Title of Invention	METHOD AND DEVICE FOR JOINING A SUPPORT MATRIX OF A HONEYCOMB ON THE END FACE USING BONDING TECHNOLOGY.
Abstract	A method for the end-face connection of a support matrix (3) of a honey-comb body (4) by means of a joining technique, in particular a catalyst support body, said matrix being arranged in a tubular jacket (7) and being laminated and/or wound from at least partially structured sheet metal foils (1,2), in which at least one end face (11) of the honeycomb body (4) is at least partially heated up with the aid of a surface inductor (13) comprising induction coils (12) whereby connections of the sheet metal folls (1,2) to one another are established at least at certain locations (14), in particular at certain spots (15), characterized In that the surface inductor (13) and/or the honeycomb body (4) are moved in relation to each other during the heating process, in particular rotated.

Title of Invention

METHOD AND DEVICE FOR JOINING A SUPPORT MATRIX OF A HONEYCOMB ON THE END FACE USING BONDING TECHNOLOGY.

Abstract

A method for the end-face connection of a support matrix (3) of a honey-comb body (4) by means of a joining technique, in particular a catalyst support body, said matrix being arranged in a tubular jacket (7) and being laminated and/or wound from at least partially structured sheet metal foils (1,2), in which at least one end face (11) of the honeycomb body (4) is at least partially heated up with the aid of a surface inductor (13) comprising induction coils (12) whereby connections of the sheet metal folls (1,2) to one another are established at least at certain locations (14), in particular at certain spots (15), characterized In that the surface inductor (13) and/or the honeycomb body (4) are moved in relation to each other during the heating process, in particular rotated.

