the sensor (the stop position of the hole) to the insertion opening of the sensor 16 (the opening of the hole). Is preferred. In the case of bending the core, the length of the core can be appropriately set in accordance with the curvature of the core. In the present invention, by using a core having such a length that the linear distance from the opening of the hole to the stop position of the hole is 50 mm or more, a long hole which is difficult to form by the conventional manufacturing method Can be formed.

  Examples of the material of the core 11 to be used include, but are not limited to, thermoplastic materials such as wax material and resin, combustible materials such as cotton yarn, and metals. Any material that can be removed from the joint 13 'during or after bonding of the honeycomb segments may be used in the present invention. In addition, these various materials may be used alone, or these materials may be used in combination.

  When the wax material is used as the core 11, the wax material may be processed into a rod shape and may be used as a linear core, or may be curved according to the installation position of the sensor 16 or the like.

  When a resin is used as the core 11, for example, a straw, a straw with a bellows, a vinyl pipe, an electric wire coated with a resin, an elongated rubber balloon is preferable. The resin-coated wire may have metal in its core.

  When a metal is used as the core 11, for example, a rod or a pipe of iron, aluminum, copper, stainless steel or the like is preferable. Alternatively, a solder containing tin as a main component may be used.

  The cross-sectional shape of the core 11 is not particularly limited as long as the sensor 16 can be inserted, and examples thereof include polygons such as quadrilaterals, circles, and ovals. When forming the hole 14 in the bonding material 13 by pulling out the core 11 from the relatively soft bonding material 13 before drying in Step D described later, the cross-sectional shape of the core 11 is circular. Is preferred. When the core 11 is removed from the bonding material 13 by dissolving or burning out the core 11 in step D described later, the size of the cross section of the core 11 changes in the longitudinal direction of the core 11. May be For example, as the core 11, the size of the cross section may increase or decrease between the stop position of the hole and the opening of the hole. The core 11 may be such that the cross section thereof increases at the measurement position 18 (the stop position of the hole). The hole formed from the core 11 having such a shape is difficult to form by machining using a conventional tool such as a drill.

  As the sensor 16 to be inserted, a sheath thermocouple can be considered in the manufacturing method of the first embodiment, but various kinds of conventionally known thermocouples can be used depending on the application. The diameter of the sensor 16 may be smaller than the thickness of the bonding portion 13 ′, but is preferably 0.1 mm to 1.5 mm. As the sensor to be inserted, besides the thermocouple, there are an acceleration sensor, a strain gauge, a gas flow meter, a sampling tube of a gas analyzer, and the like.

(Step C)
In step C, when the bonding material 13 is applied to the bonding surface 12 of the plurality of honeycomb segments 10 to form a bonding portion 13 ′, one end of the core 11 is placed at a desired position, and the core 11 is made of At least one core 11 is installed so that the other end communicates with the outside of the honeycomb segment 10. As the bonding material 13, a ceramic material and a solvent such as water can be kneaded to form a paste. Examples of the ceramic material include cordierite, silicon carbide, silicon-silicon carbide composite materials, mullite, alumina, aluminum titanate, zeolite, silicon nitride, and silicon carbide-cordierite composite materials. The desired position may be the measurement position 18 by the sensor 16.

  The core 11 is preferably embedded in the bonding material 13 when the bonding material 13 is applied to the bonding surface 12 of the honeycomb segment 10 to form the bonding portion 13 ′. As an embedding method of core 11 in jointing material 13, an example is shown in Drawing 5B-Drawing 5C. For example, as shown in FIG. 5B, the bonding material 13 is first applied to the bonding surface 12. Next, as shown in FIG. 5C, the core 11 is placed, the bonding material 13 is applied again from above, another honeycomb segment 10 is assembled, and the same steps are performed until the desired honeycomb structure 100 is obtained. repeat. However, this is merely an example, and there is no particular limitation as long as the core 11 can be installed at a desired position in the joint 13 '. For example, in the present embodiment, the bonding material 13 is applied again from above the core 11 installed, but the honeycomb segment 10 to which the bonding material 13 has already been applied may be assembled on the core 11. Alternatively, the core 11 may be placed on the bonding surface 12, the bonding material 13 may be applied from above, and another honeycomb segment 10 may be assembled.

