Bibliography on Ignition and Spark-Ignition Systems U.S. Department of Commerce National Bureau of Standards Miscellaneous Publication 251 ; THE NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS Functions and Activities The functions of the National Bureau of Standards include the developm and maintenance of the national standards of measurement and the provision of means and methods for making measurements consistent with these standards; the determination of physical constants and properties of materials ; the develop- ment of methods and instruments for testing materials, devices, and structures advisory services to government agencies on scientific and technical problems; invention and development of devices to serve special needs of the Government;I and the development of standard practices, codes, and specifications, including assistance to industry, business and consumers in the development and accepi ance of commercial standards and simplified trade practice recommendation!I The work includes basic and applied research, development, engineering, instru- mentation, testing, evaluation, calibration services, and various consultation andd information services. Research projects are also performed for other govern- ment agencies when the work relates to and supplements the basic program of the Bureau or when the Bureau's unique competence is required. The scope of activities is suggested by the listing of divisions and sections on page 26. Publications The results of the Bureau's research are published either in the Burea>au'g own series of publications or in the journals of professional and scientific societies. The Bureau itself publishes three periodicals available from the Gov- ernment Printing Office: The Journal of Research, published in four separai sections, presents complete scientific and technical papers ; the Technical Ne Bulletin presents summary and preliminary reports on work in progress ; a Central Radio Propagation Laboratory Ionospheric Predictions provides da for determining the best frequencies to use for radio communications througho the world. There are also seven series of nonperiodical publications: Mo: graphs, Applied Mathematics Series, Handbooks, Miscellaneous Publicatio: Technical Notes, Commercial Standards, and Simplified Practice Recommen tions. A complete listing of the Bureau's publications can be found in National Burea of Standards Circular 460, Publications of the National Bureau of Standards, 1901 to June 1947 ($1.25), and the Supplement to National Bureau of Standa Circular 460, July 1947 to June 1957 ($1.50), and Miscellaneous Publication 240, July 1957 to June 1960 (includes Titles of Papers Published in Outside Journi 1950 to 1959) ($2.25) ; available from the Superintendent of Documents, Gov- ernment Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 20402. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE • Luther H. Hodges, Secretary NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS . A. V. Astin. Director Bibliography on Ignition and Spark-Ignition Systems G. F. Blackburn National Bureau of Standards Miscellaneous Publication 251 Issued November 22, 1963 (Supersedes NBS Circular 580) For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C., 20402 - Price IS cents Contents Page 1. Introduction 1 2. Bibliography 2 2.1. Books 2 2.2. Ignition of combustible mixtures 3 a. Electric ignition 3 b. Ignition by hot surfaces 8 2.3. Spark-ignition systems and components 11 a. Exclusive of spark plugs 11 b. Spark plugs 16 2.4. Miscellaneous 21 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 63-62119 • • • in Bibliography on Ignition and Spark-Ignition Systems G. F. Blackburn Approximately 730 references to books, papers, and reports are listed on ignition of combustible gaseous mixtures and ignition apparatus. The ignition of gases includes ignition by electric sparks and arcs and by hot surfaces. The references on ignition apparatus are for the most part on ignition systems and components for internal-combustion engines, with spark plugs listed separately from other components. 1. Introduction This publication supersedes National Bureau of Standards Circular 580. It covers the initiation of combustion in explosive gaseous mix- tures by means other than compression ignition, as well as electric equipment for spark-ignition engines. Part 2.1 lists books in which ignition or ignition equipment is either the main topic or is given fairly extensive treatment. The references to other publications are presented under three main heads. The first concerns ignition of combustible mixtures of gases and vapors, and is subdivided into two parts, according to whether ignition is effected by an electric spark or arc or by a heated surface. Part 2.2. a includes references to work on measuring spark energy. Part 2.2. b covers both fundamental investigations of ignition by