EXHAUST COMPONENT, METHOD FOR PRODUCING SUCH AN EXHAUST COMPONENT, AND DEVICE FOR CARRYING OUT SAID METHOD

Abstract

An exhaust-gas component, having across-sectionallyrectangular arrangement composed of at least onecross-sectionallyrectangular exhaust-gas aftertreatment element; and a housing which engages around thecross-sectionallyrectangular arrangement. The housing has a rectangular cross section and is divided, along a diagonal of the cross section, into two housing parts. The housing is arranged under compressive stress in an external housing.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. An exhaust-gas component, having a cross-sectionally rectangular arrangement composed of at least one cross-sectionally rectangular exhaust-gas aftertreatment element; a housing that engages around the cross-sectionally rectangular arrangement, wherein the housing has a rectangular cross section and is divided, along a diagonal of the cross section, into two housing parts; and an external housing, the housing being arranged under compressive stress in the external housing.

17. The exhaust-gas component according to claim 16, wherein the two housing parts are forced toward one another under stress at mutually adjacent housing edges.

18. The exhaust-gas component according to claim 16, wherein the two housing parts are formed, in cross-section, as L-shaped sheet-metal elements.

19. The exhaust-gas component according to claim 18, wherein an edge length, measured in a cross-sectional plane, of a housing edge of at least one of the two housing parts is smaller than a length of an arrangement edge, bearing against the housing edge in an assembled state, of the arrangement of the at least one exhaust-gas aftertreatment element in a stress-relieved state.

20. The exhaust-gas component according to claim 16, wherein the two housing parts have, at housing edges which are mutually adjacent in an assembled state, positive-locking elements configured to engage one another in the assembled state.

21. The exhaust-gas component according to claim 16, further comprising at least one compression mat arranged between the at least one exhaust-gas aftertreatment element and the housing and/or between at least two exhaust-gas aftertreatment elements.

22. The exhaust-gas component according to claim 16, further comprising a plurality of identical compression mats, wherein each compression mat has at least one slot.

23. The exhaust-gas component according to claim 22, wherein at least two of the compression mats are arranged so as to be fitted into one another.

24. The exhaust-gas component according to claim 16, wherein the two housing parts have face-side, inwardly directed housing flanges.

25. The exhaust-gas component according to claim 16, wherein the external housing has external-housing flanges directed outward at a face side and which have flange positive-locking elements.

26. A method for producing an exhaust-gas component, comprising the steps of: providing a cross-sectionally L-shaped first housing part; arranging at least one cross-sectionally rectangular exhaust-gas aftertreatment element on the first housing part to form a cross-sectionally rectangular arrangement; placing a cross-sectionally L-shaped second housing part on to the arrangement to produce a compression unit; applying a compression force to the housing parts so that the compression unit is compressed; and pressing the compression unit under compressive stress into an external housing.

27. The method according to claim 26, including arranging at least one compression mat between at least two exhaust-gas aftertreatment elements and/or between at least one exhaust-gas aftertreatment element and the housing formed by the first and the second housing parts.

28. The method according to claim 26, including arranging the first housing part on a cross-sectionally L-shaped support surface of a holding device.

29. The method according to claim 26, wherein the compression force is applied to the housing parts by clamping brackets clamped around the compression unit.

30. The method according to claim 26, wherein the pressing of the compression unit into the external housing is performed by applying a pressing force to face-side, inwardly directed housing flanges of the housing parts.

31. A device for carrying out a method according to claim 26, comprising: a holding device that has a cross-sectionally L-shaped support surface; and at least one clamping bracket for applying a compression force to a compression unit of an exhaust-gas component to be produced.

32. The device according to claim 31, wherein the at least one clamping bracket has a first clamping bracket part arrangeable on the support surface.

33. The device according to claim 31, wherein the support surface has at least one recess for arrangement of the first clamping bracket part.

Description

[0052] The invention will be discussed in more detail below on the basis of the drawing, in which:

[0053] FIG. 1 shows an exploded illustration of an exemplary embodiment of an exhaust-gas component with assembled compression unit and external housing;

[0054] FIG. 2 shows an illustration of the exemplary embodiment of the exhaust-gas component as per FIG. 1 in an assembled state;

[0055] FIG. 3 shows an illustration of the arrangement of compression mats on the exemplary embodiment of the exhaust-gas component as per FIG. 1;

[0056] FIG. 4 shows an illustration of an exemplary embodiment of a device for producing an exhaust-gas component, and

[0057] FIG. 5 shows an illustration of an arrangement of a multiplicity of exhaust-gas components in plan view.