Full Text	E 41520 Method and apparatus for the end-face connection of a support matrix of a honeycomb body by means of a joining technique The present invention relates to a method for the end-face connection of a support matrix of a honeycomb body by means of joining technique, in particular a catalyst support body, said matrix being arranged in a tubular jacket and being laminated and/or wound from at least partially structured sheet metal foils, and relates to an apparatus, in particular for carrying out the method. Known honeycomb bodies, in particular metallic catalyst support bodies, comprise a support matrix with, for example, spirally wound-up, very thin-walled, smooth and/or corrugated sheet metal foils, which are interconnected in a circular-cylindrical or else oval-cylindrical tubular jacket by means of a joining technique, by welding, soldering, sintering, adhesive bonding or the like. To increase the resistance of such a honeycomb body to thermal alternating loads, it is already known to connect the sheets of the support matrix to one another, and if appropriate to the tubular jacket, by means of a joining technique only in certain subregions, for example at the end faces, so that under thermal loading there are possibilities for the tubular jacket and support matrix to expand unhindered, thereby avoiding plastic deformations of the matrix cells under alternating load, with the consequences of delamination and destruction of the support matrix. Classic methods for the end-face connection of a support matrix of a honeycomb body by means of a joining technique, in -1- particular a catalyst support body, said matrix being arranged in a tubular jacket and being laminated and/or wound from at least partially structured sheet metal foils, are nowadays carried out in particular in a discontinuous process, lasting several hours, in a high-temperature oven. The individual honeycomb bodies are in this case loaded into the oven collected together in batches. To avoid chemical reactions, such as undesired crystal formation or oxidation, in particular on the surface of the sheet metal foils, the joining process takes place in an oven under an inert gas atmosphere, for example containing argon and/or hydrogen, or in a vacuum and consequently in particular entails quite high expenditure on apparatus and corresponding costs. It is the object of the present invention to specify an improved, in particular significantly shortened, method for the end-face connection of a support matrix of a honeycomb body by means of a joining technique, in particular a catalyst support body, said matrix being arranged in a tubular jacket and being laminated and/or wound from at least partially structured sheet metal foils. A further object is to provide an apparatus, in particular for carrying out the method. This object is achieved by a method with the features as claimed in claim 1 and by an apparatus with the features as claimed in claim 10. Expedient developments are specified in the respectively dependent claims. The present invention for the end-face connection of a support matrix of a honeycomb body by means of a joining technique, in particular a catalyst support body, said matrix being arranged in a tubular jacket and being laminated and/or wound from at least partially structured sheet metal foils, makes use in particular of the idea of at least partially heating up at -2- least one end face of the honeycomb body with the aid of a surface inductor comprising induction coils, the induction coils of which are appropriately arranged, in such a way that connections of the sheet metal foils to one another are established at least at certain locations, in particular at certain spots. As mentioned for example in EP 0 245 737 B1, the use of inductive means for at least partial connection of a laminated and/or wound support matrix of a honeycomb body by means of a joining technique has previously scarcely been considered, since it was assumed that, by contrast with the tubular jacket, the honeycomb structure taken as a whole could be heated up and brought to a high enough temperature for connection by a joining technique only very poorly, both by means of induction coils and by thermal irradiation from nutside. However, the present invention surprisingly makes it possible in an advantageous way for at least one end face of the support matrix of a honeycomb body to be connected by a joining technique in a matter of seconds. In general it is possible here to dispense with inertizing means, since chemical reactions do not occur for a sustained period of time, at least insofar as slowly proceeding equilibrium reactions are concerned, on account of the extremely reduced connecting time. In particular for application of the invention in the production of particularly flexible catalyst support bodies, it is proposed that the connecting locations on the end face of the honeycomb body can preferably be established in a locally selective way and/or variably with regard to their extent on the end face. Proposed for this purpose is a -3- surface inductor which is variable in an advantageous way with regard to the production of connecting locations and/or connecting spots, that is with regard to its effective regions. In particular when the invention is combined with possibly already existing inductive apparatuses for the at least partial connection of, in particular, the ends of sheet metal foils to a tubular jacket by means of a joining technique, it is proposed for example to design the induction coils such that the end faces of the honeycomb body are heated up in such a way that no connections of the sheet metal foils to the tubular jacket are established. An embodiment of the invention as an alternative to this provides for example designing the induction coils at least partially such that the end face of the honeycomb body is heated up in such a way that connections of the sheet metal foils with respect to the tubular jacket are at the same time established. According to a further embodiment of the invention, the induction coils are preferably designed such that essentially the entire end face of the support matrix of a honeycomb body can be heated up, in particular uniformly. This aim can also be achieved and/or supported for example by the surface inductor and/or the honeycomb body being moved in relation to each other, in particular rotated. As an alternative or in addition to this, the surface inductor may also be appropriately designed, for example with segmented induction coils or as a so-called spiral inductor. _4_ Tests have shown that the induction coils of an apparatus according to the invention do not have to be operated with a high AC voltage frequency of approximately 3 MHz, as may be expected on the basis of theoretical