A ceramic precursor mixtures for extrusion and firing into porous ceramics. The ceramic precursor mixtures include ceramic beads and green inorganic shear binder agglomerates. The green inorganic shear binder agglomerates can include inorganic filler particles and a polymeric binder. The green inorganic shear binder agglomerates can deform under an applied shear stress during mixing and/or extrusion such that they are smeared into a plurality of interbead gaps between adjacent ceramic beads or pore former particles. During firing, the smeared green inorganic shear binder agglomerates can sinter and react to form ribbons extending between, and interconnecting adjacent ceramic beads.

A coated ceramic honeycomb body comprising a honeycomb structure comprising a matrix of intersecting porous walls forming a plurality of axially-extending channels, at least some of the plurality of axially-extending channels being plugged to form inlet channels and outlet channels, wherein a total surface area of the outlet channels is greater than a total surface area of the inlet channels, and wherein a catalyst is preferentially located within the outlet channels, and preferentially disposed on non-filtration walls of the outlet channels. Methods and apparatus configured to preferentially apply a catalyst-containing slurry to the outlet channels and non-filtration walls are provided, as are other aspects.

A method for reducing gas seepage into a cement slurry. The method includes adding a formulation to the cement slurry, the formulation comprising at least one component responsive to a predetermined concentration of hydrocarbon gas in the cement slurry, where upon the cement slurry reaching the predetermined concentration of hydrocarbon gas, the hydrocarbon gas undergoes at least a partial oxidation caused by the formulation to quicken the setting time of the cement slurry via release of heat by an exothermic reaction.

A honeycomb structure includes a pillar-shaped honeycomb structure body having a porous partition wall disposed to surround a plurality of cells, wherein a major component of the partition wall is cordierite, a porosity of the partition wall is 45 to 55%, an average pore diameter of the partition wall is 8 to 19 μm, a cumulative pore volume of the partition wall is such that a pore volume ratio of the pores having a pore diameter larger than a thickness of the partition wall relative to an overall pore volume of the partition wall is 3.0% or less, and a pore volume ratio of the pores having a pore diameter of 10 μm or less relative to the overall pore volume of the partition wall is 30% or more, and a pore diameter distribution of the partition wall is a unimodal distribution, or a multimodal distribution.

A hydrocarbon trap is provided for reducing cold-start hydrocarbon emissions. The trap comprises a monolithic flow-through substrate having a porosity of at least 60% and including a zeolite loading of at least 4 g/in.sup.3 in or on its walls. A separate coating of a three-way catalyst is provided over the zeolite coating. The trap may further include an oxygen storage material. The hydrocarbon trap may be positioned in the exhaust gas system of a vehicle such that unburnt hydrocarbons are adsorbed on the trap and stored until the monolith reaches a sufficient temperature for catalyst activation.

In a method of making a gaseous emissions treatment component, a green ceramic mix is extruded through a die to form an extrusion having cells extending along the extrusion, the cells being bounded by walls dividing adjacent cells from one another. In concert with the extruding, metal is fed through the die with the extruded mix. A length of the extrusion and associated metal is then cut off and fired to form the component.

The present invention relates to a honeycomb structured body including a honeycomb fired body in which multiple through-holes are arranged longitudinally in parallel with one another with a partition wall therebetween, wherein the honeycomb fired body is an extrudate containing ceria-zirconia composite oxide particles, -alumina particles, -alumina, and -alumina fibers, and the honeycomb fired body has a porosity of 55 to 70%.

A vehicular exhaust filter (2) comprising a porous substrate having an inlet face and an outlet face with the porous substrate comprising inlet channels extending from the inlet face and outlet channels extending from the outlet face is disclosed. The inlet channels and the outlet channels are separated by a plurality of filter walls having a porous structure.

The vehicular exhaust filter (2) is loaded with a refractory powder having a tapped density before loading of less than 0.10 g/cm.sup.3 and the vehicular exhaust filter has a mass loading of the refractory powder of less than 10 g/l.

A method performs evaluation of properties of a clay rod, with which a honeycomb structural body is produced. The method mixes raw materials to produce a clay, and extrudes the clay and compresses the extruded clay to produce a clay rod. The method performs NMR to detect at least one of a T1 relaxation time and a T2 relaxation time in each of a normal part and an abnormality part extracted from the clay rod. Each of the T1 relaxation time and the T2 relaxation time corresponds to a relaxation time of nuclear spins of water protons magnetically excited in each of the normal part and the abnormality part. The method performs the evaluation of uniformity of a mixed state and a compression state of the clay rod based on a difference in T1 relaxation time and T2 relaxation time between the normal part and the abnormality part.

A honeycomb body (300) including a plurality of radially-extending walls (322) intersecting with a plurality of circumferentially-extending walls (324), the plurality of radially-extending walls (322) and the plurality of circumferentially-extending walls (324) form a plurality of circumferential zones (334A, 334B, 334C) of cells (308). The plurality of circumferential zones (334A, 334B, 334C) of cells (308) includes a first zone of cells (334A) including two or more first rings of cells (330) and having a first cell density, and a second zone of cells (334B) including two or more rings of cells (330) having varying cell densities across the two or more rings of cells. Other structures and extrusion dies are disclosed.