JP2010274205A - Method for manufacturing catalyst device - Google Patents

Abstract

[PROBLEMS] To prevent cracking and chipping of a catalyst carrier when manufacturing a catalyst device having a ceramic catalyst carrier without increasing the manufacturing cost and the burden of verification and management at the time of production.
A ceramic carrier 2 having a honeycomb structure and configured in a columnar shape, an outer cylinder 3 which is formed in a cylindrical shape and accommodates the ceramic carrier in its inner space, and an outer periphery and an outer cylinder of the ceramic carrier 2 The catalyst device 1 is assembled so as to be wound between the inner periphery of the catalyst device 3 and has a holding mat 4 for holding the ceramic carrier in a metal outer cylinder. In the method, the annular spacer 6 is fixed to the catalyst slurry supply side so that the inner peripheral surface 63 contacts the outer periphery of the ceramic carrier 2, and the catalyst slurry passes through the inner peripheral surface 63. Supplied to the ceramic carrier.
[Selection] Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a catalyst device for purifying exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine.

As a catalyst device for purifying exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine, a catalyst device in which a ceramic catalyst carrier formed in a cylindrical shape is accommodated in an outer cylinder is known. A ceramic catalyst carrier is fragile, and is likely to crack or chip during the manufacturing process of the catalyst device. Therefore, conventionally, a canning structure in which the catalyst carrier is compressed and fixed (canned) together with the holding material in the outer cylinder is produced, and the catalyst is supported on the catalyst carrier by immersing the canning structure in a solution containing the catalyst metal. A method has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
However, the method disclosed in Patent Document 1 is uneconomical because the catalyst metal is adsorbed by the holding material not involved in the catalytic reaction with the exhaust gas in the step of supporting the catalyst in canning.
Therefore, a method of disposing a water-impermeable member made of polyethylene or the like at the end of the holding material in the canning structure so that the holding material does not adsorb the catalyst metal (see, for example, Patent Document 2), or holding with the catalyst carrier. There has been proposed a method (see, for example, Patent Document 3) in which an impermeable film is disposed between the materials.
Japanese Patent No. 3390698 Japanese Patent No. 3359596 Japanese Patent No. 4076677

  When a new structure such as a water-impermeable member or a film is provided on the canning structure itself as in the conventional method, there is a problem in that the cost of the canning structure is increased. In addition, when heat treatment is performed in the manufacturing process of the catalyst device, it is necessary to verify the deformation and alteration of the new structure. Here, it is possible to eliminate the above structure in the heat treatment step, but in this case, the temperature and time conditions in the heat treatment step must be optimized, and further, it is verified that the structure has disappeared reliably. There is also a need. For this reason, there has been a problem that labor for verification and management in the manufacturing process of the catalyst device increases.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and a catalyst carrier for manufacturing a catalyst device including a ceramic catalyst carrier without increasing the manufacturing cost and the burden of verification and management at the time of manufacturing. The purpose is to prevent cracking and chipping.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention has a honeycomb structure and is configured in a columnar shape, a metal outer cylinder that is formed in a cylindrical shape and accommodates the ceramic carrier in an internal space thereof, A catalyst device having a holding member disposed between the outer circumference of the ceramic carrier and the inner circumference of the metal outer cylinder and holding the ceramic carrier on the metal outer cylinder; In the manufacturing method of the catalyst device in which the ceramic carrier, the metal outer cylinder, and the holding material are assembled before loading, an annularly formed spacer is an open side end portion of the metal outer cylinder constituting the catalyst device And on the catalyst slurry supply side, the spacer inner peripheral surface is fixed so as to contact the outer periphery of the ceramic carrier, and the catalyst slurry passes through the spacer inner peripheral surface, It is supplied to the serial ceramic support, characterized by.
According to this method, since the catalyst slurry can be prevented from adhering to the holding material in the step of adhering the catalyst slurry to the ceramic carrier without using a special member on the catalyst device side, the cost can be reduced. Further, if the spacer is removed after supporting the catalyst slurry, it does not affect the subsequent process for treating the catalyst device, so that conventional equipment can be used, and the productivity of the catalyst device is improved.

Here, the inner peripheral surface of the spacer includes an abutting portion that abuts against an end portion of the ceramic carrier, and the abutting portion is contracted toward the catalyst slurry supply side with respect to the longitudinal direction of the ceramic carrier. It may be formed in a tapered shape so as to have a diameter.
In this case, even if there is some variation in the roundness of the outer periphery of the ceramic carrier and the concentricity of the metal outer cylinder and the ceramic carrier, the adhesion between the spacer and the ceramic carrier can be improved, and the catalyst slurry to the holding material Can be suppressed.