considerations, but that in a preferred configuration a much lower AC voltage frequency of approximately 138 to 170 kHz, in particular approximately 140 to 160 kHz, preferably approximately 150 kHz, is already adequate to introduce sufficient energy into the sheet metal foils to be able to establish the connection by means of a joining technique described for example below. The present invention is suitable in particular for connections by joining techniques such as soldering or sintering and can be applied in an advantageous way while the process of producing catalyst support bodies is in progress, without exceeding the short cycle times for the remaining production steps for the connecting operation. Finally, it should also be mentioned that not only can the features described above be combined with one another but they can also be combined with known types of connection by means of joining techniques. In particular, the advantages of the present invention can be combined with the advantages of the production of catalyst support bodies under an inert gas atmosphere or some other defined atmosphere for surface treatment, in that the honeycomb body is kept entirely or partly under inert gas during the connecting operation. Further advantages, features and application possibilities of the present invention are now explained in detail on the basis of an exemplary embodiment of a catalyst support body with intertwisted sheet metal foils, to which the invention is not restricted however, and with reference to the accompanying drawings. In which: -5- Figure 1 shows a catalyst support body produced by intertwisting in opposite directions in a perspective view; Figure 2 shows the catalyst support body according to Figure 1 with a surface inductor in side view; and Figure 3 shows the surface inductor according to Figure 2 in front view. Figure 1 schematically shows a support matrix 3 of a honeycomb body 4, in particular a catalyst support body, said matrix being laminated and wound from alternating layers of smooth sheet metal foils 1 and structured, for example corrugated, sheet metal foils 2 and intertwisted in opposite directions, in the exemplary embodiment about two fixed points 5, 6. Sheet metal foils 1, 2 intertwisted in this way and arranged in a tubular jacket 7 are to be connected to one another and possibly to the tubular jacket 7 by a joining technique only in narrow connecting regions 9, for example at the end faces; under thermal loading, possibilities for largely unhindered expansion should exist for the tubular jacket 7 and the support matrix 3. The connection of the sheet metal foils 1, 2 to the tubular jacket 7 may, however, also take place in a separate narrow connecting region 10, for example arranged centrally with respect to the honeycomb body 4, whereby improved unhindered expansion for the support matrix 3 and tubular jacket 7 is made possible for the end face 11 of the honeycomb body 4 subjected first to hot exhaust gas. To improve the stability there, the individual sheet metal foils 1, 2 may be connected by a joining technique not only to the tubular jacket 7 but also additionally to one another in a preferably annular outer-zone region 8. In this way, a stable structure is produced even if individual layers do not touch -6- the tubular jacket on account of deviations in length. In principle, the tubular jacket of a circular-cylindrical design according to the exemplary embodiment may also be of a different form, in particular of an oval-cylindrical design, and/or comprise a plurality of segments. As schematically represented in Figures 2 and 3, the connection by a joining technique at the end face 11 of the support matrix 3 of the honeycomb body 4, in particular a catalyst support body, said matrix being arranged in the tubular jacket 7 and laminated and/or wound from at least partially structured sheet metal foils 1, 2, takes place according to the invention by at least partially heating up the end face 11 of the honeycomb body 4 with the aid of a surface inductor 13 comprising induction coils 12, the induction coils 12 of which are appropriately arranged, in such a way that connections of the sheet metal foils 1, 2 to one another are established at least at certain locations 14, in particular at certain spots 15. To ensure a range of applications for the invention that is as wide as possible, in particular the production of a wide variety of catalyst support bodies, the connecting locations 14 on the end face 11 of the honeycomb body 4 can preferably be established in a locally selective way. It is preferred for each connecting location 14 to be in the form of a spot, that is to extend over a surface area. Such connecting spots 15 can preferably be established variably with regard to their extent over the end face. Proposed for this purpose is a surface inductor 13 which is variable in an advantageous way with regard to the production of connecting locations 14 and/or connecting spots 15, that is with regard to its effective regions 14, 15. This can be achieved for example by means of further induction coil segments 12a, 12b, 12c, which -7- are schematically represented in Figure 3 and can be activated according to the desired size of the connecting spots 15 to be established. It is particularly advantageous if the surface inductor as a whole is of a segmental construction, to allow connections to be established at any location on the end face of the honeycomb body and extending over any desired surface area. The induction coils 12 of the surface inductor 13 according to the exemplary embodiment are preferably designed such that the end face 11 of the honeycomb body 4 is heated up in such a way that the sheet metal foils 1, 2 are not connected to the tubular jacket 7, that is without connections of the sheet metal foils 1, 2 being established with respect to the tubular jacket 7. This allows in an advantageous way the connection of the ends of the sheet metal foils 1, 2 by means of a joining technique to the tubular jacket 7 at some other location than on the end face 11 of the honeycomb body 4, in particular in a central connecting region 10 of the honeycomb body 4, with the advantage of possibilities of undisturbed expansion, it being possible for the connection of the ends of the sheet metal foils 1, 2 to the tubular jacket 7 to take place in particular again by inductive means or in some other way. If the ends of the sheet metal foils are indeed to be end-face connected to the tubular jacket, the end face of the honeycomb body can be heated up in such a way that connections of the sheet metal foils to the tubular jacket can at the same time be established if the induction coils of the surface inductor are at least partially of an appropriate shape. Preferred are surface inductors