What is a Quasi-Conductor and How Does it Affect Vehicle Ignition Failure?

  • Level: Undergrad 
  • Thread starter Thread starter sankalpmittal
  • Start date Start date
Join the discussion
Registration is free. Start your own thread to ask a follow-up.
Sign up Log in
2 replies · 9K views
sankalpmittal
Messages
785
Reaction score
27
Hey I have read in a book that in moisture sometimes the cars or vehicles ignition failure occurs and it(vehicle) stops.(I mentioned sometimes in rare cases. )The reason written there was that the insulating porcelain of the spark plugs accumulates a film of dirt . The surface dirt is hygroscopic and picks up moisture from air. Therefore in humid weather the insulating porcelain of plugs becomes "quasi-conductor." This allows an appreciable proportion of the spark to leak across the surface of the plug instead of discharging across the gap .Firstly , is the explanation correct ?
Secondly , what exactly is this quasi-conductor ?
 
Physics news on Phys.org

Discussion

Sounds like they are just referring to the fact that in humid weather the water in the air gets absorbed into the dirt and causes it to become conductive enough to cause a short. I don't know if the explanation is actually correct, and I've personally never heard of a quasi-conductor before.
 
Drakkith said:
Sounds like they are just referring to the fact that in humid weather the water in the air gets absorbed into the dirt and causes it to become conductive enough to cause a short. I don't know if the explanation is actually correct, and I've personally never heard of a quasi-conductor before.

Hmm I still have the doubts whether it is correct or not .