The spacer may be composed of a non-water retaining elastic member.
In this case, even if there is some variation in the roundness of the outer circumference of the ceramic carrier and the concentricity of the metal outer cylinder and the ceramic carrier, the adhesion between the spacer and the ceramic carrier can be improved, and the adhesion of the catalyst slurry is suppressed. it can.

Further, the spacer is composed of at least two kinds of elastic members having different hardnesses, and has a low hardness on the side contacting the outer periphery of the ceramic carrier and a hardness on the side contacting the inner periphery of the metal outer cylinder. It may be set higher.
In this case, by increasing the hardness of the contact portion of the spacer on the metal outer cylinder side with relatively high accuracy, the positioning accuracy and fixing of the spacer are facilitated, and the hardness on the ceramic carrier side is decreased. It is possible to prevent adhesion and breakage of the ceramic carrier during production.

Further, the open end face of the metal outer cylinder may protrude 10 mm or more from the end face of the ceramic carrier on the catalyst slurry supply side.
In this case, while ensuring the inductivity of the catalyst slurry, it is possible to secure the contact length between the spacer and the metal outer cylinder, improve the positioning accuracy, and improve the productivity.

In the catalyst device according to the present invention, since the catalyst slurry can be prevented from adhering to the holding material in the step of adhering the catalyst slurry to the ceramic carrier without using a special member on the catalyst device side, the cost can be reduced. Further, if the spacer is removed after supporting the catalyst slurry, it does not affect the subsequent process for treating the catalyst device, so that conventional equipment can be used, and the productivity of the catalyst device is improved.
In addition, since the spacer has a contact portion formed in a tapered shape that contacts the end portion of the ceramic carrier, the roundness of the outer periphery of the ceramic carrier and the concentricity of the metal outer cylinder and the ceramic carrier vary somewhat. However, adhesion between the spacer and the ceramic carrier can be improved, and adhesion of the catalyst slurry to the holding material can be suppressed.
Furthermore, when the spacer is composed of a non-water-retaining elastic member, even if the roundness of the outer periphery of the ceramic carrier and the concentricity of the metal outer cylinder and the ceramic carrier vary somewhat, the spacer and the ceramic carrier The adhesion of the catalyst slurry can be suppressed and adhesion of the catalyst slurry can be suppressed.
Furthermore, the hardness of the spacer that contacts the outer periphery of the ceramic carrier is low, and the hardness of the side that contacts the inner periphery of the metal outer cylinder is increased, thereby facilitating spacer positioning accuracy and fixing, as well as ceramic. By reducing the hardness on the carrier side, it is possible to prevent adhesion and breakage of the ceramic carrier during production.
In addition, by ensuring that the open end surface of the metal outer cylinder protrudes 10 mm or more from the end surface on the catalyst slurry supply side of the ceramic carrier, the inductivity of the catalyst slurry is ensured and the contact length between the spacer and the metal outer cylinder is increased. The positioning accuracy can be improved and the productivity can be improved.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an exhaust muffler 100 provided with a catalyst device 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. An exhaust muffler 100 is provided in a motorcycle and is connected to a rear end of an exhaust pipe 11 extending from an engine (not shown) of the motorcycle. The exhaust muffler 100 depressurizes high-temperature and high-pressure exhaust gas passing through the exhaust pipe 11 and discharges it to the outside. It functions as a silencer.

  The exhaust muffler 100 has a cylindrical main body 12 to which an exhaust pipe 11 extending from an engine is connected. A catalyst device 1 including a ceramic carrier 2 that is a ceramic catalyst carrier is supported in the main body 12. The catalyst device 1 is disposed between a cylindrical ceramic carrier 2, a metal outer cylinder 3 that houses the ceramic carrier 2, and the outer periphery of the ceramic carrier 2 and the outer cylinder inner peripheral surface 33 of the outer cylinder 3. A holding mat 4 as a holding material is provided. As will be described later, the ceramic carrier 2 has a large number of pores 23 inside, and purifies the exhaust gas passing through the pores 23.

  The main body 12 is partitioned into a plurality of (three in this example) expansion chambers A, B, and C via a plurality (two in this example) of partition walls 14 and 15. At the front end portion of the main body 12, the end portion 11A of the exhaust pipe 11 is fixed in the expansion chamber B, and the catalyst device 1 is fixed close to the end portion 11A. An outer cylinder end portion 32 on the rear side of the outer cylinder 3 opens into the expansion chamber A. On the other hand, the outer cylinder end 31 on the front side of the outer cylinder 3 and the exhaust pipe end 11A are connected to each other by the connecting pipe 18 without a gap, and the exhaust gas discharged from the engine through the exhaust pipe 11 is not leaked. It is configured to pass.