which at least partially have at the edge induction coils with a higher AC voltage frequency than in the remaining region. -8- In particular in the case of honeycomb bodies 4 with separate connecting regions 9 and 10, it is proposed to improve the end-face stability of the support matrix 3 of the honeycomb body 4 by designing the induction coils 12 preferably such that essentially the entire end face 11 of the support matrix 3 of the honeycomb body 4 can be heated up, in particular uniformly. This aim can also be achieved and/or supported for example by the surface inductor 13 and/or the honeycomb body 4 being moved in relation to each other, in particular rotated, which is symbolized in Figure 2 by arrows. As an alternative or in addition to this, the surface inductor may also be appropriately designed, in addition to the already mentioned segmented construction of the induction coils, for example as a spiral inductor. Tests have shown that the induction coils 12 of an apparatus according to the invention do not have to be operated with a high AC voltage frequency of approximately 3 MHz, as is the case for example with known inductively operated apparatuses for connecting the ends of sheet metal foils to a tubular jacket by means of a joining technique, but that in an advantageous way a much lower AC voltage frequency of approximately 130 to 170 kHz, in particular approximately 140 to 160 kHz, preferably approximately 150 kHz, is already adequate to introduce sufficient energy into the sheet metal foils 1, 2 or the support matrix 3 to be able to establish the desired connecting locations 24 or connecting spots 15. Finally, it should also be pointed out that, unlike as schematically represented in Figure 2, the surface inductor 13 is in reality not arranged so far away from the end face 11 of the honeycomb body 4, but rather directly alongside it. As -9- schematically indicated in Figure 2, the honeycomb body 4 or the entire apparatus may also be arranged in a housing 16, so that an inert gas atmosphere can be established during the heating up. The present invention is suitable in particular for connections by joining techniques such as soldering or sintering and can be applied in an advantageous way while the process of producing catalyst support bodies is in progress. -10- We Claim: 1. A method for the end-face connection of a support matrix (3) of a honey-comb body (4) by means of a Joining technique, in particular a catalyst support body, said matrix being arranged in a tubular Jacket (7) and being laminated and/or wound from at least partially structured sheet metal foils (1,2), in which at least one end face (11) of the honeycomb body (4) is at least partially heated up with the aid of a surface inductor (13) comprising induction coils (12) whereby connections of the sheet metal foils (1,2) to one another are established at least at certain locations (14), in particular at certain spots (15), characterized in that the surface inductor (13) and/or the honeycomb body (4) are moved in relation to each other during the heating process, in particular rotated. 2. The method as claimed in claim 1, In which the connecting locations (14) on the end face (11) of the honeycomb body (4) are established in a locally selective way and/or variably with regard to their extend over certain spots (15). 3. The method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the end face (11) of the honeycomb body (4) is heated up spatially in such a way that connections of the sheet metal foils (1,2) with respect to the tubular jacket (7) are avoided. 4. The method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the end face (11) of the honeycomb body (4) is heated up in such a way that connections of the sheet metal foils (1,2) with respect to the tubular Jacket (7) are at the same time established. 5. The method as claimed in one of the preceding claims, in which essentially the entire end face (11) of the support matrix (3) of the honeycomb body (4) is heated up, preferably uniformly. 11 6. The method as claimed in one of the preceding claims, in which the induction coils (12) are operated with an AC voltage the frequency of which is 130 to 170 kHz, in particular 140 to 160 kHz, preferably 150 kHz. 7. The method as claimed in one of the preceding claims, in which the connection by means of a joining technique is established by brazing, sintering or the like. 8. The method as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein at least the regions of the honeycomb body to be heated are kept under inert gas while the connection by means of a joining technique is being established. 9. An apparatus for carrying out the method for the end-face connection of a support matrix (3) of a honeycomb body (4) by means of a joining technique, for example a cataryst support body, said matrix being arranged in a tubular jacket (7) and being laminated and/or wound from at least partially structured sheet metal foils (1,2), as claimed in one of the preceding claims, said apparatus comprising at least a surface inductor (13) comprising induction coils (12), the induction coils (12) of which are arranged such that at least one end face (11) of the honeycomb body (4) can be at least partially heated up In such a way that connections of the sheet metal foils (1,2) to one another can be established at least at certain locations, in particular at certain spots, wherein the Induction cods comprise a plurality of Induction coll segments (123a, 12b, 12c), said induction coil segments being actuatable. 10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the surface inductor (13) is adjustable with regard to is effective regions (14,15). 12 11 The apparatus as claimed in claim 9 or 10, wherein the apparatus has means (16) for the generation of an inert gas atmosphere, in particular an electrically nonconducting housing, so that the honeycomb body (4) is kept under inert gas entirely or partially while the connection by means of a joining technique Is being established. A method for the end-face connection of a support matrix (3) of a honey-comb body (4) by means of a joining technique, in particular a catalyst support body, said matrix being arranged in a tubular jacket (7) and being laminated and/or wound from at least partially structured sheet metal foils (1,2), in which at least one end face (11) of the honeycomb body (4) is at least partially heated up with the aid of a surface inductor (13) comprising induction coils (12) whereby connections of the sheet metal folls (1,2) to one another are established at least at certain locations (14), in particular at certain spots (15), characterized In that the surface inductor (13) and/or the honeycomb body (4) are moved in relation to each other during the heating process, in particular rotated.