  In the manufacturing method according to the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, the positions (1, 2, 3, 4) in the bonding portion 13 'facing the corner portions of the honeycomb segments 10 face each other; The purpose is to arrange the sensor 16 at the position (5) in the joint 13 ′ facing the side face portions of the segments 10. For this purpose, five curved cores 11 are prepared, one end of each core 11 is placed at the above positions 1 to 5, and the other end of the core 11 joins the above honeycomb segments 10. The honeycomb structure 100 is installed so as to communicate with the outside of the honeycomb structure 100 at substantially one portion α1 of the outflow end surface of the obtained honeycomb structure 100. Thus, at the outflow end face, the insertion port (1 ′,) of the sensor 16 in which the position where the core 11 communicates with the outside of the honeycomb segment 10 later corresponds to the sensor 16 (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). 2 ', 3', 4 ', 5'). Here, the insertion port (1 ', 2', 3 ', 4', 5 ') of the said sensor 16 is intensively formed in said one place (alpha) 1 as shown to FIG. 5E. Such a configuration has an advantage of facilitating the handling of wiring after the sensor 16 is finally inserted, the replacement of the sensor 16, and the like.

(Step D)
Step D is a step of forming the elongated hole 14 for sensor insertion by removing the core 11 from the joint 13 ′. The bonding portion 13 ′ may remove water from the bonding material 13 or may be formed by heating and drying. The method of removing the core 11 differs depending on the material of the core 11 used.

  When a wax material is used as the core 11, the wax material melts and flows out of the honeycomb structure 100 when the joint 13 ′ is heated and dried (about 100 ° C.), so that it can be easily removed. In addition, it is also possible to remove the said core 11 by pulling out before heat-drying.

  When the resin is used as the core 11, it is dissolved and flowed out by raising the temperature after drying by heating, or the temperature is further raised to burn out the core 11, or it is withdrawn before or after the heating and drying It is possible to easily remove it.

  When high melting point metal such as iron, aluminum, copper or stainless steel is used as the core 11, it can be pulled out before the heating and drying of the joint 13 '(joining material 13). Is preferred. Pulling out the metal core 11 after drying by heating has an advantage that the metal core 11 is less likely to damage the hole 14 at the time of drawing. The high melting point metal means a metal which does not melt at the heating and drying temperature of the bonding material 13, that is, a metal having a melting point higher than the heating and drying temperature.

  On the other hand, when a low melting point metal such as solder is used as the core 11, it can be easily removed by dissolving and flowing out at the time of heat drying like other thermoplastic materials (for example, wax). . Moreover, it is also possible to remove the said core 11 by pulling out before heat-drying other than heat-melting. The low melting point metal means a metal that melts at the heat drying temperature of the bonding material 13, that is, a metal having a melting point equal to or lower than the heat drying temperature.

  FIG. 5E is a schematic view in which an enlarged portion of the outflow end face of the honeycomb structure 100 manufactured according to the manufacturing method of the first embodiment is seen through the outflow end face. FIG. 5E schematically shows the sensor insertion hole 14 formed after removing the core 11. As described above, a hole 14 is formed in the shape of a blind hole in a portion from which the core 11 is removed, and the opening of the hole 14 is an insertion port (1 ', 2', 3) of the sensor 16 respectively. ', 4', 5 ').

  In the insertion ports (1 ′, 2 ′, 3 ′, 4 ′, 5 ′) of the sensor 16 of FIG. 5E, insert the sensor 16 such as a temperature sensor such as a desired thermocouple or a strain sensor such as a strain gauge. Is possible. In order to improve measurement accuracy, it is preferable to fill the gap with the same material as the bonding material 13. In this case, before the sensor 16 is inserted, water or the like may be added to the bonding material 13 to reduce the viscosity, and the sensor 16 may be inserted after that.

  In addition, although various processes, such as baking, are actually performed for manufacture of the honeycomb structure 100, since it can use a conventionally well-known method about these, it abbreviate | omits here.

