1.1 BASIC COMPONENTSThe catalytic converter assembly consists most of these components, inlet/outlet pipes/ flanges, Steel housing, insulation material, seals, inlet/outlet cones, substrate(s), coating and sensor boss. The Substrate is often called a "catalyst support". It is a ceramic honeycomb or a stainless steel foil honeycomb in modern catalytic converters. The ceramic substrate was invented by Rodney Bagley, Irwin Lach man and Ronald Lewis at Coming, in use to increases the amount of surface area available to support the catalyst. The washcoat is used to make converters more efficient, often as a mixture of silica and alumina. When a wash coat is added to the substrate, it forms a rough, irregular surface, which has a far greater surface area than the flat core surfaces do which then gives the substrate a larger surface area, providing more sites for active precious metal -the catalytic which is added to the wash coat (in suspension) before being applied to the substrate.