[0058] FIG. 1 shows, overall, an exploded illustration of an exemplary embodiment of an exhaust-gas component 1, wherein FIG. 1a) illustrates a multiplicity ofcross-sectionallyrectangular, in this case in particular square, exhaust-gas aftertreatment elements 3, which are arranged in a housing 5. Specifically, in this case, four cross-sectionally square exhaust-gas aftertreatment elements 3, which are preferably formed as ceramic catalyst substrates, are arranged relative to one another and in the housing 5 such that the arrangement of the exhaust-gas aftertreatment elements 3 is itself square, wherein in each case two exhaust-gas aftertreatment elements 3 are arranged adjacent to one another in two directions of the cross-sectional plane such that each edge of the altogether square arrangement is formed from two edges, arranged one behind the other or adjacent to one another, of the exhaust-gas aftertreatment elements 3. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated here, as viewed in the longitudinal direction, in each case only one exhaust-gas aftertreatment element 3 is provided, such that the arrangement itself, and the housing 5, ultimately also has a length of approximately one exhaust-gas aftertreatment element 3, preferably a slightly greater length.

[0059] The housing 5 engages around the exhaust-gas aftertreatment elements 3 arranged relative to one another. Said housing 5 itself has a rectangular, in this case square, cross section and is divided, along a diagonal D arranged here, into two housing parts, specifically into a first housing part 7 and a second housing part 9.

[0060] The housing 5 and the exhaust-gas aftertreatment elements 3 togetherpreferably with at least one compression matform a compression unit 10. FIG. 1b) illustrates an external housing 11 in which the housing 5 can be arranged under compressive stress in the assembled state. Here, in the assembled state, the housing parts 7, 9 are preferably forced against one another or toward one another at mutually adjacent housing edges 13, 15. Here, such adjacent housing edges 13, 15 exist in particular on both sides of the diagonal D, wherein in this case only the housing edges 13, 15 facing toward the viewer are visible, and wherein the opposite housing edgesas viewed along the diagonal Dare concealed in the view of FIG. 1a).

[0061] Here, the housing parts 7, 9 are formed ascross-sectionallyL-shaped sheet-metal elements, in particular as angularly folded sheet-metal shell halves. Here, an edge length, measured in the cross-sectional plane, of housing edges 17, 17 perpendicular to the first housing edge 13 and to the second housing edge 15 is smaller than a length of an arrangement edge, bearing against the housing edges 17, 17 in the assembled state, of the arrangement of the exhaust-gas aftertreatment elements 3 in the stress-relieved state, such that the adjacent housing edges 13, 15 have a certain spacing to one another in the stress-relieved state. It is possible for said spacing to be closed in the compressed state. It is likewise also possible for the housing parts to be dimensioned such that the spacing between the adjacent housing edges 13, 15 is duly decreased, but not reduced to zero, even in the compressed state.

[0062] The housing parts 7, 9 each have, at their housing edges 13, 15 which are mutually adjacent in the assembled state, positive-locking elements 19, 19 which are configured to engage one into the other in the assembled state. Here, the positive-locking elements 19, 19 have teeth whichas illustrated in FIG. 1a)engage one into the other in the assembled state. In this way, the housing parts 7, 9 can be easily aligned relative to one another and provisionally fixed to one another.

[0063] The housing parts 7, 9 have face-side, inwardly directed, preferably inwardly bent or beaded housing flanges 21, which serve in particular for the pressing of the housing 5 into the external housing 11.

[0064] Furthermore, the housing parts 7, 9 have in each case one pull-out element 23, wherein the pull-out elements 23 are formed here as eyelets which are fastened in each case in a bending edge of the L-shaped housing parts 7, 9, in particular are welded in the bending edge.

[0065] The housing parts 7, 9 are preferably bent from thin sheet metal, wherein a sheet-metal thickness of the housing parts 7, 9 is preferably 1 mm.

[0066] The external housing 11 is preferably also formed from bent sheet-metal parts, which are preferably welded to one another in the region of weld seams 25.

[0067] The external housing 11 has external flanges 27 which are directed outward at a face side and which have flange positive-locking elements 29. The flange positive-locking elements 29 are composed in each case of a sequence of mutually adjacently arranged projections and recesses, which are arranged on the external-housing flanges 27 such that adjacent external-housing flanges 27 of two mutually adjacently arranged external housings 11 of identical form can engage with their projections and recesses one into the other in positively locking fashion. The projections preferably have fastening bores 31 which serve for the fastening, for example screw connection, of the external housing 11 and thus also of the entire exhaust-gas component 1 to a superordinate exhaust-gas aftertreatment device. For the sake of better clarity, here, only one fastening bore is denoted by the reference designation 31.

