Diesel exhaust particulate trap with plural filter tubes

A particulate trap for removing particulates from the exhaust flow discharged from a diesel engine, said particulate trap comprising a trap housing having an intermediate filter housing with an inlet connection at one end thereof and an outlet connection connected thereto at its opposite end with a support plate operatively positioned between said opposite end of said filter housing and said outlet connection, said support plate having a central one way valve controlled bypass passage extending therethrough and a plurality of equally spaced apart internally threaded apertures therethrough located around said bypass passage;

• and, a plurality of filter tubes operatively supported within said filter housing by said support plate, each of said filter tubes comprising a perforated tube having an externally threaded outlet fitting fixed at one end thereof that is threadingly engaged in an associate one of said apertures in said support plate whereby said perforated tube is supported in cantilever fashion from said support plate, a closure cap fixed to the opposite end of each said tubes, each of said closure caps being of an external diameter relative to the spacing of said apertures whereby said closure caps will contact adjacent ones of said closure caps so that each of said closure caps on said filter tubes will act as a support for the cantilever ends of adjacent said filter tubes while still permitting axial expansion of said filter tubes and, a coating of ceramic fibers on each said perforated tube extending between said outlet fitting and each said closure caps, the outside diameter of said coating of ceramic fibers being less than the external diameter each of said closure caps.