Honeycomb Extrusion Die Slot Layout for Uniform Thin-Wall Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current extrusion die designs for ceramic honeycomb bodies with thin walls face challenges in achieving uniform flow and defect-free manufacturing, leading to lower strength and increased risk of fractures during the canning process, particularly with wall thicknesses less than 2.5 mils (0.0635 mm).
Innovation Solution
The development of a honeycomb extrusion die with a unique configuration featuring alternating wide and narrow slots, where the die body includes pins with surface indentation features and feedholes that intersect with both slot types, along with an impedance plate to manage ceramic-forming mixture flow, allowing for the extrusion of honeycomb bodies with significantly different wall thicknesses, including nested cell structures with thin and thick walls.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional extrusion die designs are used for thin-walled honeycomb bodies, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but flow uniformity deteriorates and defect risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The die structure is segmented into multiple functional zones: a mandrel with circumferential grooves creating segmented flow paths, and a die body with axial and radial feedholes. This segmentation allows independent control of material flow into different slot regions, achieving uniform flow distribution while maintaining structural organization.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the die are designed with locally optimized features: the mandrel has circumferential grooves at specific positions to control radial flow, the die body has axial feedholes for longitudinal material supply, and slot regions are differentiated by thickness. This local quality approach ensures each region contributes optimally to overall flow uniformity.
2Temperature
If wall thickness is reduced to achieve thin-walled honeycomb bodies, then thermal mass is reduced, but isostatic strength deteriorates and fracture risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mandrel incorporates periodic circumferential grooves that create alternating thick and thin wall sections in a regular pattern. This periodic variation in wall thickness allows optimization of thermal mass reduction in thin sections while maintaining structural strength through periodic thick sections, resolving the contradiction between thermal performance and mechanical strength.
3Device complexity
If feedholes are positioned to supply all slots uniformly, then material distribution is simplified, but flow uniformity to slots of different thicknesses deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The feedhole system is designed with local quality differentiation: axial feedholes supply material to specific regions, while radial feedholes provide additional supply paths to slots of varying thicknesses. This localized feedhole configuration ensures that each slot receives appropriate material flow based on its specific thickness requirements, achieving flow uniformity across diverse slot geometries.
Solution Approach 2:
The mandrel acts as an intermediary component between the die body feedholes and the slots. Its circumferential grooves mediate the material flow distribution, directing material from the feedholes to specific slot regions and ensuring uniform flow distribution despite variations in slot thickness and feedhole positioning.
Data Source
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AI summary
A honeycomb extrusion die body (401) including inlet (414) and exit (402) faces, and a plurality of pins (406) on the exit face (402) defining a matrix of intersecting wide slots (425) and narrow slots (427). The wide slots (425) have an exit width (W1) greater than an exit width (W2) of the narrow slots (427). The die body (401) further includes feedholes (422) at the inlet face (414) and intersecting with inlet portions (416) to the wide slots (425) and/or the narrow slots (427). Some of the pins (406) defining the wide slots (425) include a first surface indentation feature (430) that is (i) located between the inlet portion (416) and the wide slot exit and (ii) spaced away from the wide slot exit. Some of the pins (406) defining the narrow slots (427) include a second surface indentation feature (434) that is (i) located between the inlet portion and the narrow slot exit and (ii) spaced away from the narrow slot exit.