(2) Second Embodiment of Method of Manufacturing Honeycomb Structure FIG. 2A shows the inflow end face side of the honeycomb structure manufactured according to the second embodiment of the manufacturing method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure of the present invention. It is the schematic diagram seen through. FIG. 2A schematically shows the position of the sensor 16 installed in the joint 13 ′ from the inflow end surface side. FIG. 2B is a schematic view of the honeycomb structure of FIG. 2A seen through from the side. In FIG. 2B, the position of the sensor 16 installed in the joint 13 ′ is schematically shown from the side. Hereinafter, the second embodiment of the method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure may be simply referred to as “the manufacturing method of the second embodiment”.

  The manufacturing method of the second embodiment includes substantially the same steps as the manufacturing method of the first embodiment. However, the arrangement of the core 11 in the step C is different from the manufacturing method of the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, in the manufacturing method of the second embodiment, a hole 14 for sensor insertion is formed in each of the surfaces of A, B and C. The core 11 is installed. Thus, the measurement position (for example, in the case of temperature measurement, the tip position of the thermocouple which is a temperature sensor or the temperature measurement position) can be freely set. In this case, for the installation position (1 to 7) of the sensor 16, a curved core 11 is used, and for the installation position (8, 9) for the sensor 16, a linear core 11 is used. Thus, it is also possible to use in combination a core 11 having various shapes.

  Further, in the manufacturing method of the second embodiment, the insertion ports of the sensor 16 are formed substantially at two places α2 and β2 in the outflow end face of the honeycomb structure 200 obtained by bonding the honeycomb segments 10. . At this time, for the installation positions (1 to 3) of the sensor 16 close to the first place α2, the insertion port of the sensor 16 is provided at the first place α2. For the installation position (4 to 9) of the sensor 16 close to the second place β2, the insertion port of the sensor 16 is provided at the second place β2. When the hole 14 for sensor insertion is formed by such a configuration, there is an advantage that the insertion length of the sensor 16 into the honeycomb structure 200 can be shortened.

(3) Third Embodiment of Method of Manufacturing Honeycomb Structure FIG. 3A shows an inflow end face of a honeycomb structure 300 manufactured according to the third embodiment of the manufacturing method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure according to the present invention. It is the schematic diagram seen through from the side. FIG. 3A schematically shows the position of the sensor 16 installed in the joint 13 ′ from the inflow end surface side. FIG. 3B is a schematic view of the honeycomb structure 300 of FIG. 3A seen through from the side. In FIG. 3B, the position of the sensor 16 installed in the joint 13 ′ is schematically shown from the side. Hereinafter, the third embodiment of the method of manufacturing the honeycomb structure 300 may be simply referred to as “the manufacturing method of the third embodiment”.

  The manufacturing method of the third embodiment includes substantially the same steps as the manufacturing method of the first embodiment and the manufacturing method of the second embodiment. However, the arrangement of the core 11 in the process C is different from any of the embodiments.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, in the manufacturing method of the third embodiment, the insertion port of the sensor 16 is not only the location (δ3) of the outflow end face of the honeycomb structure 300 but also the location (α3, β3, γ3) of the side surface. It is also provided. In this manufacturing method, either a curved or straight core 11 may be used. Such a configuration has the advantage that the insertion length of the sensor 16 into the honeycomb structure 300 can be shortened, and is suitable for manufacturing a honeycomb structure in which it is desirable to take out the wiring of the sensor 16 from the side.

(4) Fourth Embodiment of Method of Manufacturing Honeycomb Structure FIG. 4A shows an inflow end face of a honeycomb structure 400 manufactured according to a fourth embodiment of a manufacturing method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure according to the present invention. It is the schematic diagram seen through from the side. FIG. 4A schematically shows the position of the sensor 16 installed in the joint 13 ′ from the inflow end surface side. 4B is a schematic view of the honeycomb structure 400 of FIG. 4A as seen through from the side. FIG. 4B schematically shows the position of the sensor 16 installed in the joint 13 ′ from the side. Hereinafter, the fourth embodiment of the method of manufacturing the honeycomb structure 400 may be simply referred to as “the manufacturing method of the fourth embodiment”.