Full Text

E 41520
Method and apparatus for the end-face connection of a support matrix of a honeycomb body by means of a joining technique
The present invention relates to a method for the end-face connection of a support matrix of a honeycomb body by means of joining technique, in particular a catalyst support body, said matrix being arranged in a tubular jacket and being laminated and/or wound from at least partially structured sheet metal foils, and relates to an apparatus, in particular for carrying out the method.
Known honeycomb bodies, in particular metallic catalyst support bodies, comprise a support matrix with, for example, spirally wound-up, very thin-walled, smooth and/or corrugated sheet metal foils, which are interconnected in a circular-cylindrical or else oval-cylindrical tubular jacket by means of a joining technique, by welding, soldering, sintering, adhesive bonding or the like.
To increase the resistance of such a honeycomb body to thermal alternating loads, it is already known to connect the sheets of the support matrix to one another, and if appropriate to the tubular jacket, by means of a joining technique only in certain subregions, for example at the end faces, so that under thermal loading there are possibilities for the tubular jacket and support matrix to expand unhindered, thereby avoiding plastic deformations of the matrix cells under alternating load, with the consequences of delamination and destruction of the support matrix.
Classic methods for the end-face connection of a support matrix of a honeycomb body by means of a joining technique, in
-1-
particular a catalyst support body, said matrix being arranged in a tubular jacket and being laminated and/or wound from at least partially structured sheet metal foils, are nowadays carried out in particular in a discontinuous process, lasting several hours, in a high-temperature oven. The individual honeycomb bodies are in this case loaded into the oven collected together in batches. To avoid chemical reactions, such as undesired crystal formation or oxidation, in particular on the surface of the sheet metal foils, the joining process takes place in an oven under an inert gas atmosphere, for example containing argon and/or hydrogen, or in a vacuum and consequently in particular entails quite high expenditure on apparatus and corresponding costs.
It is the object of the present invention to specify an improved, in particular significantly shortened, method for the end-face connection of a support matrix of a honeycomb body by means of a joining technique, in particular a catalyst support body, said matrix being arranged in a tubular jacket and being laminated and/or wound from at least partially structured sheet metal foils. A further object is to provide an apparatus, in particular for carrying out the method.
This object is achieved by a method with the features as claimed in claim 1 and by an apparatus with the features as claimed in claim 10. Expedient developments are specified in the respectively dependent claims.
The present invention for the end-face connection of a support matrix of a honeycomb body by means of a joining technique, in particular a catalyst support body, said matrix being arranged in a tubular jacket and being laminated and/or wound from at least partially structured sheet metal foils, makes use in particular of the idea of at least partially heating up at
-2-
least one end face of the honeycomb body with the aid of a surface inductor comprising induction coils, the induction coils of which are appropriately arranged, in such a way that connections of the sheet metal foils to one another are established at least at certain locations, in particular at certain spots.
As mentioned for example in EP 0 245 737 B1, the use of inductive means for at least partial connection of a laminated and/or wound support matrix of a honeycomb body by means of a joining technique has previously scarcely been considered, since it was assumed that, by contrast with the tubular jacket, the honeycomb structure taken as a whole could be heated up and brought to a high enough temperature for connection by a joining technique only very poorly, both by means of induction coils and by thermal irradiation from nutside.
However, the present invention surprisingly makes it possible in an advantageous way for at least one end face of the support matrix of a honeycomb body to be connected by a joining technique in a matter of seconds. In general it is possible here to dispense with inertizing means, since chemical reactions do not occur for a sustained period of time, at least insofar as slowly proceeding equilibrium reactions are concerned, on account of the extremely reduced connecting time.
In particular for application of the invention in the production of particularly flexible catalyst support bodies, it is proposed that the connecting locations on the end face of the honeycomb body can preferably be established in a locally selective way and/or variably with regard to their extent on the end face. Proposed for this purpose is a
-3-
surface inductor which is variable in an advantageous way with regard to the production of connecting locations and/or connecting spots, that is with regard to its effective regions.
