Honeycomb Green Body Bearer with Curved Sponge Layer

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Solution Overview

Problem

The production of honeycomb green bodies is hindered by local deformations in the inward region relative to the outer peripheral wall, particularly when the cell-wall thickness becomes thinner and cell size larger, leading to reduced production yield and limited machining accuracy for the bearing surface of the bearer.

Innovation Solution

A method involving an extruder to form a honeycomb green body with a lattice of cell-walls, where a bearer with a solid main body and a curved sponge layer is used to support the honeycomb green body, allowing for precise approximation of the bearing surface to a target shape or curvature, thereby preventing local deformations and enhancing machining accuracy.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the cell-wall thickness is reduced and cell size is increased, then the productivity and performance of the honeycomb green body are improved, but local deformations occur in the inward region leading to lowered production yield

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveproduction yieldVSAvoidshape accuracy of honeycomb green body

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The bearer is designed with non-uniform structure: a solid main body providing rigid support and a sponge layer providing flexible cushioning. This local differentiation of material properties allows the bearer to simultaneously maintain structural integrity and prevent local deformations in the honeycomb green body during processing

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The sponge layer is attached to the solid main body in advance to create a cushioning effect before the honeycomb green body is processed. This pre-positioned cushioning prevents local deformations from occurring during extrusion and drying processes, thereby maintaining production yield when using thin cell-walls

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

2Ease of manufacture

If porous polyurethane resin is used for the bearer to secure machining accuracy, then the ease of manufacture is improved, but the machining accuracy cannot be sufficiently enhanced due to the porous nature of the material

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of machining bearing surfaceVSAvoidmachining accuracy of bearing surface

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The bearer uses a composite structure combining solid main body material (such as metal or dense foam) with a sponge layer (porous polyurethane resin). The solid main body provides the structural foundation that can be precisely machined, while the sponge layer adds cushioning properties. This composite approach overcomes the limitation of using purely porous materials for precision machining

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

3Device complexity

If a simple solid main body is used for the bearer, then the device complexity is reduced, but the bearing surface cannot be sufficiently approximated to the target shape or curvature

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestructural complexity of bearerVSAvoidapproximation of bearing surface to target shape

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The sponge layer acts as a flexible covering on the solid main body. This flexible layer can be conformally attached to match complex target shapes and curvatures of the bearing surface, achieving high precision approximation without requiring the solid main body itself to be extremely complex in shape

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The method effectively suppresses local deformations and improves the approximation of the bearing surface to a target shape or curvature, thereby increasing production yield and machining accuracy while maintaining the structural integrity of the honeycomb green body.

Implementation Method 1

a single-layer or multi-layer sponge layer attached to the arc surface of the groove, the sponge layer being curved along the arc surface of the groove and having a bearing surface curved along the arc surface

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElastic deformation: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentUS11459180B2Method of producing honeycomb green body or fired article, bearer and method of producing the same

Publication Date: 2022.10.04 NGK INSULATORS LTD

AI summary

A bearer for bearing a honeycomb green body includes a solid main body provided with a groove in which a concave arc surface extends along one direction; and a single-layer or multi-layer sponge layer attached to the arc surface of the groove. The sponge layer is curved along the arc surface of the groove and has a bearing surface curved along the arc surface.