Monolithic converter

Claim 1

A catalytic converter for combustion engine exhaust systems comprising a metal housing having a longitudinal axis and having an inlet for unpurified exhaust gas at one end and an outlet for relatively purified gas at the other end, a catalyst element in said housing comprising a gas pervious monolithic refractory substrate containing catalyst material and having support faces at opposite ends that are substantially parallel to each other and substantially normal to said axis, a resilient layer around said substrate and resiliently supporting it radially in said housing, said substrate having a gas inlet surface and a gas outlet surface each extending substantially normal to said longitudinal axis, inlet gas passage means providing a gas flow passage between said housing inlet and said substrate inlet surface for unpurified gas, outlet gas passage means providing a gas flow passage between said substrate outlet surface and said housing outlet for relatively purified gas, support means contained inside of said housing serving to axially support said catalyst element in position between said inlet and outlet and including transverse partitions and at least one separate and individual relatively flat layer of spring metal washer means inside said housing and separable from and non-integral with respect to all other parts of said converter and consisting of at least one axially compressed undulated wave spring washer reacting against said partitions and axially movable as a whole relative at least one of the partitions and housing and applying continuous spring pressure to said substrate in a direction substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis and in longitudinal alignment with said support faces, said relatively flat layer of spring metal wsher means constituting the only spring means applying continuous resilient pressure to said substrate in the direction of said longitudinal axis.