CA1139856A - Ceramic insulator and method for the production thereof - Google Patents

Ceramic insulator and method for the production thereof

Info

Publication number
CA1139856A
CA1139856A CA000362443A CA362443A CA1139856A CA 1139856 A CA1139856 A CA 1139856A CA 000362443 A CA000362443 A CA 000362443A CA 362443 A CA362443 A CA 362443A CA 1139856 A CA1139856 A CA 1139856A
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
piece
bore
insulator
ceramic
inner piece
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
CA000362443A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Robert W. Matz
Fredrick J. Powell
Jonathan W. Hinton
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Federal Mogul Ignition LLC
Original Assignee
Champion Spark Plug Co
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Champion Spark Plug Co filed Critical Champion Spark Plug Co
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1139856A publication Critical patent/CA1139856A/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • GPHYSICS
    • G01MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01NINVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N27/00Investigating or analysing materials by the use of electric, electrochemical, or magnetic means
    • G01N27/26Investigating or analysing materials by the use of electric, electrochemical, or magnetic means by investigating electrochemical variables; by using electrolysis or electrophoresis
    • G01N27/403Cells and electrode assemblies
    • G01N27/406Cells and probes with solid electrolytes
    • G01N27/407Cells and probes with solid electrolytes for investigating or analysing gases
    • G01N27/4073Composition or fabrication of the solid electrolyte
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B28WORKING CEMENT, CLAY, OR STONE
    • B28BSHAPING CLAY OR OTHER CERAMIC COMPOSITIONS; SHAPING SLAG; SHAPING MIXTURES CONTAINING CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL, e.g. PLASTER
    • B28B1/00Producing shaped prefabricated articles from the material
    • B28B1/002Producing shaped prefabricated articles from the material assembled from preformed elements
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B28WORKING CEMENT, CLAY, OR STONE
    • B28BSHAPING CLAY OR OTHER CERAMIC COMPOSITIONS; SHAPING SLAG; SHAPING MIXTURES CONTAINING CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL, e.g. PLASTER
    • B28B7/00Moulds; Cores; Mandrels
    • B28B7/28Cores; Mandrels

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Ceramic Engineering (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Electrochemistry (AREA)
  • Biochemistry (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Immunology (AREA)
  • Pathology (AREA)
  • Analytical Chemistry (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • Molecular Biology (AREA)
  • Spark Plugs (AREA)
  • Insulators (AREA)
  • Insulating Bodies (AREA)

Abstract

ABSTRACT
A ceramic insulator and a method for the production thereof are disclosed. The method comprises the steps of pressing ceramic batch around a contoured arbor having at least two longitudinally extending fins to form an outer piece having a bore with grooves therein corresponding to the fins, removing the arbor from and contouring the piece to a desired external shape, pressing ceramic batch to form an inner piece, and contouring the inner piece to fit within the bore of the outer piece. The inner piece is then positioned within the bore of the outer piece and both pieces are fired whereby the insulator is produced in which the contoured surface of the inner piece closes the grooves in the bore of the outer piece to form slots extending longitudinally within the ceramic insulator. Also disclosed is a method which involves firing the inner piece, positioning the fired inner piece within the bore of the unfired outer piece, and then firing both pieces together. A
ceramic insulator according to the invention is useful as a support for an oxygen sensor which can be placed in the exhaust gases from an internal combustion engine and used to measure oxygen content thereof to enable control of the air-fuel ratio at which the engine is operated so that, for example, emissions can be minimized.

Description

11;~9~i6 Ceramic insulators have been produced by pressing ceramic batch to form a piece which can be contoured to a desired external shape. A bore ex-tending longitudinally of the piece can be formed by pressing the ceramic batch around an arbor. However, when a need arose for a ceramic piece having a plurality of bores or internal slots extending longitudinally of the insula-tor to be used as a part of an oxygen sensor, no method other than extrusion and subsequent drilling, complex injection molting, or multi-stage precision drilling was available.
The instant invention is based upon the discovery of a method which involves pressing ceramic batch to form two ceramic pieces which are assembled to form a ceramic insulator having longitudinally extending internal slots therein. Rather than separately machining the slots, the method comprises pressing ceramic batch around a contoured arbor having at least two longitu-dinally extending fins to form an outer piece having a complex bore with grooves therein corresponding to the fins*, removing the arbor from the outer piece, forming ceramic batch to make an inner piece, and contouring the inner piece to fit within the bore of the outer piece. The inner piece is then positioned within the bore of the outer piece. Both pieces are fired together whereb~ the contoured surface of the inner piece closes the grooves in the
2~ complex bore of the outer piece to form slots extending longitudinally within the ceramic insulator. The desired article can also be produced by firing the inner piece before it is positioned within the bore of the outer piece.

