Ngk Spark Plug Company, Limited

Tsutomu Shibata

Daisuke Sumoyama

Takaaki Kikai

Tomoo Tanaka

Toshitaka Honda

Tatsuya Gozawa

Kenji Nunome

Takehito Kuno

Keita Nakagawa

Osamu Yoshimoto

Tomo-o Tanaka

Akira Suzuki

Tomoaki Kato

Mamoru Musasa

Haruki Yoshida

Makoto Yamaguchi

Hiroyuki Tanabe

Takamitsu Mizuno

Kazuki Ito

Kaori Suzuki

Atsushi Tsukada

Takuto Nakada

Hoju Fukushima

Shoichiro Nagatomo

Ryoji Kato

Tomo-O Tanaka

An electrode base material of the spark plug contains not less than 50 wt. % of Ni. A discharge member contains not less than 45 wt. % of Pt, and at least one of Ni and Rh. An intermediate member contains Pt and Ni. In the discharge member, a content of Pt is highest, and a total content of Pt, Rh, and Ni is not less than 92 wt. %. In the intermediate member, a content of one of Pt and Ni is not less than 50 wt. %, a content of Ni is higher than a content of Ni in the discharge member, and a total content of Pt, Rh, and Ni is not less than 85 wt. %. A thickness of the diffusion layer formed between the discharge member and the intermediate member is not less than 0.002 mm and not more than 0.065 mm.

Spark plug

A spark plug having a tip formed of an alloy containing Pt. The tip contains not less than 6 mass % of Rh, at least one element selected from an R group consisting of Rh, Re, Ir, Ru, W, Mo, and Nb, not less than 5 mass % of Ni, and at least one element selected from an N group consisting of Ni, Co, Fe, and Cu. The tip contains Rh most among the elements of the R group, and contains Ni most among the elements of the N group. The total of contents of Pt, Rh, and Ni is not less than 91 mass %, and the total of contents of Pt, the R group, and the N group is not less than 95 mass %. A value obtained by dividing the content of the R group by the content of the N group is not less than 0.7 and not greater than 8.

A spark plug that includes a center electrode and a ground electrode. The center electrode is disposed providing a gap with the center electrode. At least one of the center electrode and the ground electrode includes a tip forming the gap. The tip includes a main body portion and a front surface layer. A composition of the main body portion is Pt as a main constituent and Rh of 5 mass % or more and Ni of 0 mass % or more to less than 8 mass %. The front surface layer is disposed at least at a surface radially outside of an axial line extending in a direction from a center of the main body portion to the gap. The front surface layer contains Ni of 8 mass % or more and has a thickness of 2 &#x3bc;m or more.

A spark plug having a center electrode and a ground electrode that form a gap therebetween. At least one of the center electrode and the ground electrode includes a portion formed of a nickel alloy containing nickel as a major component and 20% by mass or more of chromium. In the portion, formed of the nickel alloy, of the electrode, the content of silicon is 0.1% by mass or more, the total content of one or more particular elements selected from the group consisting of rare earth elements is 0.01% by mass or more, and the area percentage of voids in the total area of a cross-section parallel to a longitudinal direction is 1% or less.

At least one of a center electrode and a ground electrode of a spark plug includes an electrode body, an electrode tip, and a welded portion formed between the electrode body and the electrode tip. The electrode tip includes a cover layer that covers at least a side surface of a tip body, and the cover layer is formed of IrAl. On a section formed by cutting the electrode tip near a boundary with the welded portion, an area of the tip body is represented by Sa. An area of a projection on the section of a non-contact portion of an opposite surface of the tip body not in contact with the welded portion is represented by Sb. In this case, Sa&#x2212;Sb corresponds to 35% or more of Sa.

A spark plug includes a ceramic insulator having an axial hole formed in an axis direction of the spark plug, a center electrode inserted in a front side of the axial hole, a metal shell disposed around the ceramic insulator and a ground electrode joined to a front end portion of the metal shell, wherein the ground electrode has a cross-sectional area of 2.0 mmor smaller in any arbitrary cross section thereof taken in a direction perpendicular to a center line of the ground electrode; the ground electrode is made of a metal material containing 93 mass % or more of nickel; and the ground electrode has a Vickers hardness of 130 to 260 Hv.

Spark plug and manufacturing method therefor

A spark plug comprising a center electrode, a ground electrode disposed on the center electrode across a gap, and a tip joined to an opposed surface of the ground electrode that is opposed to the center electrode, the tip has a discharge layer and a relieving layer, the relieving layer is formed from a Pt&#x2014;Ni alloy and joined to the opposed surface via a diffusion layer, the discharge layer is formed from a Pt&#x2014;Rh alloy and joined via a clad diffusion layer to a side of the relieving layer opposite to a side of the relieving layer at which the ground electrode is joined, and 0.81&#x2266;A/B&#x2266;1.21 is satisfied when an average cross-sectional area of the discharge layer is A mmand an average cross-sectional area of the relieving layer is B mm, and a method for producing the spark plug.