[0068] The external flanges 27 are preferably produced by folding of the metal sheets that form the external housing 11. Here, apertures initially remain in the four corners of the face side, which apertures are preferably filled with in each case one preferably rectangular, in particular square, sheet-metal piece 32 in order to close the external flanges 27 in the circumferential direction. The four sheet-metal pieces 32 are preferably welded to the external flanges 27 and thus form, as a result, a part of the finished external flanges 27.

[0069] FIG. 2 shows an illustration of an assembly of the exhaust-gas component 1 as per FIG. 1. Identical and functionally identical elements are denoted by the same reference designations, such that in this respect, reference is made to the description above. Here, in particular, the housing 5 with the exhaust-gas aftertreatment elements 3 has been inserted, in particular pressed, into the external housing 11, wherein said housing is arranged under compressive stress in the external housing 11. It is also illustrated here that wire mesh elements 33 may also be arranged on the outside of the external housing 11, which wire mesh elements serve for the mounting of the external housing 11 in a superordinate exhaust-gas aftertreatment device.

[0070] In the assembled state, the housing parts 7, 9 are preferably welded to the external housing 11 in the region of the pull-out elements 23, in particular by means of in each case one weld seam preferably 50 mm in length.

[0071] Also visible on the external housing 11 are slots 35, wherein the external housing 11 has a slot 25 of said type in particular on each of its four sides, wherein, in FIG. 2, owing to the selected view, only two of said slots 35 are visible. A cross-shaped holding bracket (not illustrated), composed in particular of sheet-metal, is preferably heldpreferably in non-positively locking, positively locking or cohesive fashion, preferably by weldingin said slots, wherein the cross-shaped holding bracket arranged in the external housing 11 serves as a stabilizing support structure for the external housing 11.

[0072] FIG. 3 shows an illustration of the arrangement of exhaust-gas aftertreatment elements 3 with a multiplicity of compression mats 37, as is preferably provided in the exemplary embodiment as per FIGS. 1 and 2. Identical and functionally identical elements are denoted by the same reference designations, such that in this respect, reference is made to the description above. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated here, compression mats 37 are arranged between the individual exhaust-gas aftertreatment elements 3 and between each exhaust-gas aftertreatment element 3 and the housing 5. Said compression mats serve firstly for sealing off the arrangement and secondly for providing compressibility and/or elasticity of the compression unit 10 which exceeds the elasticity of the housing parts 7, 9.

[0073] In particular, in the exemplary embodiment illustrated here, a multiplicity of identical compression mats 37 is provided, wherein each of the compression mats has at least one slot 39, wherein said slot 39 extends preferably centrally from an outer edge or mat edge of a compression mat 37 as far as approximately a center or center of gravity of the compression mat 37. The slot 39 is thus formed as a central slot. At least two of the compression mats 37 are fitted one into the other by way of their slots 39. These are in particular compression mats which are not illustrated in FIG. 3, because they are concealed, and which are arranged in a cross-shaped manner within the arrangement of, and between, the exhaust-gas aftertreatment elements 3. Said compression mats are preferably of identical form, but are aligned oppositely in terms of their orientation, such that they can engage one into the other by way of their central slots and can thus form a cross-shaped arrangement of two mutually perpendicular compression mats 37.

[0074] In each case one further compression mat 37 is arranged on each outer side of the arrangement of the exhaust-gas aftertreatment elements 3, such that the arrangement illustrated here has a total of six compression mats 37, specifically two internally situated compression mats 37 arranged in a cross-shaped manner and four laterally arranged compression mats 37, two of which face toward the viewer in this case and are thus visible. The compression mats 37 preferably each have, in addition to the central slot 39, two lateral recesses 41, in the region of which an outer edge or mat edge of the compression mats 37 is set back slightly, wherein the recesses 41 extend, in particular as recesses which are open at the edge on two sides, from a lower edge 43 as far as approximately the center of a side edge 45 accommodating the respective recess 41. The remaining region of the extent of the side edge 45 thus forms, as it were, a projection 47 as viewed relative to the recess 41. The laterally arranged compression mats 37 are now aligned in each case in an alternatingly reversed manner with respect to one another, that is to say have alternatingly different orientations, wherein the projections 47 engage into the recesses 41 in each case. It can additionally also be seen that the projections 47 of the central compression mats 37 arranged in a cross-shaped manner engage into the central slots 39 of the laterally arranged compression mats 37. In this way, a stable assembled arrangement of compression mats 37 is provided, which can be realized in a simple manner by placing the compression mats 37 on and plugging them together. Therefore, no complex wrapping of individual exhaust-gas aftertreatment elements 3 is necessary.