* Such cermic pieces have previously been made by the indicated method and, after firing, have been assembled into "thermocouple spark plugs"
~ere thermocouples to measure temperature while the spark plugs were in operating engines were installed in the grooves.

1139~3~6 It is an object of the invention to provide an improved method for producing a ceramic insulator having longitudinally extending internal slots therein.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a ceramic insula-tor having longitudinally extending internal slots therein.
According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a method for producing a ceramic insulator having at least two internal slots extending longitudinally of the insulator, said method comprising pressing ceramic batch around a contoured arbor having at least two longitudinally extending fins to form an outer piece having a bore with grooves therein corresponding to the fins, removing the arbor from and contouring the outer piece to a desired ex-ternal shape, pressing ceramic batch to form an inner piece, and contouring the inner piece to fit within the bore of the outer piece, positioning the inner piece within the bore of the outer piece and firing both pieces, whereby the contoured surface of the inner piece closes the grooves in the bore of the outer piece to form slots extending longitudinally within the ceramic insula-tor.
According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a ceramic insulator comprising an outer insulator body having an exteri~r which 2a is a surface of revolution about a longitudinally extending axis of said outer body and an interior insulator body having an exterior which is also a surface of revolution about the longitudinally extending axis of said outer body, there being at least two internal slots extending longitudinally and from end to end of the insulator, between said interior and exterior insulator bodies, said interior and exterior insulator bodies being structurally integral with one another between the internal slots.
In the accompanying drawings:-1~39~S6 Figure 1 is a side view in vertical elevation of an arbor which canbe used in practicing the present invention.
Figure 2 is a bottom view of the arbor of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a sectional view through the arbor taken on the line
3 - 3 of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view of an outer piece which can ~e formed around the arbor of Figures l - 3 and used in producing a ceramic lnsulator in accordance with the invention.
Figure 5 is a bottom view of the outer piece of the ceramic insula-tor of Figure 4.
Pigure 6 is a top view of the outer piece of the ceramic insulatorof Pigure 4.
Figure 7 is a sectional view through the outer piece of the ceramic insulator taken on the line 7 - 7 of Figure 4.
Figure 8 is a sectional view through the outer piece of the ceramic insulator taken on the line 8 - 8 of Figure 4.
Figure 9 is a view in vertical elevation of an unfired inner piece which can be used in producing a ceramic insulator in accordance with the in-vention.
2~ Figure 10 is a vertical sectional view of a ceramic insulator in accordance with the invention, and comprising an inner piece of Figure 9 dis-posed within an outer piece of Figures 4 through 8.
Figure 11 ls a top view of the ceramic insulator of Pigure lO~
Pigure 12 is a bottom view of the ceramic insulator of Figure 10.
Figure 13 is a sectional view through the ceramic insulator taken on the line 13 - 13 of Figure lO.
Pigure 14 is a sectional view through the ceramic insulator taken on 1~39~5~

