Device for purification of exhaust gases

Claim 1

Apparatus for the catalytic purification of exhaust gases from combustion engines, comprising an elongated casing forming a chamber with an exhaust gas inlet port at one end thereof and an exhaust gas outlet port at another end thereof, a catalytic body disposed in said chamber, dampening means disposed in said chamber and comprising at least one block formed of a wire and fitted around an outer surface of said catalytic body, said wire being of a preformed screw shape, said preformed screw-shaped wire being wound into the shape of said at least one block such that said at least one block defines inner and outer peripheries, said screw-shaped wire providing said at least one block with elasticity enabling said at least one block to be elastically expanded and compressed, said inner periphery of said at least one block being of smaller cross-section than said catalytic body when said at least one block is in a relaxed state, said at least one block being elastically expanded so that said inner periphery is stretched around said outer surface of said catalytic body and exerts inward gripping forces thereagainst, said at least one block being disposed in an annular space defined between said catalytic body and said elongated casing and elastically compressed therebetween whereby the inward gripping forces are enhanced and said outer periphery is outwardly biased against an inner surface of said casing to enable said at least one block to expand outwardly within said annular space as said space enlarges in response to thermal expansion of said casing.