  The manufacturing method of the fourth embodiment is characterized by the shape of the curved core 11. Therefore, the manufacturing method of the fourth embodiment can be combined with any of the first to third embodiments.

  In the manufacturing method of the fourth embodiment, a hole 14 for sensor insertion is formed using a curved core 11. Although it is thought that the sensor 16 is less likely to come off if it is curved as compared with the case where the sensor insertion hole 14 is linear, the sensor 16 may still come off. In such a case, preferably, as shown in FIG. 4B, forming the curved portion 15 at two or more places makes the sensor 16 less likely to come off.

  Similarly, as shown in FIG. 4B, when the radius of curvature of the curved portion 15 is 2 mm or more and 5 times or more of the sensor outer diameter, the sensor 16 can be easily inserted and the sensor 16 is not easily broken. It is preferable because such an advantageous effect is produced.

  In addition, although the outer peripheral shape illustrates the honeycomb structure which is a rectangle in any case by this embodiment, it is not limited to this. The present invention is applicable to a method of manufacturing a honeycomb structure having any outer peripheral shape known for segment type honeycomb structures. For example, a plurality of honeycomb segments may be joined to produce a joined body, and the outer peripheral portion of the obtained joined body may be ground into a predetermined shape such as a circle, an ellipse, or a polygon such as a triangle. In addition, when forming an outer peripheral wall in the outer peripheral portion of the bonded body, the outer peripheral surface of the obtained bonded body or the bonded outer body obtained by grinding is an outer peripheral coating material, for example, an arbitrary thickness of 0.1 mm to 10 mm. May be applied to form the outer peripheral wall.

  About the numerals of a drawing, the same numerals are given to the composition which has the same meaning.

Example 1
As shown in FIG. 5A, 24 square pillar-shaped honeycomb segments having a size of a = 50 mm, b = 50 mm, and c = 300 mm were prepared. In the honeycomb segment, a pore former, a binder, a surfactant, and water are added to a ceramic raw material in which 80 parts by mass of SiC powder and 20 parts by mass of metallic Si powder are mixed to prepare a forming raw material and knead it The clay obtained was extruded using a die for forming a honeycomb formed body, dried by heating and sintered. The thickness of the partition was 100 μm, and the number of cells (cell density) was 65 / cm ² .

  Using wax (wax), five cylindrical cores having a length of 400 mm and a diameter of 0.17 mm were produced.

  A silica fiber, an organic binder and water were added to the alumina powder and kneaded to prepare a paste-like bonding material. Next, the obtained bonding material was applied to the side surfaces of the honeycomb segments so as to have a thickness of 1 mm, and the six honeycomb segments were joined in a horizontal row. Next, the above-mentioned bonding material was further applied to the surface of the bonded honeycomb segments on which the core was to be set so as to have a thickness of 0.5 mm.

  Next, the five cores prepared above were placed on the bonding material applied to the surface on which the cores were to be placed. Specifically, after one end of the core is placed at each of the installation positions 1 to 5 of the sensor corresponding to the temperature measurement position, the other end of the core is joined in the horizontal row Among the six honeycomb segments, the other end of the core was installed in a state of being protruded by 1 mm or more from the outflow end side of the honeycomb segment present on the outermost side. If the protruding length is too long, it may be removed by cutting or the like. The linear distance from the temperature measurement position to the core extraction position was 295 mm for installation position 1, 250 mm for installation position 2, 200 mm for installation position 3, 80 mm for installation position 4, and 50 mm for installation position 5 . The actual distances from the temperature measurement position to the core extraction position were 395 mm for the installation position 1, 370 mm for the installation position 2, 300 mm for the installation position 3, 150 mm for the installation position 4 and 100 mm for the installation position 5.

