SILICON CARBIDE HONEYCOMB FILTER

1 . A silicon carbide honeycomb filter constituted by honeycomb segments each comprising cell walls forming cells defining pluralities of flow paths longitudinally extending between both end surfaces, plugs sealing end surfaces of said cells alternately in a checkerboard pattern, and an outer peripheral wall, bonding material layers filling lattice gaps between said honeycomb segments for bonding them, and a skin layer covering the bonded honeycomb segments, the thickness of said outer peripheral wall being more than 1.5 times and 9 times or less that of said cell walls.

2 . The silicon carbide honeycomb filter according to claim 1 , wherein the thickness of said cell walls is 0.17-0.31 mm.

3 . The silicon carbide honeycomb filter according to claim 1 , wherein in a cross section of said honeycomb segment in a plane perpendicular to the flow path direction, the cross section areas of introducing cells whose outlet-side end surfaces are sealed are larger than those of discharging cells whose inlet-side end surfaces are sealed.

4 . A silicon carbide honeycomb filter comprising honeycomb segments each having cell walls forming cells defining pluralities of flow paths longitudinally extending between both end surfaces, plugs sealing end surfaces of said cells alternately in a checkerboard pattern, and an outer peripheral wall, bonding material layers filling lattice gaps between said honeycomb segments for bonding them, and a skin layer covering the bonded honeycomb segments,

a cross section shape of each honeycomb segment in a plane perpendicular to its flow path direction being an octagon having a linear chamfer at each corner of a quadrilateral, octagon being constituted alternately by first outer peripheral walls corresponding to the sides of said quadrilateral and second outer peripheral walls corresponding to said linear chamfers, vacant intersection spaces free of the bonding material being formed in intersections having contours formed by the second outer peripheral walls in lattice gaps between the bonded honeycomb segments,

a space ratio (t 2 /t 1 ) defined by a ratio of the diameter t 2 of said vacant intersection space to the thickness t 1 of said bonding material layer between said first outer peripheral walls being more than 1.4, and

the thickness of the first outer peripheral wall being more than 1.5 times and 9 times or less that of the cell wall in each honeycomb segment.

5 . The silicon carbide honeycomb filter according to claim 4 , wherein said quadrilateral constituting said first outer peripheral walls of said honeycomb segments is a square.

6 . The silicon carbide honeycomb filter according to claim 5 , wherein the cross section shape of said honeycomb segment is an octagon obtained by forming a chamfer having an inclination angle of 45° at each corner of a square.

7 . The silicon carbide honeycomb filter according to claim 4 , wherein said vacant intersection space has a cross section shape whose contour is substantially in contact with four opposing second outer peripheral walls.

8 . The silicon carbide honeycomb filter according to claim 4 , wherein said vacant intersection space has a square, octagonal or circular cross section shape.

9 . The silicon carbide honeycomb filter according to claim 4 , wherein a cross section of said second outer peripheral wall in a plane perpendicular to its flow path direction has a triangular shape formed by two cell walls extending in two perpendicular directions and closest to said second outer peripheral wall and an outer peripheral surface of said second outer peripheral wall, and the maximum thickness of said second outer peripheral wall, which is defined by the distance between the center vertex of said triangular shape and said outer peripheral surface, is larger than the thickness of said first outer peripheral wall.

10 . The silicon carbide honeycomb filter according to claim 4 , wherein the inclination angle of said linear chamfer to a side of said quadrilateral is 45°.

11 . The silicon carbide honeycomb filter according to claim 4 , wherein the thickness of each cell wall is 0.17-0.31 mm.

12 . The silicon carbide honeycomb filter according to claim 4 , wherein in a cross section of said honeycomb segment in a plane perpendicular to the flow path direction, the cross section areas of introducing cells whose outlet-side end surfaces are sealed are larger than those of discharging cells whose inlet-side end surfaces are sealed.