JP4928640B2 - Sealing device and sealing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sealing device and a sealing method.

  Conventionally, honeycomb filters are widely used for DPF (Diesel particulate filter) and the like. This honeycomb filter has a structure in which one end side of some through holes of a honeycomb structure having a large number of through holes is sealed with a sealing material, and the other end side of the remaining through holes is sealed with a sealing material. Patent Document 1 discloses a method for manufacturing such a honeycomb filter. In Patent Document 1, the sealing material is supplied to the end portion of the through hole of the honeycomb structure by pressing the sealing material with the piston 8 against one end of the honeycomb structure 1 disposed in the cylinder 7.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 63-24731

  However, in the conventional method in which the sealing material is introduced from the upper surface into the honeycomb structure inserted into the cylinder, the sealing work is complicated.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said subject, and it aims at providing the sealing apparatus and sealing method which can perform a sealing work easily.

  The sealing device according to the present invention is a sealing device that seals ends of a plurality of through holes of a honeycomb structure with a sealing material over a predetermined sealing length. The sealing device includes a recess forming portion that forms a variable depth recess, a holding portion that holds the end surface of the honeycomb structure having a plurality of through holes on the variable depth recess, and a variable depth recess. A depth adjusting unit that changes the depth. Furthermore, the maximum depth of the variable depth recess is 10% or more and less than 100% of the predetermined sealing length.

  According to the present invention, a sealing work can be easily performed by supplying the sealing material stored in the variable depth recess from the lower end surface of the honeycomb structure. Further, the maximum depth Dp of the variable depth recess is 10% or more and less than 100% of the predetermined sealing length L. Therefore, when the depth control method is adopted in which the depth of the variable depth recess is set to the maximum depth Dp when the sealing material is stored and the depth of the variable depth recess is set to zero during the sealing, the maximum depth is Compared to an unnecessarily long device, the inner volume of the variable depth recess when storing the sealing material (ie, at the maximum depth) is extremely large compared to the volume of the sealing material required for one sealing. It can be in an appropriate range that is not too large. As a result, it is less likely that the depth of the depression is greatly changed in the sealing operation, and the sealing operation can be performed in a short time. In addition, the amount of sealing material that can be used up once is supplied to the variable depth depression, and the sealing work that uses up the sealing material for each sealing work can reduce the waste of the sealing material. There is little change in moisture content, etc., and unnecessary adhesion of the sealing material to the device. Therefore, the sealed honeycomb structure can be efficiently manufactured at low cost.

Here, the maximum depth Dp of the depth-variable depression is defined such that the area of the end face of the honeycomb structure is A ₀ , the opening area to be sealed of the end face of the honeycomb structure is A ₁ , and the predetermined sealing length is L. _sometimes, preferably satisfies _{(a 1 / a 0) L} ≦ Dp <2 (a 1 / a 0) L.

  Further, the recess forming portion has a main body portion having a depth fixing recess, and an elastic plate provided so as to cover the depth fixing recess of the main body portion and forming an inner surface of the variable recess. A flow path capable of supplying a fluid between the depth fixing depression of the main body portion and the elastic plate, and the depth adjusting portion passes the fluid between the main body portion and the elastic plate via the flow path. It is preferable to supply.

  In this case, the fluid can be an incompressible fluid.

  In this case, it is preferable that the inner surface of the depth fixing recess of the main body portion includes a porous body, and the flow path includes pores of the porous body.

  A method for sealing a honeycomb structure according to the present invention includes a step of storing a sealing material in the depth variable depression of the above-described sealing device, and a plurality of honeycomb structures by reducing the depth of the depth variable depression. Supplying to the through hole.

