SPARK PLUG
A spark plug having a center electrode with a spark portion formed from a sintered powdered metal and a method of manufacture thereof.
1 . A spark plug having a center electrode and a ground electrode and wherein at least one of said center electrode and said ground electrode comprise:
a spark portion formed from powder metal and including at least 50% by weight Iridium and including at least one element selected from the group consisting of Copper, Chromium, Vanadium, Zirconium, Tungsten, Osmium, Gold, Iron, Aluminum, Nickel, Ruthenium, Rhenium, Rhodium, Palladium, and Platinum.
2 . The spark plug of claim 1 wherein said spark portion includes less than 30% by weight Nickel.
3 . The spark plug of claim 1 wherein said spark portion includes less than 30% by weight Copper.
4 . The spark plug of claim 1 wherein said spark portion includes 50-96% by weight Iridium.
5 . The spark plug of claim 4 wherein said spark portion includes 0-30% Nickel and 0-30% Copper by weight.
6 . The spark plug of claim 5 wherein said spark portion includes 1-10% Nickel and 1-10% Copper by weight.
7 . The spark plug of claim 6 wherein said spark portion includes 4-8% Nickel and 1-6% Copper by weight.
8 . The spark plug of claim 7 wherein said spark portion includes 5-8% Nickel and 2-5% Copper by weight.
9 . The spark plug of claim 8 wherein said spark portion includes 6-7.5% by weight Nickel.
10 . The spark plug of claim 8 wherein said spark portion includes at 2.5-4.5% by weight Copper.
11 . The spark plug of claim 8 wherein said spark portion includes 80-96% Iridium by weight.
12 . The spark plug of claim 8 wherein said spark portion includes 85-96% by weight Iridium.
13 . The spark plug of claim 8 wherein said spark portion includes 88-91% Iridium by weight.
14 . The spark plug of claim 9 wherein said spark portion includes 88-91% Iridium by weight.
15 . The spark plug of claim 10 wherein said spark portion includes 88-91% Iridium by weight.
16 . The spark plug of claim 1 formed through a powered metal sintering process.
17 . The spark plug of claim 8 formed through a powdered metal sintering process.
18 . The spark plug of claim 9 formed through a powdered metal sintering process.
19 . The spark plug of claim 10 formed through a powdered metal sintering process.
20 . A spark plug having a center electrode and a ground electrode and wherein at least one of said center electrode and said ground electrode comprise:
a spark portion formed from a sintered powdered metal, said powdered metal including at least one element selected from the group consisting of Iridium, Copper, Chromium, Vanadium, Zirconium, Tungsten, Osmium, Gold, Iron, Aluminum, Nickel, Ruthenium, Rhenium, Rhodium, Palladium, and Platinum.
21 . The spark plug of claim 20 wherein said spark portion includes a second element selected from the group consisting of Iridium, Copper, Chromium, Vanadium, Zirconium, Tungsten, Osmium, Gold, Iron, Aluminum, Nickel, Ruthenium, Rhenium, Rhodium, Palladium, and Platinum, and wherein said second element is different from said at least one element selected from the group consisting of Iridium, Copper, Chromium, Vanadium, Zirconium, Tungsten, Osmium, Gold, Iron, Aluminum, Nickel, Ruthenium, Rhenium, Rhodium, Palladium, and Platinum.
22 . The spark plug of claim 21 wherein said spark portion includes a third element selected from the group consisting of Iridium, Copper, Chromium, Vanadium, Zirconium, Tungsten, Osmium, Gold, Iron, Aluminum, Nickel, Ruthenium, Rhenium, Rhodium, Palladium, and Platinum and wherein said first element is different from said second element and said at least one element selected from the group consisting of Iridium, Copper, Chromium, Vanadium, Zirconium, Tungsten, Osmium, Gold, Iron, Aluminum, Nickel, Ruthenium, Rhenium, Rhodium, Palladium, and Platinum.
23 . The spark plug of claim 20 a spark portion formed from a sintered powdered metal, said powdered metal including at least one element selected from the group consisting of Iridium, Copper, Chromium, Vanadium, Zirconium, Tungsten, Osmium, Gold, Iron, Aluminum, Nickel, Ruthenium, Rhenium, Rhodium, Palladium, and Platinum, is selected from a group consisting of Iridium, Copper, Chromium, Zirconium, Tungsten, Nickel, Ruthenium, Rhenium, Rhodium, Palladium, and Platinum and includes a second element selected from the group consisting of Iridium, Copper, Chromium, Zirconium, Tungsten, Nickel, Ruthenium, Rhenium, Rhodium, Palladium, and Platinum, wherein said second element is different than said at least one element.
24 . The spark plug of claim 20 wherein said at least one element is Platinum, Iridium or Tungsten, said at least one element forming the majority by weight of the spark portion.
25 . The spark plug of claim 24 further including at least one element selected from the group consisting of Copper, Chromium and Nickel.
26 . A spark plug having a center electrode and a ground electrode and wherein at least one of said center electrode and said ground electrode comprise:
a spark portion formed from a sintered powdered metal, said powdered metal including at least 50% Iridium, Platinum, Tungsten, Rhenium, Rhodium, Palladium, approximately 0% to 30% Nickel, 0% to 20% Copper by weight, and 0% to 30% Chromium and wherein said powdered metal includes at least 1% of an element selected from the group consisting of Nickel, Copper and Chromium.
27 . The spark plug of claim 26 wherein said powdered metal includes 50% to 93% Iridium, 0% to 30% Nickel, and 0% to 20% Copper by weight.
28 . The spark plug of claim 26 wherein said powdered metal includes approximately 88% to 93% Iridium, 6% to 7.5% Nickel, and 2.5% to 4.5% Copper.
29 . The spark plug of claim 26 wherein said powdered metal includes approximately 6% to 7.5% Nickel, and 2.5% to 4.5% Copper.