Spark plug and method for producing the same

A spark plug having a connecting portion that electrically connects a center electrode with a metal terminal within an axial bore in an insulator. The connecting portion of the spark plug includes a resistor. A center electrode-side resistance, which is the resistance of a portion of the resistor that extends from the center thereof toward the center electrode in the axial direction, is larger than a metal terminal-side resistance, which is the resistance of a portion of the resistor that extends from the center thereof toward the metal terminal.

A spark plug having an insulator that can be restrained from cracking in an environment of heating and cooling cycles. The spark plug includes an insulator having an axial bore extending in the direction of the axis, and a center electrode held in one end portion of the axial bore. The center electrode has an outer layer, and a core provided within the outer layer and formed from a material higher in thermal conductivity than the outer layer. After a heat treatment, the outer layer has a high-hardness region having a hardness of 190 Hv or higher and a thickness of 30 &#x3bc;m to 200 &#x3bc;m, and an element supply region having a thickness of 50 &#x3bc;m or more.

A spark plug including a center electrode and a ground electrode having a core portion and an outer layer covering the core portion, the core portion being formed from a material having a thermal conductivity higher than that of the outer layer. At least a portion in which thickness of the outer layer is 0.5 mm or less is present at a cross-section perpendicular to a direction in which the ground electrode is extended. Further, the composition of the electrode material forming the outer layer is as follows: Ni is 96 mass % or more, total of at least one kind selected from Y and rare earth elements is 0.05 mass % or more, Al is 0.5 mass % or less, and Si is 0.5 mass % or more and 1.5 mass % or less, where the total of Ni, Y, rare earth elements, Al, Si does not exceed 100 mass %.

A spark plug includes at least one of a center electrode or a ground electrode that is produced by the steps of: mixing a matrix metal with carbon so that the carbon content of the resultant mixture is adjusted to 80 vol. % or less; subjecting the mixture to powder compacting or sintering, to thereby form a core; placing the core in a cup formed of nickel or a metal containing nickel as a main component; and subjecting the cup to cold working. The thus-produced electrode exhibits favorable thermal conductivity and good heat dissipation, by virtue of the small difference in thermal expansion coefficient between the core and an outer shell. The spark plug including the above electrode exhibits excellent durability.

Spark plug electrode, method for producing same, spark plug, and method for producing spark plug

A spark plug is provided having at least one of a center electrode or a ground electrode. The electrode comprises: a core formed of a composite material containing a matrix metal, the matrix metal being copper or a metal containing copper as a main component, and carbon dispersed in the matrix metal in an amount of 10 to 80 vol. %, the carbon having a thermal conductivity higher than that of the matrix metal. The electrode also contains an outer shell which surrounds the core and which is formed of nickel or a metal containing nickel as a main component. The thus-produced electrode exhibits favorable thermal conductivity and good heat dissipation, by virtue of the small difference in thermal expansion coefficient between the core and an outer shell. The spark plug including the above electrode exhibits excellent durability.

A spark plug including a center electrode and a ground electrode having a gap between the center electrode and the ground electrode, the ground electrode has an outer layer which is formed from an Ni-based alloy and a core portion which is covered by the outer layer and formed from a material having a thermal conductivity higher than that of the outer layer. Further, the melting point of the Ni-based alloy forming the outer layer is 1150&#xb0; C. or more and 1350&#xb0; C. or less.

A spark plug includes a ceramic insulator, a center electrode, a metallic shell, and a ground electrode. The center electrode has a shoulder portion at a forward end portion, which tapers forward with respect to the axial direction. A noble metal tip is joined to the forward end portion of the center electrode through a fusion zone. A spark discharge gap is formed between the noble metal tip and the ground electrode. The shortest distance between the fusion zone and a forward end surface of the noble metal tip is 0.8-1.2 mm. The outside diameter of the fusion zone as measured at a forward end of the fusion zone is smaller than that as measured at a rear end of the fusion zone. An acute angle &#x3b8;formed by a straight line Land a straight line Lsatisfies the relational expression &#x3b8;&#x2266;72&#xb0;.

Provided is a spark plug which allows a predetermined resistance to be imparted to a resistor with restraint of variation in resistance of the resistor and in turn, enables enhancement of yield. The spark plug includes a ceramic insulator having an axial hole extending in the direction of an axis CL, a center electrode, and a terminal electrode. A resistor is provided in the axial hole through sintering of a resistor composition which contains a conductive material such as carbon black, glass powder, and ceramic particles other than glass. As viewed on a section of the resistor taken along a direction orthogonal to the axis CL, 50% or more of sintered glass powder formed through sintering of the glass powder has a circularity of 0.8 or greater.

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Owariasahi, Japan

Tsutomu Shibata