Ceramic Monolithic Substrates-State of the Art

The state of the art of producing ceramic monolithic substrates for automotive converters is reviewed. The requirements for the substrates, that is, thermal shock resistance, stability, strength, porosity, softening temperature, thermal expansion and size tolerances are discussed, as well as the capability of manufactures to meet the specifications.

The substrates are being produced for 1975 model automobiles. The primary production problems center around edge and corner chips and web thickness variations which occur in production and processing.