Diesel particulate filters

A diesel exhaust particulate honeycomb filter comprising a frontal inlet end and an outlet end, a matrix of thin, porous, intersecting vertically extending walls and horizontally extending walls, which define a plurality of cell channels extending in a substantially longitudinal and mutually parallel fashion between the frontal inlet end and the outlet end, wherein the frontal inlet end has a first section of cells plugged along a portion of their lengths in a non-checkered pattern and a second section of cells plugged in checkered pattern, wherein the first section of non-checkered plugged cells is smaller than the second section of checkered plugged cells.

A diesel particulate honeycomb filter comprising a frontal inlet end, an outlet end, a group of cell channels extending from the frontal inlet end to the outlet end which are end-plugged in a checkered pattern either at the frontal inlet end or at the outlet end, and another group of partial cell channels, wherein the partial cell channels extend partially from the frontal inlet end into the honeycomb filter body, wherein the partial cell channels are unplugged at the frontal inlet end.

A ceramic filter for trapping and combusting diesel exhaust particulates comprising a honeycomb filter body composed of porous ceramic material and including a plurality of parallel cell channels traversing the body from a frontal inlet end to an outlet end thereof, wherein:

• a portion of the cell channels are end-plugged in a non-checkered pattern, and the remaining cell channels are end-plugged in a checkered pattern, and,
• the frontal inlet end comprises a first section of non-checkered end-plugged cells, and a second section of checkered end-plugged cells, and the outlet end comprises cell channels end-plugged in a checkered pattern, and,
• the first section forms a pattern of four equal circular patterns across the frontal inlet end.

A ceramic filter for trapping and combusting diesel exhaust particulates comprising a honeycomb filter body composed of porous ceramic material and including a plurality of parallel cell channels traversing the body from a frontal inlet end to an outlet end thereof, wherein:

• a portion of the cell channels are end-plugged in a checkered pattern at the frontal inlet end, and,
• another portion of partial cell channels, the partial cell channels extending partially from the frontal inlet end into the honeycomb filter body, the partial cell channels being unplugged at the frontal inlet end.