The other sealing method of the honeycomb structure according to the present invention includes a step of storing a sealing material in the depth variable recess,
A step of disposing an end face of the honeycomb structure having a plurality of through holes on the depth variable depression;
Supplying the sealing material to end portions of the plurality of through holes of the honeycomb structure over a predetermined sealing length by reducing the depth of the depth variable depression to zero, and
In the storing step, the depth of the depth variable recess is a maximum depth within a variable range, and the maximum depth is 10% or more and less than 100% of the predetermined sealing length.
According to the present invention, a sealing work can be easily performed by supplying the sealing material stored in the variable depth recess from the lower end surface of the honeycomb structure. In addition, the sealing material is stored in the maximum depth variable recess, and the depth of the variable depth recess is set to zero at the time of sealing. The variable operation of the depth variable recess is easy. Further, the maximum depth of the variable depth recess is 10% or more and less than 100% of the predetermined sealing length. As a result, the inner volume of the variable depth depression when storing the sealing material (that is, at the maximum depth) can be reduced as compared with a device having an unnecessarily long maximum depth. It can be in an appropriate range that is not extremely large compared to the volume. As a result, it is less likely that the depth of the depression is changed wastefully in the sealing operation, and the sealing operation can be performed in a short time. Further, if the sealing material is used up once, the sealing material can be wasted, and the sealing material can be prevented from being deteriorated and the sealing material is less likely to adhere to the device. Therefore, the sealed honeycomb structure can be efficiently manufactured at low cost.

Here, the maximum depth Dp of the depth-variable depression is defined such that the area of the end face of the honeycomb structure is A ₀ , the opening area to be sealed of the end face of the honeycomb structure is A ₁ , and the predetermined sealing length Is preferably (A ₁ / A ₀ ) L ≦ Dp <2 (A ₁ / A ₀ ) L.

The variable depth recess is formed by a main body portion having a fixed depth recess, and an elastic plate that is provided so as to cover the fixed depth recess of the main body portion and forms an inner surface of the variable depth recess. And
The main body includes a flow path capable of supplying a fluid between the depth fixing recess of the main body and the elastic plate,
It is preferable to reduce the depth of the depth-variable recess by supplying fluid between the main body and the elastic plate via the flow path.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the sealing apparatus and sealing method which can be sealed more easily are provided.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a sealing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a view taken along the line II-II of the sealing device of FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a honeycomb structure used in the sealing device of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3B is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 4 (a) is a perspective view of the mask of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 (b) is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 4 (a). 5A is a partial cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the sealing device of FIG. 1, and FIG. 5B is a partial cross-sectional view subsequent to FIG. 6A is a partial cross-sectional view subsequent to FIG. 5B, and FIG. 6B is a partial cross-sectional view subsequent to FIG. 6A. 7A is a partial cross-sectional view subsequent to FIG. 6B, and FIG. 7B is a partial cross-sectional view subsequent to FIG. 7A. 8A is a partial cross-sectional view subsequent to FIG. 7B, and FIG. 8B is a partial cross-sectional view subsequent to FIG. 7A. FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a sealing device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

  Preferred embodiments of a sealing device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description, the same reference numerals are used for the same elements or elements having the same function, and a duplicate description is omitted.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a sealing device 100 according to an example of the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a view taken in the direction of arrows II-II in FIG. The sealing device 100 according to the present embodiment mainly includes a main body unit 10, an elastic plate 20, a pump 50, and a holding unit 80.

  The holding unit 80 includes a holding tool 81 that holds the honeycomb structure 70 and a pneumatic cylinder 82 to which the holding tool 81 is connected.

  An example of the honeycomb structure 70 used in the present embodiment is a cylindrical body in which a large number of through holes 70a are arranged substantially in parallel as shown in FIGS. The cross-sectional shape of the through hole 70a is a square as shown in FIG. The plurality of through holes 70a are arranged in a square arrangement in the honeycomb structure 70, that is, such that the central axis of the through hole 70a is located at the apex of the square, respectively. The square size of the cross section of the through hole 70a can be set to 0.8 to 2.5 mm on a side, for example.

  Further, the length of the honeycomb structure 70 in the direction in which the through holes 70a extend is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 40 to 350 mm. Moreover, the outer diameter of the honeycomb structure 70 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 100 to 320 mm.

  The material of the honeycomb structure 70 is not particularly limited, but a ceramic material is preferable from the viewpoint of high temperature resistance. Examples thereof include alumina, silica, mullite, cordierite, glass, oxides such as aluminum titanate, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, and metal. The aluminum titanate can further contain magnesium and / or silicon. Such a honeycomb structure 70 is usually porous.