heated surfaces and ignition by hot spots in internal-combustion engines. Although ignition is an essential stage in the combustion process, papers dealing primarily with the kinetics of combustion, flame propa- gation, and detonation, or with the flammability limits of composition, temperature, and pressure of gases, have not been included in this bibliography unless they were found to contribute also to an under- standing of ignition phenomena. Part 2.3 lists references on spark-ignition systems for internal- combustion engines, and their components. It includes work on test- ing and test equipment. Because there are so many references to spark plugs, these are listed separately as part 2.3.b. Part 2.4 contains miscellaneous references on ignition that do not fall within the category of part 2.2. Included are a number of papers and reports concerning explosion hazards and ignition of fuels used in rocket propulsion. Within each topical subdivision the references are given in chrono- logical order, and within each chronological subdivision, alphabeti- cally by author, followed by anonymous references. The journal abbreviations used are those employed in Chemical Abstracts, except that the abbreviation NACA is used for the Na- tional Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and SAE J. for the Journal of the Society of Automotive Engineers. An unpublished paper presented before a technical or professional society is designated by the abbreviation M. P. for Meeting Paper. Volume numbers are in boldface, and the date of issue is given in cases where page numbers do not run consecutively through a given volume. 1 . In general, the reports and papers listed are available only in ! i 1 wanes, and none can be supplied by the Bureau. The Federal Specification for Spark Plugs, W-S-506(2) (listed in part 2.3.b), may be obtained for 10 cents from the Business Service Qnter, Fed- eral Supply Service, General Services Administration Regie aial Office, \ Washington D.C. 20407. The sources of translation of several articles in foreign languages are given. Some of these are available from the Office of Technical Services Department of Commerce, (OTS), U.S. , Washington D.C. 20230. That agency can usually furnish informa- tion as to the availability of translations of other foreign-language articles. Information as to the availability of other reports should be obtained from the author or from the sponsoring organization. 2. Bibliography 2.1. Books Consoliver, E. L., and G. S. Mitchell, Automotive ignition systems (McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1920) Consoliver, E. L., Automotive electricity (McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1925). Bone, W. A., and D. T. A. Townend, Flame and combustion in gases (Longmans, Green and Co., London, 1927). Kirkby, W. A., Flame (Methuen and Co., Ltd., London, 1936) Automotive electricity (Technical Manual No. 10-580, War Department, Wash- ington, 1941). Morgan, J. D., The principles of ignition (Sir Isaac Pitman and Sons, Ltd., Lon- don, 1944). Kuns, R. F., and T. C. Plumridge, Automobile ignition and electrical equipment (American Technical Society, Chicago, 1945). Packer, A. H., Electrical trouble shooting on the motor car, 5th ed. (Battery Man Publishing Co., Terre Haute, Ind., 1945). Jost, W., Explosion and combustion processes in gases (McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1946). Third symposium on combustion, flame and explosion phenomena (The Williams and Wilkins Co., Baltimore, 1949) Bowden, F. P., and A. D. Yoffe, Initiation and growth of explosion in liquids and solids (Cambridge University Press, 1952) Gaydon, A. G., and H. G. Wolfhard, Flames—their structure, radiation and temperature (Chapman and Hall, Ltd., London, 1953). Fourth symposium on combustion (The Williams and Wilkins Co., Baltimore, 1953) . Spreadbury, F., Electrical ignition equipment (Constable and Co., Ltd., London, 1954) . Advisory Group for Aeronautical Research and Development (AGARD), North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Selected combustion problems I. Fundamentals and aeronautical applications (Butterworths Scientific Publications, London, 1954). Rao, N. N. N., The high-tension spark plug, its evolution, present state of develop- ment and manufacture (Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 1955). Fifth symposium on combustion : combustion in engines and combustion kinetics (Reinhold Publishing Corp., New York, 1955). Balkevich, V. L., Insulators for internal combustion engine spark plugs (Gos. izd-vo lit-ry po stroit, Moscow, 1956). Gatti, M., Ignition of explosive engines : the magneto, the coil, and the flywheel magneto (G. Lavagnolo, Turin, 1956). Advisory Group for Aeronautical Research and Development (AGARD), North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Selected combustion problems II. Transport