In particular when the invention is combined with possibly already existing inductive apparatuses for the at least partial connection of, in particular, the ends of sheet metal foils to a tubular jacket by means of a joining technique, it is proposed for example to design the induction coils such that the end faces of the honeycomb body are heated up in such a way that no connections of the sheet metal foils to the tubular jacket are established.
An embodiment of the invention as an alternative to this provides for example designing the induction coils at least partially such that the end face of the honeycomb body is heated up in such a way that connections of the sheet metal foils with respect to the tubular jacket are at the same time established.
According to a further embodiment of the invention, the induction coils are preferably designed such that essentially the entire end face of the support matrix of a honeycomb body can be heated up, in particular uniformly.
This aim can also be achieved and/or supported for example by the surface inductor and/or the honeycomb body being moved in relation to each other, in particular rotated.
As an alternative or in addition to this, the surface inductor may also be appropriately designed, for example with segmented induction coils or as a so-called spiral inductor.
_4_
Tests have shown that the induction coils of an apparatus according to the invention do not have to be operated with a high AC voltage frequency of approximately 3 MHz, as may be expected on the basis of theoretical considerations, but that in a preferred configuration a much lower AC voltage frequency of approximately 138 to 170 kHz, in particular approximately 140 to 160 kHz, preferably approximately 150 kHz, is already adequate to introduce sufficient energy into the sheet metal foils to be able to establish the connection by means of a joining technique described for example below.
The present invention is suitable in particular for connections by joining techniques such as soldering or sintering and can be applied in an advantageous way while the process of producing catalyst support bodies is in progress, without exceeding the short cycle times for the remaining production steps for the connecting operation.
Finally, it should also be mentioned that not only can the features described above be combined with one another but they can also be combined with known types of connection by means of joining techniques. In particular, the advantages of the present invention can be combined with the advantages of the production of catalyst support bodies under an inert gas atmosphere or some other defined atmosphere for surface treatment, in that the honeycomb body is kept entirely or partly under inert gas during the connecting operation.
Further advantages, features and application possibilities of the present invention are now explained in detail on the basis of an exemplary embodiment of a catalyst support body with intertwisted sheet metal foils, to which the invention is not restricted however, and with reference to the accompanying drawings. In which:
-5-
Figure 1 shows a catalyst support body produced by intertwisting in opposite directions in a perspective view;
Figure 2 shows the catalyst support body according to Figure 1 with a surface inductor in side view; and
Figure 3 shows the surface inductor according to Figure 2 in front view.
Figure 1 schematically shows a support matrix 3 of a honeycomb body 4, in particular a catalyst support body, said matrix being laminated and wound from alternating layers of smooth sheet metal foils 1 and structured, for example corrugated, sheet metal foils 2 and intertwisted in opposite directions, in the exemplary embodiment about two fixed points 5, 6. Sheet metal foils 1, 2 intertwisted in this way and arranged in a tubular jacket 7 are to be connected to one another and possibly to the tubular jacket 7 by a joining technique only in narrow connecting regions 9, for example at the end faces; under thermal loading, possibilities for largely unhindered expansion should exist for the tubular jacket 7 and the support matrix 3. The connection of the sheet metal foils 1, 2 to the tubular jacket 7 may, however, also take place in a separate narrow connecting region 10, for example arranged centrally with respect to the honeycomb body 4, whereby improved unhindered expansion for the support matrix 3 and tubular jacket 7 is made possible for the end face 11 of the honeycomb body 4 subjected first to hot exhaust gas. To improve the stability there, the individual sheet metal foils 1, 2 may be connected by a joining technique not only to the tubular jacket 7 but also additionally to one another in a preferably annular outer-zone region 8. In this way, a stable structure is produced even if individual layers do not touch
-6-
the tubular jacket on account of deviations in length. In principle, the tubular jacket of a circular-cylindrical design according to the exemplary embodiment may also be of a different form, in particular of an oval-cylindrical design, and/or comprise a plurality of segments.