  Further, the honeycomb structure 70 may be a green molded body (unfired molded body) that becomes a ceramic material as described above by being fired later. A green molded object contains the inorganic compound source powder which is a ceramic raw material, organic binders, such as methylcellulose, and the additive added as needed.

  For example, in the case of a green molded body of aluminum titanate, the inorganic compound source powder includes an aluminum source powder such as α-alumina powder, and a titanium source powder such as anatase-type or rutile-type titania powder. Furthermore, magnesium source powders such as magnesia powder and magnesia spinel powder and / or silicon source powders such as silicon oxide powder and glass frit can be included.

  Examples of the organic binder include celluloses such as methylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, hydroxyalkylmethylcellulose, and sodium carboxymethylcellulose; alcohols such as polyvinyl alcohol; and lignin sulfonate.

  Examples of the additive include a pore-forming agent, a lubricant and a plasticizer, a dispersant, and a solvent.

  Examples of the pore-forming agent include carbon materials such as graphite; resins such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and polymethyl methacrylate; plant materials such as starch, nut shells, walnut shells, and corn; ice; and dry ice.

  Lubricants and plasticizers include alcohols such as glycerin; higher fatty acids such as caprylic acid, lauric acid, palmitic acid, arachidic acid, oleic acid and stearic acid; stearic acid metal salts such as Al stearate; polyoxyalkylene alkyl Examples include ether.

  Examples of the dispersant include inorganic acids such as nitric acid, hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid; organic acids such as oxalic acid, citric acid, acetic acid, malic acid and lactic acid; alcohols such as methanol, ethanol and propanol; ammonium polycarboxylate Surfactant etc. are mentioned.

  As the solvent, for example, alcohols such as methanol, ethanol, butanol and propanol; glycols such as propylene glycol, polypropylene glycol and ethylene glycol; and water can be used.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the holder 81 holds the honeycomb structure 70 so that the lower end surface 70d of the through hole 70a, that is, the opening surfaces of the plurality of through holes 70a face downward, and the lower end surface is a depth described later. It is held on the variable recess 20d.

  The pneumatic cylinder 82 includes a cylinder 82a extending in the vertical direction and a piston 82b provided in the cylinder 82a. By adjusting the pressure supplied from the outside, the pressure on both the upper and lower sides of the piston 82b can be adjusted. ing. As a result, the pneumatic cylinder 82 can move the holder 81 in a direction in which the honeycomb structure 70 and an elastic plate 20 described later approach each other and in a direction in which they move away from each other. In addition, the pneumatic cylinder 82 allows the honeycomb structure 70 to be in close contact with the mask 170 described later by pressing the holder 81 downward with a predetermined force in accordance with the gas supply pressure before and after the piston 82b. it can. Furthermore, the pneumatic cylinder 82 can also permit the holder 81 to move freely in the vertical direction by releasing the pressure before and after the piston. That is, the holding unit 80 can switch between a state in which the honeycomb structure 70 held by the holder 81 can freely move upward and a state in which the honeycomb structure 70 is fixed to the main body 10. .

  A main body 10 is provided below the holding unit 80. The main body 10 is made of a rigid material. Examples of the rigid material include metals such as stainless steel and polymer materials such as fiber reinforced plastic. A depth fixing recess 10d having a side surface 10b and a bottom surface 10c is formed on the upper surface of the main body 10. In the present embodiment, the shape of the fixed depth recess 10d is a columnar shape as shown in FIGS. The side surface 10b of the depth fixing recess 10d is perpendicular to the upper surface 10a of the main body 10 and the bottom surface 10c is parallel to the upper surface 10a.

  The inner surface of the fixed depth recess 10d in the main body 10 is formed of a porous body 10p. Furthermore, the communication path 10e is connected to the porous body 10p. In the present embodiment, the communication passage 10e is connected to a portion forming the bottom surface 10c of the porous body 10p, but may be opened to a portion forming the side surface 10b of the porous body 10p. Although a porous body will not be specifically limited if it has a continuous ventilation hole, For example, a metal grain sintered compact etc. are mentioned.

