Abstract: An automatic mask peeling apparatus 10 includes: a brushing apparatus 30 for removing solidified plugging slurry attached to the mask 24; an air injection apparatus 36 for injecting, after the removal of the solidified plugging slurry, air from the opposite end face-side of the one end face to raise a folded surplus part of the mask from the one end face; a mask peeling apparatus 50 for holding the part raised by the air injection apparatus 36 to peel the mask 24; and a carrying apparatus 55 for carrying a masked plugging honeycomb structure 200 from the brushing apparatus 30 to the mask peeling apparatus 50. This apparatus can be used to peel a mask 24 which has been used for plugging only the predetermined cells of a masked plugging honeycomb structure 200; the mask 24 having an area larger than the area of the end face of the structure.

Abstract: An automatic mask peeling apparatus 10 includes: a brushing apparatus 30 for removing solidified plugging slurry attached to the mask 24; an air injection apparatus 36 for injecting, after the removal of the solidified plugging slurry, air from the opposite end face-side of the one end face to raise a folded surplus part of the mask from the one end face; a mask peeling apparatus 50 for holding the part raised by the air injection apparatus 36 to peel the mask 24; and a carrying apparatus 55 for carrying a masked plugging honeycomb structure 200 from the brushing apparatus 30 to the mask peeling apparatus 50. This apparatus can be used to peel a mask 24 which has been used for plugging only the predetermined cells of a masked plugging honeycomb structure 200; the mask 24 having an area larger than the area of the end face of the structure.

Abstract: A ceramic sintered body has a dense portion and a porous portion. The dense portion is formed from sintered ceramic fine particles, and the porous portion is formed from sintered ceramic coarse particles. The fine particles and coarse particles are simultaneously subjected to pressure sintering to form the dense portion and porous portion.

Abstract: A film structure including a silicon carbide film formed on a surface of an aluminum nitride substrate. The substrate has a first base plane, a second base plane positioned downward with respect to the first base plane and a step plane arranged in an intersecting direction between the first base plane and the second base plane. One or more chamfered planes are arranged between the first base plane and the step plane so as to form a plurality of corner portions each having an angle larger than 130°. Alternatively, at least one round portion having a curvature radium of larger than 0.05 mm is arranged between the first base plane and the step plane.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to integrate porous ceramics and dense ceramics with an adequately high bonding strength.

Abstract: A silicon carbide body includes polycrystals of silicon carbide, and has a purity of silicon carbide of not less than 99.9999 wt %, a relative density of not less than 99% and a ratio of silicon of not less than 70.12 wt %.

Abstract: A method for producing a silicon carbide body, includes the steps of forming a silicon carbide mass by chemical vapor deposition, and thermally treating the silicon carbide mass under vacuum or in an inert gas atmosphere at a temperature not less than 2000° C., the silicon carbide article having an electric resistivity higher than that of the silicon carbide mass having not been thermally treated.