Process for producing a honeycomb body with a flange piece for a measurement sensor, and corresponding hnoneycomb body

• US 20050022382A1
• Filed: 09/01/2004
• Published: 02/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Emitec GmbH
• Original Assignee: Emitec Gesellschaft für Emissionstechnologie mbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Bruck, Rolf, Althofer, Kait
• Granted Patent: US 7,765,697 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 29/890
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2101/02 Honeycomb structures
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 13/008 Mounting or arrangement of exhaust sensors in or on exhaust apparatus sensor arrangements for engine control F02D41/1439
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/281 Metallic honeycomb monoliths made of stacked or rolled sheets, foils or plates
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 41/084 Soldered joints
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49345 Catalytic device making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49872 Confining elastic part in socket
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49879 Spaced wall tube or receptacle

Abstract

A process for producing a honeycomb body includes a) producing a tubular casing from sheet metal; b) introducing a hole, delimited by a rim, into the sheet metal; c) fitting a flange piece for a measurement sensor to the hole rim; d) introducing a honeycomb structure into the tubular casing; and e) joining the tubular casing to the honeycomb structure and the flange piece by brazing or welding in a single, common, heat treatment process. Steps a), b) and c) are carried out in any desired order. A honeycomb body includes a honeycomb structure. A tubular casing surrounds the honeycomb structure, has a hole delimited by a rim, and has a necked region surrounding the hole. A flange piece for a measurement sensor is brazed to the hole rim. The process allows a flange piece to be connected to the tubular casing in an advantageous manner as part of an on-going heat treatment process, resulting in a simple and fast production and consequently a reduction of costs.

Claims

1. A process for producing a honeycomb body, which comprises the following steps:

a) producing a tubular casing from sheet metal;

b) introducing a hole, delimited by a rim, into the sheet metal of the tubular casing at a predetermined location;

c) fitting a flange piece for a measurement sensor to the hole rim in the tubular casing;

d) introducing a honeycomb structure into the tubular casing;

e) joining the tubular casing to the honeycomb structure and the flange piece by brazing or welding in a single, common, heat treatment process; and

carrying out steps a), b) and c) in any desired order.

2. The process according to claim 1, which further comprises configuring the hole rim and the flange piece for keeping them together before and during the heat treatment process.

3. The process according to claim 1, which further comprises employing at least one additional measure to help hold the hole rim and the flange piece together during handling prior to a final joining process.

4. The process according to claim 3, wherein the at least one additional measure is spot welding.

5. The process according to claim 1, wherein the heat treatment process is a brazing process.

6. The process according to claim 5, which further comprises carrying out the brazing process by applying brazing material to at least one of the hole rim and the flange piece before or after the flange piece is fitted to the hole rim.

7. The process according to claim 6, wherein the brazing material is selected from the group consisting of brazing powder, brazing paste and brazing foil.

8. The process according to claim 6, wherein the brazing material is selected from the group consisting of brazing powder and brazing foil.

9. The process according to claim 6, wherein the brazing material is brazing powder.

10. The process according to claim 1, wherein the honeycomb structure has a free volume for receiving the measurement sensor.

11. The process according to claim 1, which further comprises carrying out the step of introducing the hole by providing a necked formation.

12. The process according to claim 11, which further comprises fitting the flange piece over the necked formation and then joining the flange piece to the necked formation.

13. The process according to claim 11, which further comprises fitting the flange piece into the necked formation and then joining the flange piece to the necked formation.

14. A honeycomb body, comprising:

a honeycomb structure;

a tubular casing surrounding said honeycomb structure, said tubular casing having a hole delimited by a rim, and said tubular casing having a necked region surrounding said hole; and

a flange piece for a measurement sensor, said flange piece being brazed to said hole rim.

15. The honeycomb body according to claim 14, wherein said flange piece engages around said necked region.

16. The honeycomb body according to claim 14, wherein said flange piece projects into said necked region.