  A pump (depth adjusting unit) 50 is connected to the communication path 10e via a connection pipe 14. The pump 50 includes a cylinder 51, a piston 53 disposed in the cylinder 51, and a piston rod 54 connected to the piston 53. A motor 55 that reciprocates the piston rod 54 in the axial direction is connected to the piston rod 54. The piston rod 54 may be moved manually.

  The elastic plate 20 is disposed on the upper surface 10a of the main body 10 so as to cover the opening surface of the depth fixing recess 10d. The elastic plate 20 has elasticity and can be easily deformed. As shown on the left side of the depth fixing recess 10d in FIG. 1, the elastic plate 20 is disposed along the inner surface of the depth fixing recess 10d, thereby changing the depth having the bottom surface 20c and the side surface 20b. A recess 20d is formed. The bottom surface 20 c is disposed to face the lower end surface 70 d of the honeycomb structure 70 and has substantially the same shape as the outer shape of the lower end surface 70 d of the honeycomb structure 70. In the present embodiment, the elastic plate 20 and the depth fixing recess 10 d of the main body portion 10 constitute the recess forming portion 99.

  As the elastic plate 20, a rubber plate is preferable. Examples of the rubber include natural rubber, and synthetic rubber such as styrene butadiene rubber, butadiene rubber, butyl rubber, ethylene propylene rubber, nitrile rubber, chloroprene rubber, fluorine rubber, silicone rubber, and urethane rubber. Although the thickness of the elastic board 20 is not specifically limited, For example, it can be 0.3-3.0 mm.

  The elastic plate 20 is fixed to the main body 10 by a ring member 25 and a bolt 31. The ring member 25 has an opening 25a at a position corresponding to the depth fixing recess 10d of the main body portion 10, thereby forming an annular shape. And the ring member 25 is arrange | positioned on the elastic board 20 so that the center part (opposite part with depth fixed hollow 10d) in the elastic board 20 may be exposed. Thereby, the annular peripheral portion of the elastic plate 20 is sandwiched between the main body 10 and the ring member 25. Through-holes h are formed in the ring member 25 and the elastic plate 20, and screw holes j corresponding to the through-holes h are formed in the main body portion 10. The bolts 31 are disposed through the through holes h, and are screwed into the screw holes j to be fixed. As a result, an elastic plate is provided on the upper surface 10a of the main body 10 around the depth fixing recess 10d. The peripheral part of 20 is closely attached and fixed.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the inner diameter of the opening 25 a of the ring member 25 is preferably larger than the inner diameter of the depth fixing recess 10 d of the main body 10.

  In the present embodiment, a closed space V formed by the main body 10, the connection pipe 14, and the cylinder 51 is formed between the elastic plate 20 and the piston 53, and the fluid FL is contained in the closed space V. Filled. The fluid FL is not particularly limited. One example of the fluid FL is an incompressible fluid or liquid. An example of the liquid is spindle oil or the like. Another example of the fluid FL is a compressible fluid or gas. Examples of gas are air and nitrogen. Then, by moving the piston 53, the fluid FL can be discharged from the depth fixing recess 10d through the flow path formed by the communication passage 10e of the main body 10 and the pores of the porous body 10p. The fluid FL can be supplied into the fixed depth recess 10d. Accordingly, the bottom surface 20c of the variable depth recess 20d can be brought into contact with the bottom surface 10c of the fixed depth recess 10d, while the bottom surface 20c of the variable depth recess 20d is kept away from the bottom surface 10c of the fixed depth recess 10d. Thus, it can be brought closer to the lower end surface 70d of the honeycomb structure 70.

  Then, when the bottom surface 20c of the variable depth recess 20d is in contact with the bottom surface 10c of the fixed depth recess 10d, that is, the depth of the variable depth recess 20d (hereinafter referred to as the maximum depth). Dp) may be 10% or more and less than 100%, preferably 20% or more and less than 90%, more preferably with respect to a set value of the sealing length L at the end of a through hole 70a to be described later Is 30% or more and less than 80%, more preferably 35% or more and less than 70%. Here, the sealing length L is an average value of the lengths in the axial direction of the through holes of the sealing portion 70p formed by the sealing material, as shown in FIG.

