Ngk Insulators, Inc.

Osaka University

Ngk Insulatros, Ltd.

Chikashi Ihara

Jotaro Miyata

Takashi Goshima

Shinya Yoshida

Takashi Yasue

Yoshiyuki Kamei

Masato Shimada

Yuji Katsuda

Fumio Kawamura

Katsuhiro Imai

Takatomo Sasaki

Jun Yoshikawa

Masaaki Masuda

Mikiya Ichimura

Yusuke Mori

Takashi Noro

Takeshi Tokunaga

Michio Sekiguchi

Shungo Watanabe

Kazuyuki Yamasawa

A method for estimating a heat generation distribution in a honeycomb structure includes: a first step of allowing a predetermined minute current to flow between electrode layers Aand Bto energize a honeycomb structure, and measuring surface potentials at multiple points; a second step of allowing a predetermined minute current to flow between electrode layers Aand Bto energize the honeycomb structure, and measuring surface potentials at multiple points; a third step of quantifying, based on the measured surface potentials at the multiple points, at least one of resistances at the multiple points in the honeycomb structure, resistance ratios for energization paths, voltage sharing ratios, and surface potentials of the electrode layers A, A, Band B; and a step of estimating a heat generation distribution in the honeycomb structure based on the values quantified in the third step.

Method for estimating heat generation distribution in honeycomb structure, method for producing honeycomb structure and method for producing electrically heating support

A manufacturing method of a silicon carbide-based honeycomb structure, including a firing step of introducing extruded honeycomb formed bodies containing a silicon carbide-based component, together with firing members into a firing furnace, and firing the honeycomb formed bodies, to manufacture the silicon carbide-based honeycomb structure, wherein the firing members are formed by using a ceramic material containing 70 wt % or more of alumina, and the firing step further includes: an inert gas supplying step of supplying an inert gas to a furnace space of the firing furnace, and a gas adding step of adding a reducing gas to the furnace space.

Manufacturing method of silicon carbide-based honeycomb structure

A method for transferring a plurality of columnar honeycomb structures according to the present invention includes: subjecting first side surfaces of the plurality of columnar honeycomb structures to vacuum suction; and correctively transferring the plurality of the columnar honeycomb structures, optionally while supporting second side surfaces opposing to the first side surfaces of the plurality of columnar honeycomb structures by a supporting member.

Method and device for transferring columnar honeycomb structures

An inert gas substituting method includes: a closing step of accommodating a honeycomb formed body in an indoor space of a gas substituting chamber and closing the same with airtightness from the outside being maintained; a pressure reducing step of reducing the pressure in the indoor space to a preset first vacuum pressure; a pressure increasing step of introducing argon gas into the pressure-reduced indoor space and increasing the pressure to a second vacuum pressure which is higher than the first vacuum pressure and lower than atmospheric pressure; a pressure re-reducing step of reducing the pressure to the first vacuum pressure again; and a pressure recovering step of repeating the pressure increasing step and the pressure re-reducing step at least twice, introducing argon gas into the indoor space in which the pressure has been reduced to the first vacuum pressure again, and recovering the pressure to atmospheric pressure.

Inert gas substituting method and ceramic structure manufacturing method using inert gas substituting method

A detecting apparatus includes: a lifting mechanism section that is provided with a lifting portion for lifting honeycomb structures and a shelf plate; an actual load value measuring section that measures an actual load value; a total load value calculating section that adds up the plurality of measured actual load value; a total load value determining section that compares a standard total weight value of the honeycomb structures and the shelf plate to the total load value and determines whether to satisfy a total load value determining condition; an actual load value determining section that compares the actual load value to the specified load value and determines whether to satisfy an actual load value determining condition; and a shelf-plate crack determining section that determines that the shelf plate is cracked when the total load value determining condition or the actual load value determining condition is not satisfied.

Shelf-plate crack detecting method, honeycomb structure delivering method, shelf-plate crack detecting apparatus, and shelf plate delivering apparatus

The invention provides a shuttle kiln that can fire ceramic porous bodies containing organic binders in a shorter period of time than in conventional methods without occurring breaks due to a temperature difference between the inside and the outside. The shuttle kiln of the invention is suited for firing of ceramic porous bodies containing organic binders. It includes a gas suction paththat suctions in-furnace gas and discharges it via an afterburnerand a circulation paththat suctions the in-furnace gas to the furnace outside to burn organic binder gas and then returns it into the furnace.