the line 14 - 14 of Figure 10.
Figure 15 is a vertical sectional view, similar to Figure 10, of another and preferred ceramic insulator in accordance with the invention.
Figure 16 is a top view of the ceramic insulator of Figure 15.
Figure 17 is a bottom view of the ceramic insulator of Figure 15.
Referring to Figure 1, an arbor indicated generally at 10 comprises a c~lindrical mandrel 11 having three fins 12 (see Figures 2 and 3) extending longitudinally thereof. The three fins 12 are e~ually spaced 120 on centers around the mandrel 11, a preferred structure because of the comparatively simple geometr~; however, asymmetrical spacing thereof, a positioning notch (see Figures 15 - 17) or the like is sometimes desirable so that an oxygen sensor can be assembled in an oriented manner with an insulator formed around the arbor 10.
The first step in producing an outer insulator piece, indicated generally at 14 in Figure 4, of an insulator according to the invention in-volves pressing, preferably isostatically, ceramic batch around the contoured ar~or 10 (Figure 1). The piece 14 (Figure 4) has a bore 15 formed around the mandrel 11, and extending the entire length thereof, and grooves 16 formed by the fins 12 of the arbor 10 ~Figure l); the grooves 16 extend the entire length 2Q of the walls of the bore 15, tapering at an intermediate point from a maximum depth at an insulator end 17 to a minimum depth at an insulator end 18. The innermost walls 19 of the bore 15 are formed around the mandrel 11 between each of the three grooves 16. After the piece 14 is formed therearound, the arbor 10 is removed from the outer piece 14, and the latter is contoured to a desired external shape.
Referring to Figure 9, ceramic batch is pressed and contoured to form an inner insulator piece 20 having the general shape of the mandrel 11 to fit 1~39S~56 within the bore 15 of the outer piece 14 CFigure 4). The contoured inner piece 20 is then positioned within the bore 15 of the outer piece 14 and both pieces are fired together. The relative dimensions of the innermost walls 19 of the bore 15 of the outer piece 14 and of the exterior walls of the inner piece 20 are such that the shrinkage of the two pieces during firing causes the surface of the inner piece, designated, after firing, 21 in Figures 10 -14, to fit tightly against the shrunken innermost walls of the outer piece, designated 19' and 22, respectively, after firing, to form slots 23 extending longitudinally within a composite ceramic insulator which is indicated general-ly at 24 in Figure 10.
Although the method described above can be used to produce an in-sulator according to the invention, the preferred method is to fire the inner piece 20 alone, to position the fired inner piece 21 within the bore 15 of the unfired outer piece 14, and to fire the resulting assembly made up of both pieces. The elevated temperature of firing causes the innermost walls 19' of the fired outer piece 22 to shrink tightly against the surface of the fired inner piece 21.
The best presently known mode of an insulator according to the in-stant invention is indicated generally at 25 in Figures 15 - 17. The insulator 25 comprises an outer piece 26 and an inner piece 27, as well as slots 28 formed in the outer piece 26 and closed by the inner piece 27. The slots 28 decrease in diameter adjacent the inner piece 27, differing in this respect from the slots 23 in the insulator o Figures 10 - 14.

Claims (3)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A method for producing a ceramic insulator having at least two in-ternal slots extending longitudinally of the insulator, said method comprising pressing ceramic batch around a contoured arbor having at least two longitu-dinally extending fins to form an outer piece having a bore with grooves there-in corresponding to the fins, removing the arbor from and contouring the outer piece to a desired external shape, pressing ceramic batch to form an inner piece, and contouring the inner piece to fit within the bore of the outer piece, positioning the inner piece within the bore of the outer piece and fir-ing both pieces, whereby the contoured surface of the inner piece closes the grooves in the bore of the outer piece to form slots extending longitudinally within the ceramic insulator.
2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inner piece is fired, the fired inner piece is positioned within the bore of the unfired outer piece, and both pieces are fired simultaneously.
3. A ceramic insulator comprising an outer insulator body having an exterior which is a surface of revolution about a longitudinally extending axis of said outer body and an interior insulator body having an exterior which is also a surface of revolution about the longitudinally extending axis of said outer body, there being at least two internal slots extending longitudinally and from end to end of the insulator, between said interior and exterior in-sulator bodies, said interior and exterior insulator bodies being structurally integral with one another between the internal slots.
CA000362443A 1979-10-17 1980-10-15 Ceramic insulator and method for the production thereof Expired CA1139856A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US8550579A 1979-10-17 1979-10-17
US85,505 1979-10-17

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1139856A true CA1139856A (en) 1983-01-18

Family

ID=22192061

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA000362443A Expired CA1139856A (en) 1979-10-17 1980-10-15 Ceramic insulator and method for the production thereof

Country Status (8)

Country Link
JP (1) JPS5665412A (en)
BE (1) BE885673A (en)
CA (1) CA1139856A (en)
DE (1) DE3036224A1 (en)
FR (1) FR2468190A1 (en)
GB (1) GB2061176B (en)
IT (1) IT1145291B (en)
MX (1) MX148142A (en)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US10177539B2 (en) 2015-01-28 2019-01-08 Federal-Mogul Ignition Company Method and tooling for making an insulator for a condition sensing spark plug

Family Cites Families (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2331029A (en) * 1940-11-18 1943-10-05 Albert J Hopkins Spark plug
JPS5339789A (en) * 1976-09-22 1978-04-11 Nissan Motor Oxygen sensor

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US10177539B2 (en) 2015-01-28 2019-01-08 Federal-Mogul Ignition Company Method and tooling for making an insulator for a condition sensing spark plug

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE3036224A1 (en) 1981-04-30
IT8049896A0 (en) 1980-10-14
GB2061176A (en) 1981-05-13
GB2061176B (en) 1983-08-10
MX148142A (en) 1983-03-16
FR2468190A1 (en) 1981-04-30
BE885673A (en) 1981-04-13
JPS5665412A (en) 1981-06-03
IT1145291B (en) 1986-11-05
JPS6364016B2 (en) 1988-12-09

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