Returning to FIG. 1, the maximum depth Dp of the depth-variable recess 20d is such that the area of the lower end face 70d of the honeycomb structure 70 is A ₀ , and the opening area to be sealed of the lower end face 70d of the honeycomb structure 70 is A _1. When the sealing length is L, it is preferable to satisfy (A ₁ / A ₀ ) L ≦ Dp <2 (A ₁ / A ₀ ) L. Here, the lower limit value of Dp corresponds to the volume V = A ₁ L of the minimum sealing material necessary to seal the opening area A ₁ to be sealed over a predetermined sealing length L, and Dp The upper limit value corresponds to twice this volume V. There is a case where an excessive volume is secured in the depth variable recess 20d because a part of the sealing material remains attached to the device even after the sealing step, and the sealing material previously charged in the depth variable recess 20d is removed. This is because it may not be 100% available. Maximum depth Dp of the depth variable recess 20d _{is, (A} 1 _/ A 0) is preferable to satisfy the _{L ≦ Dp ≦ 1.5 (A 1} / A 0) L, (A 1 / A 0) L ≦ Dp It is more preferable to satisfy ≦ 1.3 (A ₁ / A ₀ ) L.
Specifically, for example, the sealing length L is 0.5 to 30 mm, and preferably 0.5 to 10 mm. In normal one end face of the sealing step, for sealing a generally open half of the through hole of the through-and-through hole 70a, the opening area A ₁ to be sealed is about the total opening area A ₃ of the total through-hole 70a Often halved. Regarding the relationship between the area _{A 1} and the area _{A 0} of the lower end surface 70d to be sealed, for _{example, (A} 1 / _{A 0)} is 30 to 45%, typically 35%.

  The mask 170 is disposed in the opening 25 a of the ring member 25 on the elastic plate 20. The material of the mask 170 is not specifically limited, For example, a metal and resin are mentioned.

  FIG. 4A shows an example of the mask 170 used in this embodiment. The mask 170 is a circular plate-like member and has a large number of through-holes 170a extending in the thickness direction. The cross-sectional shape of the through hole 170a is a square corresponding to the through hole 70a (see FIG. 3B) of the honeycomb structure 70, as shown in FIG. 4B. The plurality of through holes 170a are arranged in a staggered manner as shown in FIG. 4B, and each through hole 170a is formed of the plurality of through holes 70a arranged in a square shape in FIG. 3B. These are disposed to face only the plurality of through holes 70ai that are not adjacent to each other in the vertical and horizontal directions. In order to facilitate positioning of the through hole 170a of the mask 170, the mask 170 is formed with an orientation flat 170b, and the ring member 25 may be provided with a projection 25b corresponding to the orientation flat correspondingly. . As shown in FIG. 1, the outer diameter of the mask 170 is preferably larger than the inner diameter of the depth fixing recess 10 d of the main body 10.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the main body unit 10 is preferably provided with a vibrator 140 such as an ultrasonic vibrator.

(Sealing method)
Next, a method for sealing a honeycomb structure using the above-described sealing device 100 will be described. First, from the state of FIG. 1, the pneumatic cylinder 82 is driven in advance and pulled up above the holder 81 that holds the honeycomb structure 70, and the mask 170 is removed from the elastic plate 20. Next, by pulling the piston 53 of the pump 50 downward, the fluid FL is discharged downward from the depth fixing recess 10d of the main body 10 through the flow path. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5A, the elastic plate 20 is deformed and is brought into close contact with the side surface 10b and the bottom surface 10c of the depth fixing recess 10d, thereby forming the variable depth recess 20d by the elastic plate 20. To do. Here, the depth of the depth variable recess 20d is the maximum depth within a variable range, and the maximum depth Dp is the above-described predetermined value with respect to the sealing length L.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5B, the sealing material 130 is supplied into the depth variable recess 20d of the elastic plate 20, and the sealing material is stored. If necessary, the surface of the sealing material 130 is flattened and defoamed by driving the vibrator 140.

(Sealing material)
The sealing material 130 is not particularly limited as long as it can close the end of the through hole 70a of the honeycomb structure 70, but is preferably liquid. For example, as the sealing material, a slurry containing a ceramic material or a ceramic raw material, a binder, a lubricant, a pore former, and a solvent can be exemplified.