As schematically represented in Figures 2 and 3, the connection by a joining technique at the end face 11 of the support matrix 3 of the honeycomb body 4, in particular a catalyst support body, said matrix being arranged in the tubular jacket 7 and laminated and/or wound from at least partially structured sheet metal foils 1, 2, takes place according to the invention by at least partially heating up the end face 11 of the honeycomb body 4 with the aid of a surface inductor 13 comprising induction coils 12, the induction coils 12 of which are appropriately arranged, in such a way that connections of the sheet metal foils 1, 2 to one another are established at least at certain locations 14, in particular at certain spots 15.
To ensure a range of applications for the invention that is as wide as possible, in particular the production of a wide variety of catalyst support bodies, the connecting locations
14 on the end face 11 of the honeycomb body 4 can preferably be established in a locally selective way. It is preferred for each connecting location 14 to be in the form of a spot, that is to extend over a surface area. Such connecting spots
15 can preferably be established variably with regard to their extent over the end face. Proposed for this purpose is a surface inductor 13 which is variable in an advantageous way with regard to the production of connecting locations 14 and/or connecting spots 15, that is with regard to its effective regions 14, 15. This can be achieved for example by means of further induction coil segments 12a, 12b, 12c, which
-7-
are schematically represented in Figure 3 and can be activated according to the desired size of the connecting spots 15 to be established. It is particularly advantageous if the surface inductor as a whole is of a segmental construction, to allow connections to be established at any location on the end face of the honeycomb body and extending over any desired surface area.
The induction coils 12 of the surface inductor 13 according to the exemplary embodiment are preferably designed such that the end face 11 of the honeycomb body 4 is heated up in such a way that the sheet metal foils 1, 2 are not connected to the tubular jacket 7, that is without connections of the sheet metal foils 1, 2 being established with respect to the tubular jacket 7. This allows in an advantageous way the connection of the ends of the sheet metal foils 1, 2 by means of a joining technique to the tubular jacket 7 at some other location than on the end face 11 of the honeycomb body 4, in particular in a central connecting region 10 of the honeycomb body 4, with the advantage of possibilities of undisturbed expansion, it being possible for the connection of the ends of the sheet metal foils 1, 2 to the tubular jacket 7 to take place in particular again by inductive means or in some other way.
If the ends of the sheet metal foils are indeed to be end-face connected to the tubular jacket, the end face of the honeycomb body can be heated up in such a way that connections of the sheet metal foils to the tubular jacket can at the same time be established if the induction coils of the surface inductor are at least partially of an appropriate shape. Preferred are surface inductors which at least partially have at the edge induction coils with a higher AC voltage frequency than in the remaining region.
-8-
In particular in the case of honeycomb bodies 4 with separate connecting regions 9 and 10, it is proposed to improve the end-face stability of the support matrix 3 of the honeycomb body 4 by designing the induction coils 12 preferably such that essentially the entire end face 11 of the support matrix 3 of the honeycomb body 4 can be heated up, in particular uniformly. This aim can also be achieved and/or supported for example by the surface inductor 13 and/or the honeycomb body 4 being moved in relation to each other, in particular rotated, which is symbolized in Figure 2 by arrows.
As an alternative or in addition to this, the surface inductor may also be appropriately designed, in addition to the already mentioned segmented construction of the induction coils, for example as a spiral inductor.
Tests have shown that the induction coils 12 of an apparatus according to the invention do not have to be operated with a high AC voltage frequency of approximately 3 MHz, as is the case for example with known inductively operated apparatuses for connecting the ends of sheet metal foils to a tubular jacket by means of a joining technique, but that in an advantageous way a much lower AC voltage frequency of approximately 130 to 170 kHz, in particular approximately 140 to 160 kHz, preferably approximately 150 kHz, is already adequate to introduce sufficient energy into the sheet metal foils 1, 2 or the support matrix 3 to be able to establish the desired connecting locations 24 or connecting spots 15.
Finally, it should also be pointed out that, unlike as schematically represented in Figure 2, the surface inductor 13 is in reality not arranged so far away from the end face 11 of the honeycomb body 4, but rather directly alongside it. As
-9-
schematically indicated in Figure 2, the honeycomb body 4 or the entire apparatus may also be arranged in a housing 16, so that an inert gas atmosphere can be established during the heating up.
The present invention is suitable in particular for connections by joining techniques such as soldering or sintering and can be applied in an advantageous way while the process of producing catalyst support bodies is in progress.