In the main body 12, a first communication pipe 16 that communicates the expansion chamber A and the expansion chamber B and a second communication pipe 17 that communicates the expansion chamber B and the expansion chamber C are provided. The communication pipes 16 and 17 are fixed to the partition walls 14 and 15, respectively. An external exhaust pipe 13 (tail pipe) protruding outward is fixed to the rear end portion of the main body 12, and the expansion chamber C communicates with the space outside the exhaust muffler 100 through the external exhaust pipe 13. .
With this configuration, as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 1, the exhaust gas that has flowed into the exhaust muffler 100 through the exhaust pipe 11 passes through the catalyst device 1 and flows into the expansion chamber A, reversing the flow direction and It flows into the expansion chamber B through the first communication pipe 16, reverses the flow direction again, flows into the expansion chamber C through the second communication pipe 17, and is discharged to the outside through the external exhaust pipe 13.
Here, the end of the outer cylinder 3 on the exhaust gas inflow side is referred to as an outer cylinder end 31, and the other end is referred to as an outer cylinder end 32. Similarly, the end of the ceramic carrier 2 on the exhaust gas inflow side is the carrier end 21, the other end is the carrier end 22, and the front end surface of the holding mat 4 on the exhaust gas inflow side is the end surface 41. The other end surface is referred to as an end surface 42.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the catalyst device 1.
The ceramic carrier 2 is a honeycomb-like porous structure formed in a cylindrical shape and having a large number of pores 23 extending along the axial direction inside the cylindrical outer shell. The cross-sectional shape of the ceramic carrier 2 is arbitrary, and may be an ellipse or a rectangle, but in the present embodiment, it will be described as a circle.
The ceramic carrier 2 is made of porous ceramics so as to easily support the catalyst, and supports platinum, rhodium and palladium that decompose exhaust gas components as a catalyst. Examples of the ceramic constituting the ceramic carrier 2 include various heat-resistant ceramics including cordierite, mullite, alumina, alkaline earth metal aluminate, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, or the like.

The outer cylinder 3 is a metal cylinder, and is specifically made of stainless steel or another steel material. The outer cylinder 3 is formed in a cylindrical shape in advance, and is formed into a cylindrical shape by winding a metal plate around the ceramic carrier 2 and the holding mat 4.
The holding mat 4 is formed by compressing or accumulating ceramic fibers into a long mat shape, and is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the ceramic carrier 2. A convex mating portion is formed at one end of the holding mat 4, and a concave mating portion is formed at the other end. The holding mat 4 is wound around the ceramic carrier 2 so that the concave and convex mating portions are engaged with each other. The holding mat 4 may be made of a fibrous metal or glass wool as long as it has heat resistance and elasticity.

The manufacturing method of the catalyst device 1 includes the following three steps.
First step: The ceramic carrier 2 is press-fitted (canned) together with the holding mat 4 into the outer cylinder 3 to form a canning structure.
Second step: A slurry containing a catalyst metal (catalyst slurry) is coated on the canning structure.
Third step: Excess catalyst slurry is removed, dried and calcined.

In the first step, the canning structure 1A is manufactured by press-fitting the ceramic carrier 2 around which the holding mat 4 is wound into the outer cylinder 3 formed in a cylindrical shape in advance. The canning structure is a structure in which the ceramic carrier 2 and the holding mat 4 are housed in the outer cylinder 3, and refers to a structure before the catalyst is supported.
The canning structure 1A can be manufactured by a method (winding) in which a metal plate is wound around the ceramic carrier 2 around which the holding mat 4 is wound, and ends of the metal plate are joined to form the outer cylinder 3. The ceramic carrier 2 around which the holding mat 4 is wound is surrounded by a plurality of metal divided pieces formed so as to divide the cylinder into a plurality of pieces along the axial direction, and the divided pieces are joined to each other to join the outer cylinder 3. Can also be manufactured. The joining method of a metal plate is welding, adhesion | attachment, bolting, etc., for example.

In the canning structure 1A, the ceramic carrier 2 is stabilized in the outer cylinder 3 by friction between the holding mat 4 and the outer peripheral surface of the ceramic carrier 2 and friction between the holding mat 4 and the outer peripheral surface 33 of the outer cylinder. Retained. In particular, the outer peripheral surface of the ceramic carrier 2 has a rough surface and can be held strongly.
Moreover, since the ceramic carrier 2 can be protected from an external impact by the elasticity of the holding mat 4, the ceramic carrier 2 can be prevented from being damaged. For this reason, if the canning structure 1A is configured in the first step, the ceramic carrier 2 can be prevented from being damaged in the subsequent steps (from the second step to the second step), so that the handling of the ceramic carrier 2 is facilitated.

