Hello all!
Before you laugh at my question, let me explain. I have had two consecutive dreams about quartz crystals and spark plugs/fuel injectors. In the second of the two dreams, the spark plug/fuel injector was the size of my hand (which is small in comparison to the average American woman, of which I am one). Next to it was the quartz crystal, much like one you’d see in a spiritual trinket shop. In both dreams the quartz crystals were the size of my hand. All that aside, my question is: could quartz be used in any of the rechargeable batteries of today? And what possible relation could a spark plug/fuel injector have to quartz? I’m not asking for a dream interpretation. I honestly want to know if my dream was trying to tell me something that can be used in making batteries, or in producing sparks. Sorry about transgressing, but I have to qualify the above with “this may sound dumb.”
mssr7 
Hello mssr7. One link between spark plugs and quartz crystals that springs to mind is the piezoelectric effect. If you squash a piezoelectric crystal, an electric potential difference is produced which has been applied to a variety of technologies. Have you seen those devices that create a spark to light the gas-fired range in kitchens? They are piezoelectrics - mechanical force translated into electrical potential. Car spark plugs do not work like this, but maybe could be designed around the piezo concept in principle.
It’s interesting that you mention rechargeable batteries in your dream. If you do a google search for ‘piezoelectric battery’ you get some hits describing batteries being re-charged by piezoelectric crystals. The exciting thing here seems to be the fact that some piezos don’t need to be literally squashed / manhandled to produce potential, they can generate energy through vibration. What better source of vibrating energy then a car engine running down the road?
The stumbling block to quartz crystals powering car batteries and the like via piezoelectricity (I think) lies in the fact that they produce very, very low energy output. Maybe subsequent dreams can provide inspiration for meeting this challenge 
Epson inkjet printers use piezo print heads to squirt ink onto the paper, so the idea of a piezo fuel injector isn’t completely outlandish. However, unless you are an engineer trying to solve a specific problem, I’d just chalk this one up to something you ate…
Thank you Busy Scissors for responding in a respectful manner. I thought my question might be ridiculous, but the repeated dream haunted me daily, causing me to need some sort of explanation. I couldn’t get it out of my head - it was such a visual. It’s comforting (I know, that’s pathetic, huh?) to learn there is a a link between the two items, even though it’s a sketchy one.
Your question is now my question. A very interesting one (to me, anyway).
BUT, could there be another element, which could empower the output, so to speak? I will ask myself that question before sleep, until I get an answer… :rolleyes: unless you can provide me with a better one. Thank you so much for your response!
Thank you, too, beowulff, for your contribution. I knew little about fuel injectors before the dream. In fact, the words were not common to me at all … in the dream, there were spark plugs (a most common image/words in most anyone’s mind — explainable), but the words fuel injector (uncommon to most outside the automotive+ industry) were in the dream, also, so I assumed they had some importance.
Your suggestion to chalk my dream up to something I ate :dubious: is exactly what I’ve been mentally ** bothered** not to do. I am not an engineer, but I have had the inkling to find one, one that wouldn’t think me crazy for “injecting” significance into a dream. Not knowing where or how to search one out, I thought I’d ask some questions, first… Blessings!
I take this statement to mean that you were actually dreaming about quartz stones or quartz bars. In the electronics industry, the words “quartz crystals” refer to electronic components that are made from slices of quartz taken from the original bar. A quartz crystal such as the ones you dreamed of would be useless in any electronic circuitry because of the shear size of the stone and the amount of electrical power that would be required to make a full sized stone vibrate, if it could be done at all. Frankly, it would be so difficult to make the stone vibrate that it simply wouldn’t be worth the effort.
I can’t imagine any direct use of quartz in a battery but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. I would imagine the battery would have to be of very low voltage rating and very small in size so that a quartz crystal component could possibly time a trickle charge into the battery while the battery is in use. It would be a unique application, as far as I know. It would take a lot of development but it just might be possible.