  After the core was placed on the above-mentioned bonding material, the bonding material was again applied with a thickness of 0.5 mm, and the honeycomb segments were arranged from above to obtain a bonded honeycomb segment assembly. Further, six honeycomb segments were stacked in two stages with a bonding material interposed therebetween to obtain a honeycomb segment joined body of 6 × 4 stages.

  The obtained honeycomb segment joined body is heated and dried at 120 ° C. for 1 hour, with the core drawn-out position down, and a honeycomb structure in which 24 honeycomb segments are joined via the joining portion is obtained. Obtained. At the same time, the core melted and flowed out of the bonding material and was removed at the same time. It goes without saying that the core may be burned and removed by further raising the temperature. In the obtained honeycomb structure, holes were formed in the portion where the core flowed out and was removed. A sheath thermocouple (K thermocouple) of a stainless steel (SUS316) protective tube with an outer diameter of 0.15 mm was inserted into the hole. Before inserting the thermocouple, the bonding material was diluted 1.5 times with water and a slurry was poured into the hole.

  Propane combustion gas at 400 ° C. was flowed through the honeycomb structure in which the thermocouples were inserted, and the temperature at the installation position of each thermocouple was measured using the above-mentioned thermocouples. As a result, it was possible to measure the temperature of the joint 50 mm or more away from the insertion port of the thermocouple, which could not be measured by the conventional method.

(Example 2)
Honeycomb segments were produced in the same manner as in Example 1. As a core, a wire made of stainless steel (SUS304) having a diameter of 0.55 mm was used. The bonding material was applied at a thickness of 1 mm and installed by pressing the core into the bonding material. After drying the 6 × 4 honeycomb segment assembly, the core was drawn from the obtained honeycomb structure to obtain a hole. When pulling out the core, it can be easily pulled out by pulling, pushing, rotating or vibrating the core. When the core is installed, it is easy to pull out the core if the surface of the core is coated with an edible oil such as olive oil or oil or butter, or the like. A sheath thermocouple (K thermocouple) having an outer diameter of 0.5 mm and made of a stainless steel (SUS316) protective tube was inserted into the hole.

  Propane combustion gas at 600 ° C. was allowed to flow through the honeycomb structure into which the thermocouples were inserted, and the temperature at the installation position of each thermocouple was measured using the above-mentioned thermocouples. As a result, it was possible to measure the temperature of the joint 50 mm or more away from the insertion port of the thermocouple, which could not be measured by the conventional method.

  The present invention is a honeycomb structure that can be used as a filter or a catalyst support that purifies exhaust gas discharged from an automobile or the like.

1 to 9: installation position of sensor (stop position of hole) 1 ′ to 9 ′: sensor insertion port (opening of hole) 10: honeycomb segment 11: core 12: bonding surface 13: bonding Material, 13 ': joint portion, 14: hole portion, 15: curved portion, 16: sensor, 17: cell, 18: measurement position by sensor, α1, α2, β2, α3, β3, γ3, δ3: sensor insertion port Place, 100, 200, 300, 400: honeycomb structure.

Claims (9)

A honeycomb structure in which a plurality of honeycomb segments defining a plurality of cells extending from an inflow end surface serving as a fluid flow path to an outflow end surface are integrally joined at a joint surface via a joint portion.
A honeycomb structure having at least one hole for sensor insertion formed in the joint as an elongated blind hole extending from at least one of the outflow end face and the side surface of the honeycomb structure.   The honeycomb structure according to claim 1, wherein the hole has a linear shape.   The honeycomb structure according to claim 1, wherein the hole has a curved shape including at least one curved portion.   The honeycomb structure according to claim 3, wherein a radius of curvature of the curved portion is 2 mm or more and 5 times or more of an outer diameter of the sensor.   The honeycomb structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the linear distance from the opening of the hole to the stop position of the hole is at least 50 mm.   The honeycomb structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a sensor is inserted into the hole.   The honeycomb structure according to claim 6, wherein the difference between the diameter of the hole and the outer diameter of the sensor is 0.02 mm to 1.5 mm.   The honeycomb structure according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the sensor is a sensor for temperature measurement.   The honeycomb structure according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the hole portion is derived from a core provided in a bonding material constituting the bonding portion.

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