Catalytic converter with housing-bed-plenum reinforcing and spacing means

Claim 1

In a catalytic converter for internal combustion engine exhaust gases and of the type having a sheet metal housing enclosing a pair of sheet metal catalyst pellet beds with a stud extending through aligned openings in the members of the housing and both the inner and outer members of each bed to reinforce all these members and also maintain a certain spacing between the members of each bed and wherein the inner bed members also cooperate to form a plenum between the beds: the improvement comprising in combination, a neck integral with one of the inner bed members and extending about its opening and formed over the edge of the opening in the other inner bed member whereby the inner bed members are fixed together in alignment prior to their assembly in the converter, first spacer means integral with the stud for abutting oppositely facing inner sides of the members of one of the beds to thereby maintain a predetermined spacing therebetween, one end of the stud extending outward through the opening in the outer member of said one bed and also through the opening in one of the housing members, the other end of the stud extending outward through the opening in both of the inner bed members and also through both the opening in the outer member of the other bed and the opening in the other housing member, and second spacer means received about the stud and abutting at one end thereof with the inner side of the outer member of said other bed and at the opposite end thereof cooperating with said first spacer means to sandwich both the inner bed members therebetween to thereby maintain a predetermined spacing between the members of said other bed and whereby on external clamping of the housing members to the outer bed members at the stud, such clamping and spacing is permanently retained by fixing the housing members to the ends of the stud.