Probably none. In the case of a spark plug, quartz would be an unsuitable material because of the heat and pressure that a spark plug has to withstand; I doubt quartz would hold up very well. A fuel injector is also subject to extremes of temperature and pressure that would probably rule out quartz as the material of choice; there very well might be possible applications of piezoelectric ceramics in both products, at least in theory. Ceramics are not naturally piezoelectric materials but the piezoelectric effect can be induced in certain ceramics during their manufacture; by varying the choice of ceramic material and by making changes in the manufacturing process, you might well be able to develop a very strong and very heat resistant piezoelectric ceramic. You have to bear in mind that spark plugs and fuel injectors are very mature technologies; manufacturers have invested lots of time and money in their development and what you are imagining would be like starting again from ground zero. Your idea might be a good one, but you would have to have a ton of back ground material, a lot of education, some experience in manufacturing and one hell of a business plan to get anyone’s attention. Sorry to say that, but it is true.
Not dumb at all; just a little bit off center, just like a jillion excellent ideas have been. Have you considered a career in applied physics?
mssr7
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Are you talking about a quartz stone or a single component when you use the words “piezoelectric crystals?” In any case, it is true that a “piezoelectric crystal” can be put into vibration by means of outside vibration; that is the wonder of resonance. It is equally true that a brick, or a bridge, or a building, or virtually any mechanical object you might think of can be put into vibration by means of an outside vibration IF THE APPLIED VIBRATION is at a frequency very close to the natural frequency of the object to which the applied vibration is being subjected. It is exactly the same as holding a vibrating tuning fork next to a piano wire while the wire is being tuned to replicate the note sounded by the tuning fork. When the two are in resonance, the note sounded by the tuning fork and the wire will be the same. But the only energy either of those objects produce is a sound wave and striking the string with some regularity is the only way to maintain it in a vibrational state. A tremendous amount of engineering effort is expended in minimizing vibrations in and around an automobile engine; who needs vibrations putting wear on other parts? Even so, vibrations persist as does the effort to minimize if not eliminate them. And, as the engine speed varies, some vibrations do disappear but others crop up. Basically, you need a lot more than just a running a engine and a chunk of piezoelectrical material.
If you are really interested in frequency control and piezoelectric devices, take a look here. You will have to enable scripts. Select “frequency control” and just follow the links to where your interest leads you. If you follow the “In Memoriam” link, you will see a list of dead and gone giants of our industry; many of them were my friends and several of them were my mentors. Follow the “Tutorial” link and you will find things ranging from the basic basics to the esoteric.
If you’re interested, go here and follow the links to technical information and application notes; some of them were written by me and some of them were not. DISCLAIMER: I am not associated in any way with Fox Electronics and I would not benefit if anyone did business with them. They just have some good information on line----it should be good, I wrote a lot of it. I have posted this link before now and no one ever objected—I hope no one objects this time.
There is a product, the Gunnison Colortune that connects quartz and a sparkplug.
It is a sparkplug with the insulator made of fused quartz, which is clear. This allows a mechanic to view the color of the combustion flame, and make mixture adjustments accordingly. Mostly useful on motorcycles, as it is pretty hard to see the sparkplug on a car when operating under load.
This is what occurred to me when I read the OP. My friend British Car Nut had one of these, which I borrowed to use on my Datsun 1600 roadster. Worked great.
Yes, but the device used FUSED quartz and fused quartz does not have piezoelectric properties. Nor could the device be torqued as much as regular spark plugs due to the fact that fused quartz just isn’t all that strong. However, you can see through it and that would be useful in tuning an engine. But it wouldn’t replace your regular spark plugs.
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Thank you for not thinking it dumb. As for the question about me considering a career in applied physics… I’d have to say “no.” Goodness, I am flattered, but I think it’s a bit late in my life to get started on something like that. The subject is interesting to me, however, but I’ve found my interests peaked in so many areas, my mind stutters. I guess I’ll remain a ‘dreamer.’ 
I followed the links you provided and read until my head hurt. I esp. enjoyed the memory page. How lucky you were to rub shoulders with such people.
Thanks for every one of your contributing posts. (That goes for everyone that contributed.) Believe it or not, I actually learned some things.
There is one thing more I want to add, outside of the discussion topic. If anyone comes to these forums with ideas, suggestions, thoughts, questions, et al, please continue to encourage them to “keep-on-thinking,” no matter how many times their ideas, suggestions, thoughts, questions, et al have been processed, and regardless of how many different parties have processed them. We owe that to the next brilliant thinker. I am certainly passing out mental kudos to all of you for handling me with such kind regard.
My temporary membership ends not long from now → the trial membership is also appreciated. This was the only place I could find to raise my questions… and, again, thanks!!!
Blessings to all…