[0075] FIG. 4 shows a schematic illustration of a device 49 for carrying out a method for producing the exhaust-gas component 1, in particular the exhaust-gas component 1 as per the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3. The device 49 has a holding device 51 which has a support surface 53 which is L-shaped as viewed in the cross section of a compression unit 10 arranged on the holding device 51. Said support surface is formed, in the exemplary embodiment of the holding device 51 illustrated here, by two support elements 55, such that the support surface 53 is in this case ultimately of two-part form. The support elements 55 are in turn held on a bearing frame 57.

[0076] The L-shaped support elements 55 and thus at the same time the support surface 53 are oriented such that a knee of the L shape points downward in a vertical direction.

[0077] The device 49 has at least one stop plate, formed as a stop element 58, for the alignment of the housing parts 7, 9, of the exhaust-gas aftertreatment elements 3 and/or of the compression mats 37.

[0078] The holding device 51 furthermore has at least one, in this case specifically two, clamping brackets 59, which are configured to engage around the compression unit 10 and to introduce a compression force into the compression unit 10. Here, the clamping brackets 59 have in each case two clamping bracket parts, specifically in each case one first clamping bracket part 61 and one second clamping bracket part 63, wherein the clamping bracket parts 61, 63 can be braced together and thus generate a compression force which is directed inward, that is to say in particular into an interior that is engaged around by the clamping bracket parts 61, 63.

[0079] To produce the exhaust-gas component 1, the first clamping bracket parts 61 are firstly arranged on the support surface 53. Subsequently, the first housing part 7 is placed onto the first clamping bracket parts 61, in particular such that said first housing part abuts against the stop element 58. Then, the compression mats 37 and the exhaust-gas aftertreatment elements 3 are arranged on the first housing part 7 so as to form across-sectionallyrectangular, preferably square arrangement. Thereafter, the second housing part 9 is placed onto said arrangement of the exhaust-gas aftertreatment elements 3 and of the compression mats 37, whereby the compression unit 10 is produced. Here, the positive-locking elements 19 of the housing parts 7, 9 serve for the alignment of said housing parts relative to one another. The second clamping bracket parts 63 are now placed onto the compression unit 10 thus formed, and said second clamping bracket parts are braced with the first clamping bracket parts 61, such that the clamping brackets 59 are formed and a compression force is applied to the housing parts 7, 9 such that the compression unit 10 is compressed.

[0080] The compression unit 10 with the clamping brackets 59 can subsequently be removed from the holding device 51. The compression unit 10 is then finally pressed of a press device (not illustrated here) into the external housing 11, wherein a pressing force is preferably applied to the face-side, inwardly directed housing flanges 21. It is possible here for the compression unit 10 to be pressed out of the clamped clamping brackets 59 and simultaneously pressed into the external housing 11. It is however also possible for the clamping brackets 59 to bein particular successivelyreleased as the compression unit 10 is pressed into the external housing 11.

[0081] FIG. 5 shows an illustration of an arrangement of a multiplicity of exhaust-gas components 1 as per the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3 in plan view. Identical and functionally identical elements are denoted by the same reference designations, such that in this respect, reference is made to the description above.

[0082] It can be seen here that exhaust-gas components 1 of identical form and arranged adjacent to one another engage one into the other by way of the flange positive-locking elements 29 of the external-housing flanges 27, such that the exhaust-gas components 1 can be arranged in a very structural-space-saving and at the same timeowing to the recesses formed on the external-housing flanges 27also material-saving manner. At the same time, the positive-locking elements 29 engaging one into the other stabilize the arrangement of the exhaust-gas components 1. These are preferably arranged in, in particular fastened to or in, an exhaust-gas housing (not illustrated) of a superordinate exhaust-gas aftertreatment device. Here, it is possible in particular for the exhaust-gas components 1 to be screwed into the exhaust-gas housing by means of the fastening bores 31.

[0083] Also visible in FIG. 5, owing to the face-side view, are the central compression mats 37 arranged in a cross-shaped manner between the exhaust-gas aftertreatment elements 3.

[0084] Altogether, it can be seen that, with the exhaust-gas component 1, the method for the production thereof and the device for carrying out the method, an optimized rectangular, preferably square, arrangement of exhaust-gas aftertreatment elements 3 can be provided. Here, structural space advantages are achieved in an entire exhaust-gas aftertreatment installation owing to the simple, compact and at the same time flexible arrangement of rectangular, in particular square, exhaust-gas aftertreatment elements 3, which are easily exchangeable. Furthermore, damage to the exhaust-gas aftertreatment elements 3 during the assembly process is prevented in an effective manner.