Heat generation apparatus for an aerosol-generation system of a smoking article, and associated smoking article

1. An elongate smoking article having a lighting end and an opposed mouth end, said smoking article comprising:

a mouth end portion disposed at the mouth end;

a tobacco portion disposed between the lighting end and the mouth end portion; and

an aerosol-generation system disposed between the lighting end and the tobacco portion, the aerosol-generation system including a heat generation portion disposed at the lighting end, the heat generation portion comprising an elongate fluted member configured to be actuated by ignition of the lighting end, the fluted member defining eight grooves extending longitudinally between opposed first and second ends, the first end being disposed at the lighting end and the grooves being equidistantly spaced apart about the fluted member, each groove being defined by opposing parallel side walls of adjacent lobes, each of the opposing parallel side walls extending from an end wall at a maximum depth of each groove and intersecting at an outer periphery of the fluted member at an acute angle, each lobe having a minimum width proximate the end wall substantially equal to a width of the groove defined by the opposing side walls, a distance between intersections of the side walls of each lobe with the outer periphery defining a maximum width of each lobe proximate the outer periphery and parallel to the minimum width, each lobe thereby increasing in width from the minimum width proximate the end wall to the maximum width proximate the outer periphery, a ratio of the maximum width to the minimum width being greater than one.

2. The smoking article according to claim 1 , wherein the grooves includes a plurality of pairs of grooves, the grooves in each pair being diametrically opposed to each other across the fluted member.

3. The smoking article according to claim 1 , wherein the intersection between each of the side walls and the outer periphery of the fluted member defines an angle of between about 65° and about 90°.

4. The smoking article according to claim 1 , wherein the intersection between each side wall and the outer periphery of the fluted member is radiused.

5. The smoking article according to claim 1 , wherein the end wall of each groove is a hemicylindrical end wall.

6. The smoking article according to claim 5 , wherein the hemicylindrical end wall has a constant radius, and the maximum depth of each groove is disposed at a median of the end wall thereof.

7. The smoking article according to claim 5 , wherein the parallel side walls extend from opposing ends of the hemicylindrical end wall.

8. The smoking article according to claim 1 , wherein the grooves are configured to at least double a surface area of the fluted member, exclusive of surface areas of the first and second ends, over a surface area defined by an outer periphery of the fluted member without the grooves.

9. The smoking article according to claim 1 , wherein the grooves are configured to reduce a surface area of the first end of the fluted member by at least 30% over a surface area of the first end of the fluted member without the grooves.

10. The smoking article according to claim 1 , wherein the grooves are configured to at least double an edge length of the fluted member, defined by an intersection between the first end of the fluted member and outer periphery of the fluted member, over an edge length of the fluted member without the grooves.

11. The smoking article according to claim 1 , wherein the fluted member is configured as a monolithic extrusion of a single carbonaceous material.

12. The smoking article according to claim 1 , wherein the depth maxima of the grooves defines a circle having a radius, the maximum depth of each groove being no more than the radius of the circle.

13. The smoking article according to claim 12 , wherein the maximum depth of each groove is no less than about 40% of the radius of the circle.

14. A heat generation apparatus for an aerosol-generation system of an elongate smoking article, the smoking article having a lighting end and an opposed mouth end, and the heat generation apparatus being disposed at the lighting end of the smoking article, said heat generation apparatus comprising:

an elongate fluted member configured to be actuated by ignition of the lighting end, the fluted member defining eight grooves extending longitudinally between opposed first and second ends, the first end being disposed at the lighting end and the grooves being equidistantly spaced apart about the fluted member, each groove being defined by opposing parallel side walls of adjacent lobes, each of the opposing parallel side walls extending from an end wall at a maximum depth of each groove and intersecting at an outer periphery of the fluted member at an acute angle, each lobe having a minimum width proximate the end wall substantially equal to a width of the groove defined by the opposing side walls, a distance between intersections of the side walls of each lobe with the outer periphery defining a maximum width of each lobe proximate the outer periphery and parallel to the minimum width, each lobe thereby increasing in width from the minimum width proximate the end wall to the maximum width proximate the outer periphery, a ratio of the maximum width to the minimum width being greater than one.

15. The heat generation apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the intersection between each of the side walls and the outer periphery of the fluted member defines an angle of between about 65° and about 90°.

16. The heat generation apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the depth maxima of the grooves defines a circle having a radius, the maximum depth of each groove being no more than the radius of the circle.

17. The heat generation apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the maximum depth of each groove is no less than about 40% of the radius of the circle.