Acs Industries, Inc.

Zlatomir Kircanski

Steven A Zettel

Sivanandi Rajadurai

Scott J MacKenzie

A compressed knitted wire mesh article having soft and hard wires, some of which are flat and some of which are round, is used a bushing, seal, seat, bushing, or catalyst support, and is especially useful as an end seal for a catalytic converter. The soft wire can be flat and disposed on the outside to aid it shielding the internal wire from corrosion due to impingement of hot exhaust gasses, and provides increased surface area for better sealing around the catalytic monolith. The hard and soft wires can be co-knit in the same knitting head as alternating wires or in any order, or with one wire wrapped around the other being fed to the knitting needle, or as a striped pattern. The mesh can be textured by precompression, such as crimping between rolls.

Wire mesh seal element with soft, flat, hard, and round wires

A wire mesh element having soft wire on the outside and precipitation-hardened wire on the inside is used a bushing, seal, seat, or support, and is useful as an end seal for a catalytic converter. The soft wire on the outside can be flat to aid it shielding the internal wire from corrosion due to impingement hot exhaust gasses.

Wire mesh seal element with soft flat and hard round wires

A high temperature, composite structure includes a blank of wire mesh material fabricated from drawn wire from a stainless steel rod. The drawn wire is annealed and mixed to create raw material. The mixed raw material is knitted to create the blank of wire mesh material, the blank of wire mesh material having voids formed therein. A dispersion comprising vermiculite as a binder is impregnated within the blank of wire mesh material. The dispersion substantially fills the voids of the blank of wire mesh material. A method of manufacturing the structure is further disclosed. Specifically, the method includes the steps of providing a blank of wire mesh material having voids formed therein, impregnating the blank of wire mesh material with a dispersion consisting of vermiculite, the dispersion substantially filling the voids, eliminating a water fraction of the dispersion, and pressing the impregnated blank of wire mesh material to a desired shape and density.

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Cumberland, RI, United States of America

Zlatomir Kircanski