Hitachi Metals, Ltd.

Jidosha Kiki Co., Ltd.

Hiroshi Suwabe

Koji Hatanaka

Mitusuke Masaka

Kenji Maruta

Sachio Ogasawara

A glow plug for diesel engines includes a ceramic heater with a U-shaped heating portion and a pair of leads integrally formed with the heating portion and extending backwards from both ends of the heating portion. The heater is supported at one end thereof by a hollow holder in a cantilevered state with one end thereof protruding towards the outside. At least the outside surfaces of the leads are joined to, and held by, the inside of the holder via an insulating layer, and at least the rear ends of the other of the leads are connected via a metallic lead wire to an external connection terminal supported in an insulated state by the rear end of the holder. The ceramic heater is integrally formed from an electrically resistive sintered sialon produced by adding 20-70 vol. % Ti nitride or carbonitride as an electric conductivity donor to .beta.-type sialon or a .alpha./.beta.-type sialon.

Growing community of inventors

Kumagaya, Japan

Hiroshi Suwabe