In the second step, the catalyst slurry containing the catalyst metal is supported on the pores 23 of the ceramic carrier 2.
The catalyst slurry used in the second step is obtained by mixing a ceramic substrate powder such as alumina (Al ₂ O ₃ ), a binder (binder), and a catalytic metal compound such as palladium or rhodium with water, and substantially uniformly. Dispersed fluid. The binder and the catalytic metal compound may be dissolved in water or particles that are not dissolved but dispersed in the slurry.

When the catalyst slurry is attached to the canning structure 1 </ b> A, the ceramic carrier 2 is housed in the outer cylinder 3 together with the holding mat 4, so the catalyst slurry may be attached to the holding mat 4. Since the catalyst metal adhering to the holding mat 4 hardly contributes to purification of exhaust gas, it is desirable to suppress the amount of adhesion to the holding mat 4.
Therefore, in the present embodiment, the spacer 6 that suppresses the adhesion of the catalyst slurry to the holding mat 4 is used.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a configuration of the spacer 6, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the spacer 6 is attached to the canning structure 1 </ b> A.
The spacer 6 is an annular member attached to the outer cylinder end portion 31 of the outer cylinder 3. The spacer 6 has an exposed portion 61 that is exposed to the outside of the outer tube 3 when mounted on the outer tube 3 and a fitting portion 62 that is fitted inside the outer tube 3. The outer diameter of the exposed part 61 is larger than the inner diameter of the outer cylinder 3, the fitting part 62 is smaller in diameter than the inner diameter of the outer cylinder 3, and the spacer 6 is formed in a stepped shape as a whole. This step portion abuts against the outer cylinder end 31. The inner peripheral surface 63 of the spacer 6 constitutes a cylindrical space, and the end portion on the fitting portion 62 side is a tapered contact portion 64. The contact part 64 has a tapered shape with a reduced diameter on the exposed part 61 side.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the spacer 6 is fitted into the outer cylinder end portion 31, and the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion 62 is held in contact with the outer cylinder inner peripheral surface 33. In this mounted state, the carrier end 21 of the ceramic carrier 2 contacts the contact portion 64. Since the inner peripheral surface 63 and the contact portion 64 of the spacer 6 are formed in an annular shape in accordance with the tip surface of the ceramic carrier 2, the edge of the carrier end portion 21 is in close contact with the contact portion 64 over the entire circumference.

The spacer 6 is made of an elastic material having a predetermined elasticity. Due to this elasticity, the carrier end portion 21 is pressed against the contact portion 64, so that the contact portion 64 and the carrier end portion 21 are almost in close contact with each other. Further, the insertion portion 62 can be pushed into the outer cylinder end portion 31 by the elasticity of the spacer 6, and the pushed-in state is maintained.
4, the outer cylinder end portion 31 of the outer cylinder 3 protrudes from the carrier end portion 21, in other words, between the outer cylinder end portion 31 and the carrier end portion 21. Has a clearance indicated by symbol C. Since the size of the clearance C regulates the depth at which the insertion portion 62 is inserted, when the clearance C is 10 mm or more, the spacer 6 is securely fixed by the insertion of the insertion portion 62 deeply. 4 denotes a jig that presses the spacer 6 and pushes the fitting portion 62 into the outer cylinder 3.

Furthermore, since the spacer 6 is composed of a non-water-retaining material, the catalyst slurry does not penetrate into the spacer 6.
In the second step, as shown in FIG. 4, the catalyst slurry flows into the outer cylinder 3 from the outer cylinder end 31 side as indicated by an arrow S in the state where the spacer 6 is attached to the outer cylinder 3. The catalyst slurry flows into the ceramic carrier 2 along the inner peripheral surface 63 of the spacer 6 and flows through the pores 23 toward the carrier end 22.
Here, there is almost no gap between the carrier end portion 21 and the contact portion 64, or the spacer 6 is a non-water-retaining member, so that the catalyst slurry is in contact with the contact portion 64 and the carrier end. Almost no flow from between the portion 21 and the holding mat 4. For this reason, adhesion of the catalyst slurry to the holding mat 4 can be suppressed, and the cost can be reduced.

