# US 2017/0287155 A1 · Porous body, honeycomb filter, microstructure analysis method, program for same, and microstructure analyzer

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 2017/0287155 A1
- Document ID: US20170287155A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 15/467,069
- Filed: 2017-03-23
- Published: 2017-10-05
- Earliest claimed: 2016-03-31
- Assignees: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
- Applicants: Ngk Insulators, Ltd.
- Inventors: Ayaka SAKAI; Satoshi SAKASHITA; Shingo SOKAWA; Yuichi TAJIMA
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20170287155A1

## CPC

- G06T 7/60: Analysis of geometric attributes
- B01D 46/2429: {of the honeycomb walls or cells}
- B01D 46/24491: {Porosity}
- B01D 46/2474: {of the walls along the length of the honeycomb}
- B01D 46/2482: {Thickness, height, width, length or diameter}
- B01D 46/2484: {Cell density, area or aspect ratio}
- C04B 28/24: containing alkyl, ammonium or metal silicates; containing silica sols {(reaction mixtures resulting in mineral polymers C04B28/006; polymeric reaction products of alkali metal silicates with isocyanates C08G18/3895)}
- C04B 35/195: Alkaline earth aluminosilicates, e.g. cordierite {or anorthite}
- C04B 38/0006: {Honeycomb structures (from one or more corrugated sheets by winding or stacking C04B38/0083)}
- F01N 3/022: characterised by specially adapted filtering structure, e.g. honeycomb, mesh or fibrous
- B01D 46/2498: {The honeycomb filter being defined by mathematical relationships}
- B01D 2279/30: for treatment of exhaust gases from IC Engines
- C04B 2111/00793: {as filters or diaphragms}
- C04B 2111/0081: {as catalysts or catalyst carriers}
- C04B 2235/3217: Aluminum oxide or oxide forming salts thereof, e.g. bauxite, alpha-alumina
- C04B 2235/3244: Zirconium oxides, zirconates, hafnium oxides, hafnates, or oxide-forming salts thereof
- C04B 2235/349: Clays, e.g. bentonites, smectites such as montmorillonite, vermiculites or kaolines, e.g. illite, talc or sepiolite
- F01N 2330/06: Ceramic, e.g. monoliths
- G06T 2200/04: involving 3D image data
- Y02T 10/12: Improving ICE efficiencies
- G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
- B01D: SEPARATION (separating solids from solids by wet methods B03B, B03D; by pneumatic jigs or tables B03B; by other dry methods B07; magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high-voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges, vortex apparatus B04; presses per se for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material B30B9/02; treatment of water C02F, e.g. softening by ion-exchange C02F1/42; {arrangements of air intake cleaners in gas turbine plants F02C7/05} ; arrangements or mounting of filters in air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation F24F13/28)
- C04B: LIME, MAGNESIA; SLAG; CEMENTS; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF, e.g. MORTARS, CONCRETE OR LIKE BUILDING MATERIALS; ARTIFICIAL STONE {(roofing granules E04D7/005)}; CERAMICS (devitrified glass-ceramics C03C10/00); REFRACTORIES; TREATMENT OF NATURAL STONE
- F01N: GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES (arrangements in connection with gas exhaust of propulsion units in vehicles B60K13/00; combustion-air intake silencers specially adapted for, or arranged on, internal-combustion engines F02M35/00; protecting against, or damping, noise in general G10K11/16)
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION

## Abstract

In a porous body, a surface layer thickness Ts takes a relatively small value satisfying P≧0.54 Ts (formula (1)), the surface layer thickness Ts being derived by a microstructure analysis using the porous-body data that is prepared through three-dimensional scanning of a region including a surface (inflow plane 61) of the porous body. Here, P denotes a porosity [%] of the porous body, and 0%<P<100% and 0 μm<Ts are assumed. The surface layer thickness Ts is derived as a distance in a thickness direction (X direction) between a surface-layer region start plane 92 in which a straight-pore opening ratio becomes 98% or less for the first time and a surface-layer region end plane 93 in which the straight-pore opening ratio becomes 1% or less for the first time.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A porous body wherein, when porous-body data in which positional information providing a position of a voxel is associated with voxel type information including information that allows determination as to whether the voxel is a spatial voxel representing a space or an object voxel representing an object is prepared through three-dimensional scanning of a region including a surface of the porous body, and when following steps are performed using the porous-body data;
(a) a step of defining an imaginary surface that is in contact with at least one object voxel present in the surface of the porous body,
(b) a step of identifying, as surface layer straight-pore voxels, spatial voxels in contact with the imaginary surface and spatial voxels that continuously lie from the imaginary surface toward an inside of the porous body in a thickness direction, which is perpendicular to the imaginary surface and which extends toward the inside of the porous body, and
(c) a step of successively shifting the imaginary surface in the thickness direction to define the imaginary surface after each shift as an imaginary reference surface, identifying, as a surface-layer region start plane, an imaginary reference plane in which a straight-pore opening ratio denoting a proportion of the surface layer straight-pore voxels occupying the imaginary reference surface becomes 98% or below for first time, identifying, as a surface-layer region end plane, an imaginary reference plane in which the straight-pore opening ratio becomes 1% or below for first time, and deriving, as a surface layer thickness Ts, a distance between the surface-layer region start plane and the surface-layer region end plane in the thickness direction,
the derived surface layer thickness Ts [μm] and a porosity P [%] of the porous body satisfy a following formula (1):
P≧0.54 Ts (1)
(where 0%<P<100% and 0 μm<Ts)

