Patent ID: 8394220

Claim:
A method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure, the method comprising the steps of: forming a plurality of quadrangular prism honeycomb formed bodies each having partition walls defining a plurality of cells functioning as fluid passages and extending from one end face to another end face, and a rectangular cross section perpendicular to a central axis by subjecting a forming material to a forming, firing thus formed plurality of honeycomb formed bodies to obtain a plurality of quadrangular prism honeycomb fired bodies, producing triangular prism segments by cutting in half at least one of the plurality of the quadrangular prism honeycomb fired bodies along a diagonal in a cross section perpendicular to a central axis so as to be parallel to the central axis each other, forming a quadrangular prism pseudo segment by fitting an aluminum or aluminum alloy hollow auxiliary member whose outer peripheral shape has a cross section perpendicular to a central axis that is the same shape as an outer peripheral shape of a cross section perpendicular to the central axis of each of the triangular prism segments so that a hypotenuse of the cross section perpendicular to the central axis of the hollow auxiliary member faces a hypotenuse of the cross section perpendicular to the central axis of the triangular prism segment, forming a predetermined number of the quadrangular prism honeycomb fired bodies and a predetermined number of thus formed quadrangular prism pseudo segments into an assembly of honeycomb segments in such a manner that two faces of each hollow auxiliary member, which form a right angle therebetween in a cross section perpendicular to the central axis of the assembly, are located at an outermost peripheral position at respective corners of the assembly, and the two faces which constitute the respective remaining other two faces of the quadrangular prism pseudo segments of all of the triangular prism segments constituting the quadrangular prism pseudo segments together with the hollow auxiliary members are brought into contact with two faces of the quadrangular prism honeycomb fired bodies adjacent to each of said quadrangular prism pseudo quadrangular segments in a cross section perpendicular to the central axis, bonding the assembly by applying a bonding material to spaces formed between the segments in the assembly, and then applying pressure to the bonded assembly by clenching the bonded assembly from the outermost periphery toward the inside to obtain a honeycomb block body having the hollow auxiliary members at the respective corners, drying the bonding material applied to the spaces of the honeycomb block body having the hollow auxiliary members and then detaching all of the hollow auxiliary members from a dried honeycomb block body to obtain a honeycomb block body, and grinding an outer peripheral portion of a resultant honeycomb block body in such a manner that at least a part of each of all of the triangular prism segments is ground to obtain a honeycomb structure having a predetermined shape.