  Examples of the ceramic material include the constituent material of the above-described honeycomb structure, the raw material thereof, or a mixture thereof. The amount of the ceramic material or raw material used can be, for example, 50 to 85 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the slurry.

  Examples of the binder include celluloses such as methylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, hydroxyalkylmethylcellulose, and sodium carboxymethylcellulose; alcohols such as polyvinyl alcohol; and organic binders such as lignin sulfonate. The usage-amount of a binder can be 0-30 weight part with respect to 100 weight part of slurries, for example.

  Examples of the lubricant include alcohols such as glycerin; higher fatty acids such as caprylic acid, lauric acid, palmitic acid, arachidic acid, oleic acid and stearic acid; and stearic acid metal salts such as aluminum stearate. The usage-amount of a lubrication agent can be 0.5-20 weight part with respect to 100 weight part of slurries, for example.

  Examples of the pore-forming agent include carbon materials such as graphite; resins such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and polymethyl methacrylate; plant materials such as starch, nut shells, walnut shells, and corn; ice; and dry ice. The amount of pore-forming agent used can be, for example, 0 to 20 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the slurry.

  As the solvent, for example, alcohols such as methanol, ethanol, butanol and propanol; glycols such as propylene glycol, polypropylene glycol and ethylene glycol; and water can be used. Of these, water is preferable, and ion-exchanged water is more preferably used from the viewpoint of few impurities. The usage-amount of a solvent can be 10-40 weight part with respect to 100 weight part of slurries, for example.

  The amount of the sealing material 130 is not particularly limited as long as the liquid level is equal to or less than the maximum depth Dp. Specifically, for example, an amount V of 1. required for filling a sealing material over a desired sealing length L in all ends of a desired through-hole 70a on one end face of the honeycomb structure 70, for example. It may be about 0 to 1.2 times.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 6A, the mask 170 is set on the elastic plate 20 so as to face the depth variable recess 20 d, and then the holding tool 81 is moved downward by the pneumatic cylinder 82. The lower end surface 70d of the honeycomb structure 70 is brought into contact with the mask 170, whereby a part of the through holes 70a of the honeycomb structure 70 and the through holes 170a of the mask 170 are communicated. Is pressed downward to fix the honeycomb structure 70 to the mask 170 and the main body 10.

  Next, by moving the piston of the pump 50 upward, the fluid FL is supplied between the depth fixing recess 10d and the elastic plate 20 through the flow path, and as shown in FIG. Further, the bottom surface 20c of the elastic plate 20 moves toward the mask 170, that is, the depth of the variable depth recess 20d is reduced. As shown in FIG. 7A, this process is performed until the elastic plate 20 comes into contact with the mask 170 and the deformation of the elastic plate 20 is eliminated, that is, the depth of the variable depth recess 20d becomes zero. .

  Thereby, the sealing material 130 is supplied over the sealing length L into the partial through-hole 70a of the honeycomb structure 70 through the through-hole 170a of the mask 170, and the sealing part 70p is formed.

  Subsequently, after the downward pressing of the honeycomb structure 70 by the pneumatic cylinder 82 is stopped so that the honeycomb structure 70 can freely move upward, the piston 53 is further raised to move the elastic plate 20 and the main body portion 10 together. Further, fluid FL is supplied. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 7B, the elastic plate 20 is deformed in a convex shape upward, and the mask 170 and the honeycomb structure 70 move upward. At this time, since the peripheral portion of the elastic plate 20 deformed into a convex shape is separated from the mask 170, the mask 170 and the honeycomb structure 70 can be easily separated from the main body portion 10.

  Subsequently, after removing the honeycomb structure 70 from the holder 81, the top and bottom are turned over and the honeycomb structure 70 is again held by the holder 81. Next, the same operation is performed using the mask 170 ′ in which the mask 170 and the through holes 170 a are arranged in a zigzag arrangement opposite to each other. Thereby, as shown to (a) of FIG. 8, the other end side of the remaining through-holes 70a is sealed by the sealing material, and the sealing part 70p is formed. Subsequently, the mask 170 ′ and the honeycomb structure 70 can be easily separated from the main body 10 and the elastic plate 20 by deforming the elastic plate 20 in a convex shape in the same manner as described above.

