Carrier body for exhaust gas catalysts

A carrier body for exhaust gas catalysts, comprising:

• a support;
• a plurality of first corrugated metal sheets, each with a first corrugation;
• a plurality of second corrugated metal sheets, each with a second corrugation that is different from said first corrugation;
• said plurality of first corrugated metal sheets and said plurality of second corrugated metal sheets extending generally horizontally within said support and being stacked alternatively to define layers of first and second corrugated metal sheets;
• said layers having an upstream region and a downstream region, with respect to a direction in which gas flows, which are spaced from each other and an intermediate region disposed between said upstream and downstream regions;
• wherein each of said plurality of said first metal sheets is in contact with the adjacent two of said second metal sheets in each of said upstream and downstream regions at a first group of contact points where the bottom of each trough of said first metal sheet is in contact with the bottom of each trough of one of said adjacent two second metal sheets as well as at a second group of contact points where the top of each crest of said first metal sheet is in contact with the top of each crest of the other of said adjacent two second metal sheets, thereby defining a plurality of sets of parallel independent passages, each of said plurality of sets between adjacent two of said plurality of first metal sheets in each of said upstream and downstream regions;
• wherein said plurality of first metal sheets extend throughout said upstream region, said intermediate region and said downstream region, while said plurality of second metal sheets extend over said upstream region and said downstream region only, so that said plurality of first metal sheets do not contact said plurality of second metal sheets in said intermediate region;
• wherein said first corrugation has a first periodicity and a first amplitude, and said second corrugation has a second periodicity and a second amplitude;
• wherein said first periodicity is substantially equal to said second periodicity and said second amplitude is less than said first amplitude;
• wherein only said plurality of first metal sheets extend in said intermediate region to define a plurality of common passages, each between the adjacent two of said first metal sheets, each of said common passages communicating at one end thereof only with one of said plurality of sets of parallel independent passages that exit in said upstream region and communicating at the opposite end thereof only with one of said plurality of sets of parallel independent passages that exit in said downstream region;
• and
• wherein said common passages extend in parallel relationship within said support and are separated from each other by engagement of said metal sheets with said support.