Shuttle kiln for firing ceramic porous bodies

The invention provides a tunnel kiln for firing ceramic porous bodies which can fire ceramic porous bodies containing organic binders in a shorter period of time than in conventional methods without producing breaks or requiring nitrogen gas. The tunnel kiln includes a preheating zone, a firing zone, and a cooling zoneand fires the ceramic porous bodies loaded on a carriageby driving it in a furnace. A heat storage regenerative burneris used as means of heating the firing zoneso that low-oxygen-concentration exhaust gas discharged from the heat storage regenerative burnermay be returned to an exhaust gas return lineand supplied into the preheating zone. The exhaust gas return linemay be provided with a combustion devicethat reduces the oxygen concentration by consuming oxygen contained in the exhaust gas.

Tunnel kiln for firing ceramic porous bodies

There is provided an electric heater support plate which is not likely to be softened or deformed during firing at a high temperature, even if a material to be fired contains an alkaline component or an Si component as a volatile component. A passagefor the material to be fired surrounded by a ceiling refractory, wall refractoriesand a floor refractoryis provided with an electric heaterheating from above and an electric heaterheating from below. This electric heaterhas at least its heating partmounted and supported on a fire-resistant support plate, and this support platein this invention has a two-layer structure in which an insulating ceramic support plateis laminated on an SiC-based ceramic plate. The two-layer structure support platesare supported by refractoriesinstalled in a furnace and are arranged in parallel in a plurality of rows in a longitudinal direction of the furnace, and the electric heatermounted on the support plates is so constructed as to generate heat by an electric power supplied from an energizing terminalexposed to the outside of a furnace wall.

Support structure of heater

A seed crystal is immersed in a melt containing a flux and a single crystal material in a growth vessel to produce a nitride single crystal on the seed crystal. A difference (TS-TB) of temperatures at a gas-liquid interface of the melt (TS) and at the lowermost part of the melt (TB) is set to 1&#xb0; C. or larger and 8&#xb0; C. or lower. Preferably, the substrate of seed crystal is vertically placed.

Method for manufacturing single crystal of nitride

A to-be-burned object including a metal Si component or SiC or SiNcan be burned in such a manner that vaporized SiO can be safely exhausted without causing SiO attached to a wall of a furnace or an inner face of an exhaust duct. An exhaust method of a continuous furnace for continuously burning a to-be-burned object containing a metal Si component or highly-fire-resistant SiC or SiNincludes steps of 1) exhausting in-furnace gas including SiO vaporized during a burning process. An exhaust ductused for this exhaust is provided at an upper part of a side wallof the furnace having a higher temperature (1300 degrees C. or more) than a concentration temperature of SiO vaporized during a burning process. 2) oxidizing the exhausted SiO at the outside of the furnace to detoxify SiO. The in-furnace gas exhausted by the exhaust ductis guided to an exhaust pipeconnected to an outlet of the exhaust ductat the outside of the furnace. This exhaust pipeincludes oxygen supply holesand. By sending oxygen supplied from an appropriate oxygen supply source into the exhaust pipe, SiO guided to the exhaust pipereacts with oxygen and is detoxified.

Method of discharging gas from continuous oven and gas discharge structure

A material with a low volume resistivity at room temperature composed of an aluminum nitride sintered body is provided. The sintered body contains samarium in a converted content calculated as samarium oxide of not lower than 0.04 mole percent. The sintered body contains an aluminum nitride phase and a samarium-aluminum complex oxide phase. The samarium-aluminum complex oxide phase forms intergranular layers with a low resistivity along the intergranular phase between aluminum nitride grains.

Material of low volume resistivity, an aluminum nitride sintered body and a member used for the production of semiconductors

An apparatus for testing a tube for its strength to resist internal pressure, is composed of: an expandable elastomer having a hollow body with one open end; a test head, connected to the expandable elastomer, to provide the expandable elastomer with pressure using fluid as a medium; a holder, disposed below the test head, to vertically move a tube into a place in which the expandable elastomer is inserted into a tube; and a transferring mechanism, arranged beside the holder, to provide the holder with a tube from a rack. The apparatus according to the present invention can automatically and continuously test numerous tubes for its strength to resist internal pressure, overcoming disadvantages of the non-automatic, non-continuous apparatus previously disclosed.

Growing community of inventors

Nagoya, Japan

Chikashi Ihara