  In this way, a honeycomb filter can be manufactured by drying and firing the honeycomb structure 70 in which both ends of the through hole 70a are sealed.

  According to this embodiment, by supplying the sealing material 130 stored in the variable depth recess 20d from the lower end surface 70d of the honeycomb structure 70, the sealing operation can be easily performed. Further, since the sealing material is stored in the maximum depth variable recess 20d and the depth of the variable depth recess 30d is set to zero at the time of sealing, it is necessary to fix the depth of the recess to an intermediate depth. In addition, the variable operation of the depth variable recess 20d during storage or sealing is easy. Further, the maximum depth Dp of the variable depth recess 20d is 10% or more and less than 100% of the sealing length L. Therefore, as compared with an apparatus in which the maximum depth is unnecessarily long, the internal volume of the depth-variable recess 20d when storing the sealing material (that is, at the maximum depth) is the amount of the sealing material necessary for one sealing. It can be in an appropriate range that is not extremely large compared to the volume. As a result, it is less likely that the depth of the depression is changed wastefully in the sealing operation, and the sealing operation can be performed in a short time. Further, the sealing material 130 can be used up at a time to the variable depth depression 20d, and the sealing material can be used every time the sealing work is performed, thereby eliminating waste of the sealing material. There are few alterations, such as quantity, and unnecessary adhesion to the elastic plate 20. Therefore, the sealed honeycomb structure can be manufactured at a low cost.

(Second embodiment)
Then, with reference to FIG. 9, the sealing apparatus 200 which concerns on 2nd embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. FIG. 9 is a schematic sectional view of the sealing device 200. The main difference between the sealing device 200 according to the present embodiment and the sealing device 100 according to the first embodiment is that a piston 65 is disposed inside the depth fixing recess 10d instead of the elastic plate 20. . The piston 65 has a piston plate 63 and a piston rod 64. The piston plate 63 is disposed in the fixed depth recess 10d, and the side surface 10b of the fixed depth recess 10d and the upper surface 63c of the piston plate 63 form a variable depth recess 20d. The maximum depth Dp of the depth variable recess 20d is the same as in the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, the piston plate 63 and the depth fixing recess 10 d of the main body portion 10 constitute the recess forming portion 99.
An end portion of the piston rod 64 that penetrates the main body portion 10 is connected to a motor (depth adjusting portion) 55, and the piston plate 63 can be moved with respect to the lower end surface 70 d of the honeycomb structure 70. In addition, since it is not necessary to supply the fluid FL to the main body 10, the porous body 10p is not necessary. Also according to the present embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment is achieved by the variable depth recess 20d.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various deformation | transformation aspect is possible.

  For example, in the first embodiment, the elastic plate 20 is fixed to the main body 10 by the ring member 25 and the bolt 31, but the fixing method is not particularly limited. For example, the elastic plate 20 may be fixed to the upper surface 10a of the main body 10 by an adhesive.

  In the first embodiment, the communication passage 10 e is formed by the main body 10 and the connection pipe 14, but the pump 50 may be directly connected to the main body 10 without the connection pipe 14. Further, the present invention can be implemented without the porous body 10p.

  Moreover, in 1st embodiment, although the piston pump provided with the cylinder 51, piston 53, and piston rod 54 is employ | adopted as the pump 50, it will not specifically limit if fluid can be supplied and discharged | emitted.

  In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the shape of the variable depth recess 20d is not particularly limited, and can be set as appropriate according to the shape of the end of the honeycomb structure 70 to be sealed. For example, the outer shape of the honeycomb structure 70 may not be a cylinder, and may be, for example, an elliptical column, a rectangular column, a square column, or the like. Therefore, the shape of the variable depth recess 10d can also be various columnar shapes corresponding thereto. Further, the side surface 20b need not be perpendicular to the top surface 10a of the main body 10 and the bottom surface 20c need not be parallel, and may be, for example, a slope or a curved surface.