  Further, when the catalyst slurry is supplied, the catalyst slurry that has flowed in as indicated by the arrow S may flow from between the carrier end 21 and the contact portion 64 and adhere to the end surface 41. In this case, when the catalyst device 1 is used by being assembled to the exhaust muffler 100 (FIG. 1), the end face 41 is protected from the exhaust gas by the catalyst slurry, the wind erosion of the holding mat 4 is suppressed, and the ceramic carrier 2 is held. Power is improved.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a process of supporting the catalyst slurry on the canning structure 1A.
As shown in FIG. 5, the processing apparatus for attaching the catalyst slurry to the canning structure 1A includes a processing table 73 on which the canning structure 1A on which the spacer 6 is mounted is placed. The spacer 6 is held on the outer cylinder end 31 by the weight of the canning structure 1 </ b> A while being placed on the processing table 73.
A slurry discharge pipe 74 that discharges catalyst slurry pumped from a tank (not shown) is opened in the processing table 73, and the canning structure 1 </ b> A is positioned so that the slurry discharge pipe 74 is located inside the inner peripheral surface 63. Be placed. A suction jig 75 is attached to the outer cylinder end 32 of the canning structure 1A. The suction jig 75 is connected to a pump (not shown) and sucks the air in the canning structure 1A in the direction indicated by the arrow V in the drawing.

  In the step of attaching the catalyst slurry to the ceramic carrier 2 in the second step described above, suction is performed from the suction jig 75 in the direction indicated by the arrow V. By this suction, a negative pressure is generated in the canning structure 1 </ b> A, and the catalyst slurry is sucked up from the slurry discharge pipe 74. The catalyst slurry fills the inner peripheral surface 63 and sucks up the pores 23 from the carrier end 21. The processing apparatus includes a detector (not shown) that detects that the catalyst slurry has been sucked up to the carrier end 22 or the vicinity thereof, and stops the suction when the catalyst slurry is detected by the detector. After the suction is stopped, the catalyst slurry accumulated in the canning structure 1 </ b> A is discharged from the slurry discharge pipe 74.

  In the second step, the catalyst slurry can be pumped upward from the slurry discharge pipe 74 without performing suction in the arrow V direction. That is, if the catalyst slurry is pumped in the direction indicated by the arrow S and this catalyst slurry reaches the carrier end 22 or the vicinity thereof, the catalyst slurry is adhered to the ceramic carrier 2 as in the case of suction. Can do. In this case, a suction jig 75 and a pump (not shown) connected to the suction jig 75 are unnecessary.

Then, if the canning structure 1A is picked up from the processing base 73 and the spacer 6 is removed from the canning structure 1A, the second step is completed.
In the subsequent third step, compressed air is fed from the outer cylinder end 32, excess catalyst slurry is blown off, and discharged from the outer cylinder end 31. Next, the canning structure 1A is dried (calcined as necessary) to complete the catalyst device 1.

  As described above, according to the method for manufacturing the catalyst device 1 according to the first embodiment, before the catalyst slurry is supported on the ceramic support 2, the ceramic support 2 is housed in the outer cylinder 3 together with the holding mat 4 and the canning structure. The annular spacer 6 is fixed to the open end of the outer cylinder 3 and the catalyst slurry supply side, and the catalyst slurry is supplied to the ceramic carrier 2 through the inner peripheral surface 63 of the spacer 6. Therefore, since the catalyst slurry can be prevented from adhering to the holding mat 4 without providing a special member in the catalyst device 1, the cost can be reduced. Further, if the spacer 6 is removed after carrying the catalyst slurry (after the second step), the influence of the spacer 6 is not exerted on the third step. For this reason, the equipment which performs drying and baking in the third step can use conventional equipment, and the productivity of the catalyst device 1 is improved.

The inner peripheral surface 63 includes an abutting portion 64 that abuts against the carrier end portion 21 of the ceramic carrier 2, and the abutting portion 64 is on the catalyst slurry supply side, that is, the exposed portion with respect to the longitudinal direction of the ceramic carrier 2. It is formed in a tapered shape so as to reduce the diameter toward the 61 side.
For this reason, even if the roundness of the outer periphery of the ceramic carrier 2 and the concentricity of the outer cylinder 3 and the ceramic carrier 2 vary somewhat, the adhesion between the spacer 6 and the ceramic carrier 2 can be improved, and the holding material can be obtained. Adhesion of the catalyst slurry can be suppressed.

