Expansion Chamber In Exhaust?

Sorry if this is a rookie question, but here goes: I have a 93 Accord and after driving over some rough terrain, it was obvious by the sound of the exhaust that I had messed something up. I found the leak and it is a tear in some sort of woven-metal chamber, about 8 inches before the catalytic converter. What is this? Will replacing it be cheap and simple or are the repairs going to be extensive? Is it neccessary or can I just weld some pipe in there? thanks

It is a flex joint. It allows the engine and the exhaust to move a bit independent of one another to lessen stresses. you can buy new flex joints on many websites for fairly cheap. just remove the old one and weld in a new one.