Federal-mogul Ignition Company

Other

Federal-mogul Ignition Gmbh

Philippi-hagenbuch, Inc.

Richard L Keller

Kevin J Kowalski

Frederick James Quitmeyer

Nathan A Thomson

Curtis W Verhoff

Shuwei Ma

LeRoy G Hagenbuch

Jon Wren

James D Lykowski

John Antony Burrows

William John Walker, Jr

John William Hoffman

Mark McMurray

Kevin Miller

James L May

Myron Jeffery Schmenk

Matthew C Ware

Brian A Bolduc

David Walker

Richard Llope

A metal shell for a spark plug is made from a steel material that has increased carbon content and, in some embodiments, boron as well. The steel material is well-suited for extrusion because of its ductility, while maintaining requisite strength. The spark plug shell may have a reduced outer diameter (OD) at a crimped hot lock region, such as the case when the shell is used in smaller diameter spark plugs, such as M8 and M10 plugs. According to a non-limiting example, the spark plug shell steel material comprises 0.20-0.55 wt % carbon, inclusive.

Spark plug shell and method of manufacture

A spark plug has a firing pad attached to a center electrode or to a ground electrode. The firing pad is attached via laser welding and has a sparking surface with an overall fused area and an unfused area. In one or more embodiments, the overall fused area is located in part or more inboard of a peripheral edge of the firing pad.

Spark plug having firing pad

A spark plug having a metal shell, an insulator, a center electrode, a ground electrode, and a multi-layer sparking component. The multi-layer sparking component is attached at a firing end of the ground electrode and includes a thin precious metal layer formed overtop a base metal layer and, according to some embodiments, overhangs the end of the ground electrode. The precious metal and base metal layers may be pre-manufactured together as a bi-metal ribbon, sheet or laminate before the multi-layer sparking component is attached to the ground electrode.

Spark plug having multi-layer sparking component attached to ground electrode

A spark plug has a firing pad attached to a center electrode or a ground electrode by way of a fused portion. In one or more embodiments, the firing pad is composed of a precious metal material. The fused portion can be formed in such a way that a material composition thereof at a sparking surface of the firing pad has a greater percentage of the precious metal material than a material of the underlying electrode to which the firing pad is attached.

A spark plug has a shell, an insulator, a center electrode, a ground electrode, and a firing pad. The firing pad is made of a precious metal material and is attached to the ground electrode. The firing pad has a side surface at a peripheral edge that can be flush or nearly flush with a free end surface of the ground electrode. This construction can help improve ignitability and flame kernel growth of the spark plug during a sparking event, and can provide better thermal management at the attached ground electrode and firing pad.

A spark plug includes a metallic shell, an insulator, a center electrode, a ground electrode, and a thin firing pad. The thin firing pad is made from a noble metal and can be attached to the center electrode, the ground electrode, or to both. In some examples, the thin firing pad possesses certain geometric properties and relationships that can improve ignitability and durability of the thin firing pad.

Spark plug having a thin noble metal firing pad

An electrode core material that may be used in electrodes of spark plugs and other ignition devices to provide increased thermal conductivity to the electrodes. The electrode core material is a precipitate-strengthened copper alloy and includes precipitates dispersed within a copper (Cu) matrix such that the electrode core material has a multi-phase microstructure. In several exemplary embodiments, the precipitates include: particles of iron (Fe) and phosphorous, particles of beryllium, or particles of nickel and silicon.

Electrode core material for spark plugs

A spark plug and method of construction thereof is provided. The spark plug includes a metal shell having a through cavity, a lower insulator and a plastic upper insulator. The lower insulator is received in the through cavity and has a through passage with a center electrode received therein. A ground electrode is operatively attached to the shell in spaced relation from the ground electrode to provide a spark gap. The plastic upper insulator has a distal end received in the through cavity of the shell and a terminal end extending axially outwardly from the shell. The upper insulator has a through passage extending between the terminal end and the distal end. An elongate conductive member is received in the through passage of the upper insulator and is configured for electrical communication with the center electrode.

Spark plug having a plastic upper insulator and method of construction

A spark plug includes a metallic shell, an insulator, a center electrode body, a ground electrode body, and a ground electrode tip. In one embodiment, the ground electrode tip includes a non-precious metal piece and a precious metal piece attached to each other. The non-precious metal piece has a side surface attached to a free end surface of the ground electrode body.

Spark plug having ground electrode tip attached to free end surface of  ground electrode

A spark plug includes an electrode tip assembly located at an axially-facing free end surface of an electrode body. The electrode tip assembly includes an electrode tip body and a firing tip and has a longitudinal axis that is generally perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the electrode body. The electrode tip body may be a Ni-alloy piece and is attached to the electrode body, and the firing tip may be an Ir-alloy piece with a sparking surface that faces a spark gap. The electrode body may include a groove formed in the axially-facing free end surface that is useful to help position the electrode tip assembly for attachment. The spark gap can be formed between opposing electrode tip assemblies, and the size of the spark gap can be adjusted during assembly without the need for bending the electrode body.

Spark plug electrode configuration

A holder for carrying an open umbrella on the back of a person. The umbrella holder includes a harness for securing the holder to the person and an umbrella supporting member. The supporting member is connected to the harness so as to position the umbrella proximate a center of the back of the person when the harness is appropriately secured. An attachment member permits attachment of the open umbrella to the supporting member. The attachment member optionally permits pivotal movement of the umbrella for optimum protection.

Umbrella holder

In a tailgate assembly, a locking mechanism for preventing rotation of the assembly in response to a torque generated by a moment arm of the tailgate assembly and a force resulting from the jolting of the truck as it travels over rough terrain.

Growing community of inventors

Whitehouse, OH, United States of America

Richard L Keller