A spark plug which includes an insulator having an axial hole extending along an axial line, a metallic shell disposed around the insulator, and a center electrode disposed in the axial hole to be located on the forward end side of the axial line is provided. The insulator has a step portion provided on the outer circumferential surface thereof and facing toward the forward end side. The metallic shell has a receiving surface provided on the inner circumferential surface thereof and facing toward the rear end side and with which the step portion is engaged via a packing. A portion of the step portion on the outer circumferential side is a first curved surface being convex toward the forward end side, and a portion of the step portion on the inner circumferential side of the first curved surface is a second curved surface which being convex toward the rear end side.

A spark plug which includes an insulator having an axial hole extending along an axial line, a metallic shell disposed around the insulator, and a center electrode disposed in the axial hole to be located on the forward end side of the axial line is provided. The insulator has a step portion provided on the outer circumferential surface thereof and facing toward the forward end side. The metallic shell has a receiving surface provided on the inner circumferential surface thereof and facing toward the rear end side and with which the step portion is engaged via a packing. A portion of the step portion on the outer circumferential side is a first curved surface being convex toward the forward end side, and a portion of the step portion on the inner circumferential side of the first curved surface is a second curved surface which being convex toward the rear end side.

In a spark plug, at least one injection hole serves as a ground-directed injection hole arranged to face a facing side of a ground electrode. An extension line of the center axis of the at least one ground-directed injection hole intersects with the facing side of the ground electrode at an intersection point. The facing side of the ground electrode has a closer region closer to the projection-end edge of the ground electrode than the intersection point is. The closer region of the facing side intersects with the extension line of the center axis of the ground-directed injection hole at a predetermined angle as viewed in the axial direction of the spark plug. The predetermined angle being an obtuse angle.

A spark plug heat up method via transient control of the spark discharge current. The high temperature plasma channel is used to heat up the central electrode, and the temperature and energy of the plasma channel are realized via transient control of the discharge current. The heating up process takes place before firing the engine, using discharge current to actively heat up the spark plug from inside. By monitoring the discharge current amplitude and discharge duration, the temperature change of the central electrode and the ceramic insulator can be carefully measured and controlled within a proper window. This method can be used to measure the heating range of the spark plug, and to prevent or remove the carbon deposit on the central electrode and the ceramic insulator generated under various engine operation conditions, such as engine cold start, full load operation, and heavy EGR condition, as well as realize self-cleaning.

A spark plug heat up method via transient control of the spark discharge current. The high temperature plasma channel is used to heat up the central electrode, and the temperature and energy of the plasma channel are realized via transient control of the discharge current. The heating up process takes place before firing the engine, using discharge current to actively heat up the spark plug from inside. By monitoring the discharge current amplitude and discharge duration, the temperature change of the central electrode and the ceramic insulator can be carefully measured and controlled within a proper window. This method can be used to measure the heating range of the spark plug, and to prevent or remove the carbon deposit on the central electrode and the ceramic insulator generated under various engine operation conditions, such as engine cold start, full load operation, and heavy EGR condition, as well as realize self-cleaning.

This spark plug includes a cap portion covering a center electrode and an end of a ground electrode from a front side. In a cross section including an axial line, where a pitch of an external thread of a metal shell is X (mm), an axial-line-direction distance between a crest of a rear-end ridge of a full thread portion of an external thread and a rear end of a contact portion of an insulator with which the metal shell contacts directly or via another member is A (mm), an axial-line-direction distance between the rear end of the contact portion and a front end of the insulator is B (mm), and an axial-line-direction distance between the rear end of the contact portion and a seating surface of the metal shell is C (mm), 0<A<4X, B≤15, and C≤3.6 are satisfied.

A spark plug for an internal combustion engine includes insulating glass having a tubular shape, a central electrode including a tip protruding portion, a housing having a tubular shape, and a plug cover provided over an auxiliary combustion chamber. The plug cover is provided with injection holes through which the auxiliary combustion chamber communicates with the exterior. The central electrode includes a base material and a core material disposed inside the base material and having a higher thermal conductivity than the base material. The core material includes a large diameter portion and a small diameter portion continuously formed on a tip side of the large diameter portion. The small diameter portion has a smaller diameter than the large diameter portion, and includes, in a part of the small diameter portion in an axial direction, a small-diameter columnar portion having a constant diameter. At least a part of the small-diameter columnar portion is disposed further on the tip side of the spark plug than a tip of the insulating glass.

A spark plug has an insulator having a through hole formed along an axial direction, a center electrode which is partially inserted into a portion of the through hole on a forward end side in the axial direction, and a glass seal portion which is in contact with the insulator and the center electrode within the through hole, in which the glass seal portion contains glass and an electrically conductive substance. The glass contains an Si component and a B component in a total amount of 50 mass % or more, as reduced to SiO.sub.2 and B.sub.2O.sub.3, a Zn component in an amount of 20 mass % to 35 mass % as reduced to ZnO, and an alkali metal component. The glass contains, as the alkali metal component, an Na component in an amount less than 1 mass % as reduced to Na.sub.2O.

A spark plug for an internal combustion engine includes a housing, an insulator, a center electrode, a ground electrode, and an auxiliary chamber forming portion. The ground electrode faces the center electrode from an outer peripheral side and forms a discharge gap between the ground electrode and the center electrode. An auxiliary chamber is formed inside the auxiliary chamber forming portion. A distance in an axial direction between the discharge gap and a distal end of the auxiliary chamber is equal to or greater than a maximum wall thickness of the auxiliary chamber forming portion. The auxiliary chamber forming portion includes injection holes. The injection holes are formed in a state where openings on an outer side are located closer to a distal end than openings on the auxiliary chamber side. At least one of the injection holes is an injection hole in the axial direction formed along an axial direction of a plug. When viewed in the axial direction of the spark plug, a center of the axial injection hole is eccentric from a central axis of the spark plug toward the discharge gap.

A spark plug includes a central electrode member and an outer electrode member. The central electrode member includes a central base and a plurality of electrode prongs extending in an axial direction from the central base. The outer electrode member surrounds the central electrode member. The outer electrode member includes a wall that is radially spaced from the plurality of electrode prongs to allow a series of electric arcs to form between the wall and the plurality of electrode prongs. The outer electrode member and the central electrode member are sized and positioned relative to one another such that a first rate of wear of the outer electrode member, along a longitudinal axis of the spark plug, is substantially equal to a second rate of wear of the central electrode member along the longitudinal axis.