A pillar-shaped honeycomb structure including an outer peripheral side wall, a plurality of first cells provided on an inner peripheral side of the outer peripheral side wall, the first cells extending from a first end surface to a second end surface, each opening on the first end surface and having a sealing portion with an average void ratio of 4% or less on the second end surface, and a plurality of second cells provided on the inner peripheral side of the outer peripheral side wall, the second cells extending from the first end surface to the second end surface, each having a sealing portion with an average void ratio of 4% or less on the first end surface and opening on the second end surface, the first cells and the second cells being alternately arranged adjacent to each other with a partition wall interposed therebetween.

A cement mixture for application to a honeycomb body and a method of forming a plugged ceramic honeycomb body is provided. The cement mixture contains a plurality of inorganic particles including at least about 50% of a refractory material selected from at least one of alumina and zirconia and less than about 15% titania (by weight), a pore forming agent, an organic binder, and a liquid vehicle.

A honeycomb plugging apparatus that reduces slumping of the plugging patty. Honeycomb plugging apparatus includes a plugging head having an open-ended cavity formed from an end wall and a peripheral wall, and a support substructure provided in the open-ended cavity. Methods of plugging and manufacturing honeycomb bodies using the honeycomb plugging apparatus are provided, as are other aspects.

A honeycomb filter includes a pillar-shaped honeycomb structure having porous partition walls provided, surrounding a plurality of cells which serve as fluid through channels extending from an inflow end face to an outflow end face, and a porous plugging portion provided either at an end on the inflow end face or the outflow end face of the cells, wherein the plugging portion is composed of a porous material, the honeycomb structure has a central region and a circumferential region, and a ratio of an area of the circumferential region with respect to that of the central region ranges from 0.1 to 0.5, porosity of a central plugging portion in the central region is lower than that of a circumferential plugging portion in the circumferential region, and the porosity of the central plugging portions ranges from 60% to 68%, and that of the circumferential plugging portions ranges from 70% to 85%.

A plugged honeycomb structure has a plurality of cells defined by partition walls to become through channels for fluid, one end of each of the predetermined cells is plugged by a plugging member, the other end of each of the residual cells is plugged by the plugging member, the partition wall is made of a cordierite component as a main component, and a value obtained by dividing Young's modulus of a plugging structure portion formed by the partition walls and the plugging member by Young's modulus of a cell structure portion formed by the partition walls is in a range of 1.05 to 2.00.

A pillar shaped honeycomb structure includes: a porous partition wall that defines a plurality of cells, the cells forming flow paths for a fluid, the cells extending from an inflow end face to an outflow end face; and an outer peripheral wall located at the outermost circumference. The cells include: a plurality of cells A wherein a side of the inflow end face is opened and the outflow end face has a plugged portion; and a plurality of cells B wherein a side of the outflow end face is opened and the inflow end face has a plugged portion, the cells B being arranged alternately with the cells A. One or both of the plugged portion of the cells A and the plugged portions of the cells B contain a magnetic substance and glass.

An exhaust gas purification filter includes a plurality of cells each extending from an inflow end face to an outflow end face, a porous partition wall forming the cells in a partitioned manner, inflow-side sealing parts sealing openings on an inflow end face side of outflow cells where the exhaust gas flows out, and outflow-side sealing parts sealing openings on an outflow end face side of inflow cells where the exhaust gas flows in. Each of the inflow-side sealing parts has a porosity of less than 60%. The partition wall has a porosity of 60% or more and 70% or less. Assuming a pore size, at which cumulative pore volume is 50% in pore size distribution of the inflow-side sealing parts, is d50.sub.Pin, and a pore size, at which cumulative pore volume is 50% in pore size distribution of the partition wall, is d50.sub.B, the pore size d50.sub.Pin is less than 18 μm, and the pore size d50.sub.B is 18 μm or more and 25 μm or less.

A pillar shaped honeycomb structure includes: a porous partition wall that defines a plurality of cells, the cells forming flow paths for a fluid, the cells extending from an inflow end face to an outflow end face; and an outer peripheral wall located at the outermost circumference. The cells include: a plurality of cells A wherein a side of the inflow end face is opened and the outflow end face has a plugged portion; and a plurality of cells B wherein a side of the outflow end face is opened and the inflow end face has a plugged portion, the cells B being arranged alternately with the cells A. One or both of the plugged portion of the cells A and the plugged portions of the cells B contain a magnetic substance and glass.

A pillar-shaped honeycomb structure including an outer peripheral side wall, a plurality of first cells provided on an inner peripheral side of the outer peripheral side wall, the first cells extending from a first end surface to a second end surface, each opening on the first end surface and having a sealing portion with an average void ratio of 4% or less on the second end surface, and a plurality of second cells provided on the inner peripheral side of the outer peripheral side wall, the second cells extending from the first end surface to the second end surface, each having a sealing portion with an average void ratio of 4% or less on the first end surface and opening on the second end surface, the first cells and the second cells being alternately arranged adjacent to each other with a partition wall interposed therebetween.

A honeycomb filter includes a pillar-shaped honeycomb structure having porous partition walls placed, surrounding a plurality of cells which serve as fluid through channels extending from an inflow end face to an outflow end face; and porous plugging portions provided either at the ends on the inflow end face side of the cells or at the ends on the outflow end face side of the cells, wherein the plugging portions include plugging portions that have voids therein, and in the plugging portions having the voids, porosity including the voids as pores ranges from 68% to 83%.