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The porous body according to claim 1, wherein a following formula (2) is satisfied:
P≧0.63 Ts (2)

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The porous body according to claim 1, wherein 25%≦P≦70% is satisfied.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

A honeycomb filter including partition each of which includes the porous body according to claim 1, and which form a plurality of cells serving as paths of a fluid,
wherein a surface of the porous body constitutes an inflow plane through which the fluid flows into the partition from the cell.

### Claim 5

A microstructure analysis method using porous-body data in which positional information providing a position of a voxel is associated with voxel type information including information that allows determination as to whether the voxel is a spatial voxel representing a space or an object voxel representing an object, the porous-body data being prepared through three-dimensional scanning of a region including a surface of the porous body, the microstructure analysis method comprising:
(a) a step of defining an imaginary surface that is in contact with at least one object voxel present in the surface of the porous body;
(b) a step of identifying, as surface layer straight-pore voxels, spatial voxels in contact with the imaginary surface and a predetermined number or more of spatial voxels that continuously lie from the imaginary surface toward an inside of the porous body in a predetermined thickness direction, or a step of identifying, as the surface layer straight-pore voxels, the predetermined number or more of spatial voxels that continuously lie from the imaginary surface toward the inside of the porous body in the predetermined thickness direction; and
(c) a step of deriving, as a surface layer thickness Ts, a length of a surface layer region in the thickness direction, the surface layer region being determined on the basis of a region where the identified surface layer straight-pore voxels are present.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The microstructure analysis method according to claim 5, wherein the step (c) comprises successively shifting the imaginary surface in the thickness direction to define the imaginary surface after each shift as an imaginary reference surface, identifying, as a surface-layer region start plane, an imaginary reference plane in which a straight-pore opening ratio denoting a proportion of the surface layer straight-pore voxels occupying the imaginary reference surface takes a predetermined first opening ratio, and deriving the surface layer thickness Ts without including, in the surface layer region, a region on a side closer to the imaginary surface than the surface-layer region start plane.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The microstructure analysis method according to claim 6, wherein the first opening ratio is a value in a range of less than 100% and 97% or more.

### Claim 8 (depends on 5)

The microstructure analysis method according to claim 5, wherein the step (c) comprises successively shifting the imaginary surface in the thickness direction to define the imaginary surface after each shift as an imaginary reference surface, identifying, as a surface-layer region end plane, an imaginary reference plane in which a straight-pore opening ratio denoting a proportion of the surface layer straight-pore voxels occupying the imaginary reference surface takes a predetermined second opening ratio, and deriving the surface layer thickness Ts without including, in the surface layer region, a region on an inner side closer to the inside of the porous body than the surface-layer region end plane in the thickness direction.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The microstructure analysis method according to claim 8, wherein the second opening ratio is a value in a range of 10% or less and 0.5% or more.

### Claim 10 (depends on 5)

The microstructure analysis method according to claim 5, wherein in the step (a), the imaginary surface is defined as a plane parallel to any one of an XY plane, an XZ plane, and a YZ plane in three-dimensional coordinates, or a plane which is in contact with three or more object voxels present in the surface of the porous body and in which a triangle formed by at least one set of three object voxels selected from the three or more object voxels includes a barycenter of the surface of the porous body.

### Claim 11 (depends on 5)

A program causing one or more computers to execute individual steps in the microstructure analysis method according to claim 5.

### Claim 12

A microstructure analyzer comprising:
a storage device for storing porous-body data in which positional information providing a position of a voxel is associated with voxel type information including information that allows determination as to whether the voxel is a spatial voxel representing a space or an object voxel representing an object, the porous-body data being prepared through three-dimensional scanning of a region including a surface of the porous body;
an imaginary surface definition device for defining, on the basis of the porous-body data, an imaginary surface that is in contact with at least one object voxel present in the surface of the porous body;
an identification device for identifying, as surface layer straight-pore voxels, spatial voxels in contact with the imaginary surface and a predetermined number or more of spatial voxels that continuously lie from the imaginary surface toward an inside of the porous body in a predetermined thickness direction, or identifying, as the surface layer straight-pore voxels, the predetermined number or more of spatial voxels that continuously lie from the imaginary surface toward the inside of the porous body in the predetermined thickness direction; and
a surface layer thickness derivation device for deriving, as a surface layer thickness Ts, a length of a surface layer region in the thickness direction, the surface layer region being determined on the basis of a region where the identified surface layer straight-pore voxels are present.