I see a few problems...
1) Strength. Glass, in its purest form, is stronger that steel. Sadly, to make it that pure is quite expensive.
2) Carbon-fouling of the la
Ser lens. No matter how cleanly it runs, carbon particles are a by-product of the combustion process. If it doesn't get blocked completely, it will at least mess with the focus and positioning of the beam. The day anyone pulls a spark plug from an internal-combustion engine and there are no deposits
of any kind on it after 3000 miles, please call me.
3) Replacement cost. Platinum spark plug: $3.29. Fouled/broken la
Ser? One that can generate that kind of heat will be in the thousands of dollars.
4) To detonate the air/fuel ratio with a beam of light on a surface (in this case, presumably the piston), the surface must be heated, quickly, to a temperature well above the flash-point of the incoming mixture. Well, you're firing at an aluminum piston, and aluminum melts at a pretty-low figure (1221°F) while the ignition point of gasoline is around 536°F. No big deal, until you figure in the fact that the piston is going to get hotter than 536°F overall due to the combustion and compression, and therefore the la
Sers must create "hot spots" in the desired areas to initial combustion from those points. My point being that it would seem that Ford's latest "better idea" is going to result in shorter piston life.
By the way, there would be no ignition at the la
Ser's lens. That is the final point at which the beam gets focused, and would not be sufficient to light the mixture. The multiple-point ignition source seems to be achieved by hitting the piston in several points with multiple-focus la
Sers.
"Laser" is actually an acronym (L.A.S.E.R.) for
Light
Amplification by
Stimulated
Emission of
Radiation, but has become an actual word through common usage and pronuncation as such, and therefore is no longer spelled with all caps.
"Lazer" is a last name or a radio-station hook misspelled by DJs.
Sorry if I seem a dick, but much like the word "laser", I suffer from a complete lack of Zs. :doh: I did own an '86 Chrysler Laser XT Turbo, though.