  Further, the cross-sectional shape of the through hole 70a of the honeycomb structure 70 may not be a square, and may be, for example, a rectangle, a triangle, a polygon, a circle, or the like. Further, the honeycomb structure may have through holes with different diameters and / or may have through holes with different shapes. Furthermore, the arrangement of the through holes 70a may not be a square arrangement, for example, a triangular arrangement, a staggered arrangement, or the like.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the holding | maintenance part 80 is provided with the pneumatic cylinder 82, it is not restricted to this, For example, it can substitute for various mechanisms, such as a gear mechanism. Further, it is possible to simply hold the end face of the honeycomb structure downward without providing a moving mechanism.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the plate-shaped mask 170 which has many through-holes is employ | adopted, the place shielded with a mask is arbitrary and can change suitably according to the shape and arrangement | positioning of the through-hole 70a. Further, the present invention can be implemented without using such a mask 170. For example, the plug may be plugged with a material that decomposes when heated in some of the through holes 70a of the honeycomb structure 70 before the sealing process, and the plug may be pyrolyzed after the sealing. In the present invention, even when a mask is not used, the honeycomb structure 70 can be easily separated from the main body 10 and the elastic plate 20 by the elastic plate 20 that deforms into a convex shape after the sealing process. .

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Main-body part, 10d ... Depth fixed hollow, 10e ... Communication part, 10p ... Porous body, 20 ... Elastic board, 20c ... Bottom, 20d ... Depth variable hollow, 30 ... Recess, 50 ... Pump (depth adjustment) Part), 55 ... motor (depth adjusting part), 65 ... piston, 70 ... honeycomb structure, 70a ... through hole, 70d ... lower end surface, 80 ... holding part, 99 ... hollow forming part, 100, 200 ... sealing device 170 ... Mask.

Claims (4)

A sealing device that seals ends of a plurality of through holes of a honeycomb structure with a sealing material over a predetermined sealing length,
A dent forming part for forming a variable depth dent,
A holding portion that holds the end face of the honeycomb structure having a plurality of through holes on the depth variable depression so that the end face faces downward;
A depth adjustment unit that changes the depth of the depth variable recess,
Wherein Ri depth variable depression maximum depth Dp of 10% or more and less than 100% der of the predetermined sealing length of,
The maximum depth Dp of the depth-variable depression is defined such that the area of the end face of the honeycomb structure is A ₀ , the opening area of the end face of the honeycomb structure to be sealed is A ₁ , and the predetermined sealing length is L. Satisfying (A ₁ / A ₀ ) L ≦ Dp <2 (A ₁ / A ₀ ) L,
The dent forming part includes a main body part having a fixed depth dent, and an elastic plate that is provided so as to cover the fixed depth dent of the main body part and forms an inner surface of the variable depth dent,
The main body includes a flow path capable of supplying a fluid between the depth fixing recess of the main body and the elastic plate,
The depth adjusting unit is a sealing device that supplies the fluid between the main body and the elastic plate via the flow path . The fluid system of claim 1 wherein the non-compressible fluid. Wherein the depth fixing recess of the inner surface of the body portion includes a porous body, said passage device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein including the pores of the porous body. Storing the sealing material in the depth variable recess,
A step of holding and arranging the end face of the honeycomb structure having a plurality of through-holes on the depth variable depression so that the end face faces downward;
Supplying the sealing material to end portions of the plurality of through holes of the honeycomb structure over a predetermined sealing length by reducing the depth of the depth variable depression to zero, and
The depth variable depression depth in the process of the reservoir is a maximum depth within the variable range, Ri said maximum depth Dp of 10% or more and less than 100% der of the predetermined sealing length,
The maximum depth Dp of the depth-variable depression is defined such that the area of the end face of the honeycomb structure is A ₀ , the opening area of the end face of the honeycomb structure to be sealed is A ₁ , and the predetermined sealing length is L. Satisfying (A ₁ / A ₀ ) L ≦ Dp <2 (A ₁ / A ₀ ) L,
The depth variable depression is formed by a main body having a depth fixing depression, and an elastic plate that is provided so as to cover the depth fixing depression of the main body to form the inner surface of the depth varying depression.
The main body includes a flow path capable of supplying a fluid between the depth fixing recess of the main body and the elastic plate,
A method for sealing a honeycomb structure , wherein the fluid is supplied between the main body portion and the elastic plate through the flow path to reduce the depth of the depth variable recess .

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