A honeycomb structural body includes: a porous cell wall that partitions a cylindrical casing; and a large number of cells extending in the axial direction X thereof and alternately blocked at an upstream end face. The large number of cells include plugged cells having plugs and penetrating cells that do not have the plugs. The plugged cells and the penetrating cells both include complete cells and incomplete cells. At least some of plugged incomplete cells of the incomplete cells have a cross-sectional area smaller than a cross-sectional area of penetrating complete cells, and are configured as blocked cells that are entirely blocked inside in the axial direction.

A method for plugging a subset of cells of a honeycomb structure that includes: covering a first end face of the honeycomb structure with a mask that comprises a body and a plurality of openings, wherein the plurality of openings of the mask is coincident with a plurality of cells of the honeycomb structure; providing a plug of material upon a film material; applying a force to the film material to push the plug of material through the plurality of openings of the mask and into the plurality of cells of the honeycomb structure; and measuring a pressure within the plurality of cells during the applying step, wherein the applying step further comprises adjusting the force applied to the film material based at least in part on the pressure within the plurality of cells to push the plug of material to a predetermined depth within the plurality of cells.

In a process for manufacturing a catalytic converter component, a ceramic unit is used that has been prepared by extruding green ceramic product through a die to form an extrusion having a honeycomb substrate structure in which tubular passages extend along the extrusion, the passages bounded by walls dividing adjacent passages from one another. The unit is obtained by cutting off a length of the extrusion and curing and firing it. The process further comprises, following the firing, injecting a mixture of a mastic component and a particulate metal component from an end of the ceramic unit into selected ones of the cells so as to block the selected cells over at least a part of the lengths thereof while maintaining all of the walls of the ceramic unit, and curing the injected material to render the injected material solid.

A gaseous emissions treatment component is made by extruding a green ceramic mix through a die to form an extrusion having a honeycomb substrate with elongate cells extending its length and with the cells bounded by walls dividing adjacent cells from one another. Molten metal for use in induction heating of the component is placed in selected cells and is solidified by cooling.

A method for producing a ceramic honeycomb structure including: plugging ends of cells on one of a first end face side and a second end face side in each of the cells of a ceramic honeycomb formed body that includes partition walls defining the cells extending from the first end face to the second end face; placing the ceramic honeycomb formed body on a shelf board with the first end face facing downward; arranging at least one lid member on the second end face of the ceramic honeycomb formed body so as to completely cover the second end face; and placing the ceramic honeycomb formed body together with the shelf board and the lid member in a firing furnace and firing the ceramic honeycomb formed body.

A method for producing a ceramic honeycomb filter having a ceramic honeycomb structure having plugs in predetermined cells: comprising using an apparatus having a reservoir having an inlet for a plugging material slurry and an upper opening, a porous plate with pluralities of openings covering the upper opening of the reservoir, and a holding member fixed to an upper end of the reservoir; keeping a lower surface of the sealing film attached to a lower end surface of the ceramic honeycomb structure apart from an upper surface of the porous plate by a distance D of more than 0 mm and 2.0 mm or less; supplying a predetermined volume of the plugging material slurry into the reservoir to introduce it into the predetermined cells of the ceramic honeycomb structure; rotating the ceramic honeycomb structure after sealing of the ceramic honeycomb structure is released; and lifting the ceramic honeycomb structure after the rotation starts.

A ceramic honeycomb filter comprising a ceramic honeycomb structure having pluralities of flow paths partitioned by porous cordierite cell walls, and plugs formed in predetermined flow paths of the ceramic honeycomb structure; the plugs being formed by ceramic particles and an amorphous oxide matrix existing between the ceramic particles; in a cross section of the plugs, an area ratio A1 of the amorphous oxide matrix in a longitudinal range of t from one end, and an area ratio A2 of the amorphous oxide matrix in a longitudinal range of t from the other end meeting the relation of A1/A22, wherein t represents the length of the plug in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the plug.

A method for plugging a subset of cells of a honeycomb structure that includes: covering a first end face of the honeycomb structure with a mask that comprises a body and a plurality of openings, wherein the plurality of openings of the mask is coincident with a plurality of cells of the honeycomb structure; providing a plug of material upon a film material; applying a force to the film material with a piston to push the plug of material through the plurality of openings of the mask and into the plurality of cells of the honeycomb structure; and measuring a plurality of pressures within the plurality of cells of the honeycomb structure during the applying step.

A method of plugging channels of a honeycomb body and a honeycomb body including plugged channels. The method includes applying a shear force to a plugging mixture including a plurality of inorganic particles, clay, and a liquid vehicle to alter the viscosity of the plugging mixture from a first viscosity prior to the vibrating to a second viscosity which is less than the first viscosity. A honeycomb body is placed into contact with the plugging mixture such that a portion of the plugging mixture having the second viscosity flows into the plurality of channels. Application of the shear force is stopped or reduced to increase the viscosity of the portion of the plugging mixture in the plurality of channels to greater than the first viscosity.

A method for plugging a subset of cells of a honeycomb structure that includes: covering a first end face of the honeycomb structure with a mask that comprises a body and a plurality of openings, wherein the plurality of openings of the mask is coincident with a plurality of cells of the honeycomb structure; providing a plug of material upon a film material; applying a force to the film material to push the plug of material through the plurality of openings of the mask and into the plurality of cells of the honeycomb structure; and measuring a pressure within the plurality of cells during the applying step, wherein the applying step further comprises adjusting the force applied to the film material based at least in part on the pressure within the plurality of cells to push the plug of material to a predetermined depth within the plurality of cells.