-10-
We Claim:
1. A method for the end-face connection of a support matrix (3) of a honey-comb body (4) by means of a Joining technique, in particular a catalyst support body, said matrix being arranged in a tubular Jacket (7) and being laminated and/or wound from at least partially structured sheet metal foils (1,2), in which at least one end face (11) of the honeycomb body (4) is at least partially heated up with the aid of a surface inductor (13) comprising induction coils (12) whereby connections of the sheet metal foils (1,2) to one another are established at least at certain locations (14), in particular at certain spots (15), characterized in that the surface inductor (13) and/or the
honeycomb body (4) are moved in relation to each other during the heating process, in particular rotated.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1, In which the connecting locations (14) on the end face (11) of the honeycomb body (4) are established in a locally selective way and/or variably with regard to their extend over certain spots (15).
3. The method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the end face (11) of the honeycomb body (4) is heated up spatially in such a way that connections of the sheet metal foils (1,2) with respect to the tubular jacket (7) are avoided.
4. The method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the end face (11) of the honeycomb body (4) is heated up in such a way that connections of the sheet metal foils (1,2) with respect to the tubular Jacket (7) are at the same time established.
5. The method as claimed in one of the preceding claims, in which essentially the entire end face (11) of the support matrix (3) of the honeycomb body (4) is heated up, preferably uniformly.
11
6. The method as claimed in one of the preceding claims, in which the induction coils (12) are operated with an AC voltage the frequency of which is 130 to 170 kHz, in particular 140 to 160 kHz, preferably 150 kHz.
7. The method as claimed in one of the preceding claims, in which the connection by means of a joining technique is established by brazing, sintering or the like.
8. The method as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein at least the regions of the honeycomb body to be heated are kept under inert gas while the connection by means of a joining technique is being established.
9. An apparatus for carrying out the method for the end-face connection of a support matrix (3) of a honeycomb body (4) by means of a joining technique, for example a cataryst support body, said matrix being arranged in a tubular jacket (7) and being laminated and/or wound from at least partially structured sheet metal foils (1,2), as claimed in one of the preceding claims, said apparatus comprising at least a surface inductor (13) comprising induction coils (12), the induction coils (12) of which are arranged such that at least one end face (11) of the honeycomb body (4) can be at least partially heated up In such a way that connections of the sheet metal foils (1,2) to one another can be established at least at certain locations, in particular at certain spots, wherein the Induction cods comprise a plurality of Induction coll segments (123a, 12b, 12c), said induction coil segments being actuatable.
10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the surface inductor (13) is adjustable with regard to is effective regions (14,15).
12
11 The apparatus as claimed in claim 9 or 10, wherein the apparatus has means (16) for the generation of an inert gas atmosphere, in particular an electrically nonconducting housing, so that the honeycomb body (4) is kept under inert gas entirely or partially while the connection by means of a joining technique Is being established.
A method for the end-face connection of a support matrix (3) of a honey-comb body (4) by means of a joining technique, in particular a catalyst support body, said matrix being arranged in a tubular jacket (7) and being laminated and/or wound from at least partially structured sheet metal foils (1,2), in which at least one end face (11) of the honeycomb body (4) is at least partially heated up with the aid of a surface inductor (13) comprising induction coils (12) whereby connections of the sheet metal folls (1,2) to one another are established at least at certain locations (14), in particular at certain spots (15), characterized In that the surface inductor (13) and/or the honeycomb body (4) are moved in relation to each other during the heating process, in particular rotated.

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Patent Number

207497

Indian Patent Application Number

IN/PCT/2002/00315/KOL

PG Journal Number

24/2007

Publication Date

15-Jun-2007

Grant Date

14-Jun-2007

Date of Filing

06-Mar-2002

Name of Patentee

EMITEC GESELLSCHAFT FUR EMISSIONSTECHNOLOGIE MBH

Applicant Address

HAUPSTRASSE 150, 53797 LOHMAR, GERMANY.

Inventors:

#	Inventor's Name	Inventor's Address
1	SCHAPER, KATRIN	SIEGLARER STRASSE 137, 53842 TROISDORF, GERMAN.

PCT International Classification Number

B 23 K 1/002

PCT International Application Number

PCT/EP00/08596

PCT International Filing date

2000-09-01

PCT Conventions:

#	PCT Application Number	Date of Convention	Priority Country
1	199 43 976.1	1999-09-14	Germany