That is, when the canning structure 1A is configured, the holding mat 4 is compressed and deformed both when the ceramic carrier 2 is press-fitted into the outer cylinder 3 together with the holding mat 4 and when the outer cylinder 3 is tightened. The ceramic carrier 2 is held by the elastic force of the holding mat 4. For this reason, the deformation amount of the holding mat 4 is not necessarily uniform over the entire circumference. Further, since the ceramic carrier 2 and the outer cylinder 3 can be reliably held by the holding mat 4 even when the roundness of the ceramic carrier 2 and the outer cylinder 3 is low, the ceramic carrier 2 and the outer cylinder 3 may be difficult to be concentric. Therefore, the ceramic carrier 2 and the outer cylinder 3 may not be coaxial in the canning structure 1A.
In the spacer 6 of the present embodiment, the contact portion 64 is formed in a taper shape, so that when the spacer 6 is pushed into the outer cylinder end portion 31, the carrier end portion 21 is guided by the contact portion 64. The entire circumference of the carrier end portion 21 is in contact with the contact portion 64. For this reason, even if the ceramic carrier 2 is not located at the axial center of the outer cylinder 3, the spacer 6 can be easily adhered to the carrier end 21 by pushing the spacer 6 from the outer cylinder end 31. .

  Furthermore, since the spacer 6 is composed of a non-water-retaining elastic member, even if the roundness of the outer periphery of the ceramic carrier 2 and the concentricity of the outer cylinder 3 and the ceramic carrier 2 are somewhat varied, the spacer 6 and the ceramic The adhesion of the carrier 2 can be improved, and adhesion of the catalyst slurry to the holding mat 4 can be suppressed.

  Moreover, according to the manufacturing method of the catalyst apparatus 1 mentioned above, 1 A of canning structures are comprised by the 1st process before carrying | supporting catalyst slurry. The canning structure 1A can be conveyed without applying a compressive force by attracting (attracting) the metal outer cylinder 3 with a magnet. For this reason, for example, in the process of placing on the processing table 73 of FIG. 5 or the process of lifting the canning structure 1A from the processing table 73 after finishing the second step, the catalytic device without applying a compressive force to the catalytic device 1 1 can be conveyed. Accordingly, there is no possibility that the ceramic carrier 2 is chipped or cracked during transportation, so that the catalyst device 1 can be transported quickly.

  Furthermore, in the case of the catalyst device 1 used for a small vehicle such as a two-wheeled vehicle, the length of the ceramic carrier 2 indicated by the symbol L is longer than the diameter of the ceramic carrier 2 indicated by the symbol D in FIG. In this case, in a state where the ceramic carrier 2 is erected, a measure for fixing the ceramic carrier 2 is required to prevent the ceramic carrier 2 from falling and being damaged. In this regard, when the ceramic carrier 2 is assembled to the outer cylinder 3 as in the present embodiment, the stability is improved due to an increase in weight compared to the ceramic carrier 2. Moreover, even if it falls down, the ceramic carrier 2 is protected by the elasticity of the holding mat 4, and the possibility of causing chipping or cracking of the ceramic carrier 2 is very low.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the slurry containing the catalyst metal is attached to the ceramic carrier 2 has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, for example, the slurry containing alumina or a binder. After coating the ceramic carrier 2, a method in which the catalyst metal is supported on the ceramic carrier 2 by immersing a solution containing the catalytic metal in the coating layer can be used. In this case, platinum nitrate, chloride, acetate, complex salts (dinitrodiammine platinum, trichlorotriammine platinum, etc.), rhodium nitrate, chloride, acetate, sulfate, complex salts (pentamminechlororhodium, hexaamminerhodium) Etc.) can be used. The catalyst slurry may be a fluid, and the composition of the ceramic substrate, binder, and catalyst compound used in the catalyst slurry is arbitrary.

  In the first embodiment, in the second step, the canning structure 1A is placed on the processing table 73 so that the spacer 6 is positioned below as shown in FIG. The method of flowing into the canning structure 1A has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the canning structure is so positioned that the outer cylinder end portion 31 with the spacer 6 is positioned on the upper side. 1A may be disposed and the catalyst slurry may be allowed to flow from above. In this case, by pouring the catalyst slurry inside the spacer 6, the catalyst slurry is supported on the pores 23, and the effect of suppressing the adhesion of the catalyst slurry to the holding mat 4 by the spacer 6 is the same as that of the first embodiment. It is the same.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing another configuration example of the spacer in the second embodiment.
The spacer 6A shown in FIG. 6 can be used in place of the spacer 6 of the first embodiment described above.
The outer shape of the spacer 6 </ b> A is the same as that of the spacer 6, has a stepped shape having a large-diameter exposed portion 61 and a small-diameter fitting portion 62, a circular inner peripheral surface 63 is formed, One end side is provided with a tapered contact portion 64.

