Filter for gas generator

• US 20100096843A1
• Filed: 06/01/2005
• Published: 04/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daicel Chemical Industries Limited (Daicel Corporation), Fuji Filter Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Daicel Chemical Industries Limited (Daicel Corporation), Fuji Filter Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Koyama, Kazuya, Shiomi, Chika, Shiomi, Chiharu, Shiomi, Kazumitsu, Ryobo, Eiichi, Shiomi, Yuka, Matsuda, Naoki, Yamazaki, Masayuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,394,157 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/741
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 39/12 of wire gauze; of knitted wire; of expanded metal

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a filter for a gas generator, by which a filter having a good shape retaining property can be obtained, is provided.

A method of manufacturing a filter for a gas generator in which a tubular material is formed by knitting copper-plated iron wires, molten plated copper is adhered to an intersecting portion of the iron wire to fix the intersecting portion, wherein the method comprises a molding step for producing a tubular material by knitting the copper-plated iron wires, and a heat processing step in which the above tubular material is kept at a temperature not less than a melting point of copper but less than the temperature of sintering of the iron, and is then cooled.

Claims

1. A filter for a gas generator, comprising a tubular material formed by knitting a coated metal wire in which a metal wire corresponding to a core wire is coated with a lower melting point metal, wherein the lower melting point metal is a metal having a melting point lower than the metal of the core wire, and the intersecting parts of the coated metal wires are bonded by the affixing and solidifying of the molten lower melting point metal.

2. The filter for a gas generator according to claim 1, wherein a melting point of the lower melting point metal for coating the metal wire corresponding to the core wire is 20°

C. or more lower than a melting point of the metal of the core wire.

3. The filter for a gas generator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the metal wire corresponding to the core wire is an iron wire or a stainless steel wire, and the lower melting point metal for coating the core wire is selected from among copper, zinc, aluminium, tin and lead.

4. A method of manufacturing the filter for a gas generator according to claim 1, comprising:

a molding step for producing a tubular material in which the metal wire corresponding to the core wire is coated with a lower melting point metal, and the coated metal wire, in which the lower melting point metal is a metal having a melting point lower than the metal of the core wire, is knitted; and

a heat processing step in which the tubular material is kept at a temperature not less than a melting point of the lower melting point metal for coating the core wire but less than a sintering temperature of the metal of the core wire, and is then cooled.

5. The method of manufacturing the filter for a gas generator according to claim 4, wherein the tubular material in the molding step has an inner diameter of 3 to 80 mm, an outer diameter of 10 to 90 mm, a height of 5 to 300 mm and a mass of 10 to 400 g.

6. The method of manufacturing the filter for a gas generator according to claim 4 or 5, wherein, in the heat processing step, the heat processing is performed at a temperature 10°

C. or more higher than a melting point of the lower melting point metal for coating the core wire, but at a temperature 10°

C. or more lower than a melting point of the metal of the core wire.

7. A gas generator for an air bag, comprising a housing having a gas discharge port, an ignition means actuated by an impact, a combustion chamber storing a gas generating agent that is ignited and burned by the ignition means to generate a combustion gas, and a filter for filtering and cooling a combustion gas, wherein the filter for a gas generator according to claim 1 is used as a filter.