  The spacer 6A is configured by combining two kinds of materials having different rigidity and elasticity. That is, the spacer 6A includes a hard member 65 made of a material having high hardness and an elastic member 66 made of a material having low hardness. Here, the material having high hardness can be said to be a material having high rigidity, and the material having low hardness can also be said to be a material having high flexibility. The hard member 65 and the elastic member 66 are both formed in an annular shape, the elastic member 66 is disposed inside the hard member 65, and the inner surface of the elastic member 66 constitutes the inner peripheral surface 63 and the contact portion 64.

  When the spacer 6A is attached to the canning structure 1A (FIG. 4) instead of the spacer 6 of the first embodiment, an elastic member 66 having low hardness is provided at the carrier end 21 of the ceramic carrier 2. Abut. For this reason, the adhesiveness between the carrier end portion 21 and the spacer 6A (contact portion 64) can be further enhanced. Even when the ceramic carrier 2 and the outer cylinder 3 are not concentric, since the carrier end portion 21 is in close contact with the contact portion 64, there is no problem even if the positioning accuracy of the ceramic carrier 2 at the time of manufacturing the canning structure 1A is low. The catalyst slurry can be attached and adhesion of the catalyst slurry to the holding mat 4 can be suppressed. Furthermore, since the hardness of the hard member 65 on the side in contact with the outer cylinder 3 is high, the spacer 6A can be securely fixed to the outer cylinder 3, while the hardness of the elastic member 66 on the side in contact with the carrier end 21 is low, Breakage of the portion 21 can be reliably prevented.

[Third Embodiment]
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing another configuration example of the spacer according to the third embodiment.
The spacer 6B shown in FIG. 7 can be used in place of the spacer 6 of the first embodiment described above.
The outer shape of the spacer 6 </ b> B is the same as that of the spacer 6, has a stepped shape having a large-diameter exposed portion 61 and a small-diameter fitting portion 62, and a circular inner peripheral surface 63 is formed. One end side is provided with a tapered contact portion 64.

The spacer 6B is configured by combining two types of materials having different rigidity and elasticity. That is, the spacer 6B includes a hard member 67 made of a material having high hardness and an elastic member 68 made of a material having low hardness. A material with high hardness can be said to be a material with high rigidity, and a material with low hardness can also be said to be a material with high flexibility.
The hard member 67 and the elastic member 68 are formed in an annular shape having the same inner diameter, and the hard member 67 and the elastic member 68 are overlapped and joined in the height direction. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 7, a part of the exposed portion 61 and the fitting portion 62 is constituted by a hard member 67, and the fitting portion 62 side is constituted by an elastic member 68. The contact portion 64 is configured by an elastic member 68 having a low hardness.

  When this spacer 6B is attached to the canning structure 1A (FIG. 4) instead of the spacer 6 of the first embodiment, an elastic member 68 having a low hardness is provided at the carrier end 21 of the ceramic carrier 2. Abut. For this reason, the adhesiveness of the carrier end 21 and the spacer 6B (contact portion 64) can be further enhanced. Further, even if the ceramic carrier 2 and the outer cylinder 3 are not concentric, the carrier end portion 21 is in close contact with the contact portion 64 having low hardness, so that the positioning accuracy of the ceramic carrier 2 at the time of manufacturing the canning structure 1A is low. Can be mounted without any problem, and adhesion of the catalyst slurry to the holding mat 4 can be suppressed. Furthermore, since the stepped portion at the boundary between the exposed portion 61 and the fitting portion 62 is formed of a hard member 67, the spacer 6B can be securely fixed to the outer cylinder 3, while the hardness of the elastic member 68 that the carrier end portion 21 contacts is sufficient. Since it is low, breakage of the carrier end 21 can be reliably prevented.

[Fourth Embodiment]
FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the spacer 8 in the fourth embodiment to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the spacer 8 is attached to the canning structure 1A.
The spacer 8 shown in FIG. 8 is an annular member used instead of the spacer 6 of the first embodiment described above, and does not have a step on the outer peripheral surface and the processing table 73. In the fourth embodiment, the one end portion 81 and the other end portion 82 have the same dimensions and the same shape, and the diameter of the inner peripheral surface 83 is uniform. The material constituting the spacer 8 is a non-water-holding elastic material.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the spacer 8 is attached to the canning structure 1 </ b> A, the entire spacer 8 is fitted inside the outer cylinder 3. In this state, the spacer 8 is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface 33 of the outer cylinder and also in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the carrier end 21. One end 81 is flush with the outer cylinder end 31, and a space exists between the other end 82 and the end surface 41 of the holding mat 4.
In the second step, the catalyst slurry flows into the outer cylinder 3 from the outer cylinder end portion 31 side as indicated by an arrow S. The catalyst slurry flows into the ceramic carrier 2 along the inner peripheral surface 83 of the spacer 8 and flows through the pores 23 toward the carrier end 22.
Here, there is almost no gap between the outer cylinder inner peripheral surface 33 of the outer cylinder 3, the outer peripheral surface of the ceramic carrier 2, and the spacer 8, or the spacer 8 is a non-water retaining member. Therefore, the catalyst slurry hardly flows toward the holding mat 4. For this reason, adhesion of the catalyst slurry to the holding mat 4 can be suppressed, and the cost can be reduced.

Further, when supplying the catalyst slurry, the catalyst slurry may flow from between the outer peripheral surface of the carrier end 21 and the inner peripheral surface 83 of the spacer 8 and adhere to the end surface 41. In this case, since the end face 41 is protected from the exhaust gas by the catalyst slurry as described above, the erosion of the holding mat 4 is suppressed, and the holding force for holding the ceramic carrier 2 is improved.
As described above, when the spacer 8 according to the fourth embodiment is used, the catalyst device 1 is not provided with a special member, as in the first embodiment described above, while having a simple shape. Since the adhesion of the catalyst slurry to the holding mat 4 can be suppressed, an effect such as cost reduction can be obtained without any influence after the catalyst slurry is supported (after the second step).
Further, the fourth embodiment has an advantage that the spacer 8 can be fixed even if the clearance between the outer cylinder end portion 31 and the carrier end portion 21 is short.

The spacer 8 according to the fourth embodiment may be configured by combining a plurality of materials having different hardness, like the spacer 6A in the second embodiment and the spacer 6B in the third embodiment. Is possible.
Moreover, the said 1st-4th embodiment shows the specific example to which this invention is applied, and this invention is not limited to the aspect demonstrated by said each embodiment.

It is a figure which shows typically the exhaust muffler provided with the catalyst apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is the disassembled perspective view which showed the structure of the catalyst apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a spacer. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which mounted | wore the canning structure with the spacer. It is explanatory drawing of the process of making a catalyst slurry carry | support to a canning structure. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the spacer which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the spacer which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the spacer in 4th Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which mounted | wore the canning structure with the spacer.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Catalytic device 1A Canning structure 2 Ceramic carrier 3 Outer cylinder (metal outer cylinder)
4 Retaining mat (holding material)
6, 6A, 6B, 8 Spacer 21, 22 Carrier end 31, 32 Outer cylinder end 33 Outer cylinder inner peripheral surface 41, 42 End surface 63 Inner peripheral surface 64 Contact portion 83 Inner peripheral surface

Claims (5)

A ceramic carrier having a honeycomb structure and configured in a columnar shape, a metal outer cylinder formed in a cylindrical shape and containing the ceramic carrier in an inner space thereof, an outer periphery of the ceramic carrier, and an inside of the metal outer cylinder And a holding device that holds the ceramic carrier in the metal outer cylinder, and the catalyst carrier is loaded before the catalyst slurry is loaded. In the manufacturing method of the catalyst device for assembling the cylinder and the holding material,
An annular spacer is fixed to the open end of the metal outer cylinder constituting the catalyst device and the catalyst slurry supply side so that the inner peripheral surface of the spacer is in contact with the outer periphery of the ceramic carrier. In addition, the catalyst slurry is supplied to the ceramic carrier after passing through the inner circumferential surface of the spacer. In the manufacturing method of the catalyst apparatus of Claim 1,
The inner peripheral surface of the spacer includes a contact portion that contacts the end portion of the ceramic carrier, and the contact portion is reduced in diameter toward the catalyst slurry supply side with respect to the longitudinal direction of the ceramic carrier. A method of manufacturing a catalyst device, wherein the catalyst device is tapered. In the manufacturing method of the catalyst apparatus of Claim 1 or 2,
The method for manufacturing a catalyst device, wherein the spacer is made of a non-water-holding elastic member. In the manufacturing method of the catalyst device according to claim 3,
The spacer is composed of at least two types of elastic members having different hardness, and the hardness on the side contacting the outer periphery of the ceramic carrier is set low, and the hardness on the side contacting the inner periphery of the metal outer cylinder is set high. A method for producing a catalyst device, comprising: In the manufacturing method of the catalyst apparatus in any one of Claim 1 to 4,
A method for manufacturing a catalyst device, wherein the open end face of the metal outer cylinder is projected 10 mm or more from the end face of the ceramic carrier on the catalyst slurry supply side.

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