COMPRESSED GAS INFLATOR WITH COMPOSITE OVERWRAP

• US 20120234839A1
• Filed: 03/18/2011
• Published: 09/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Autoliv ASP Incorporated (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Autoliv ASP Incorporated (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Smith, Bradley W., Jordan, Michael P.
• Application Number:
  US13/051,840
• Publication Number:
  US 20120234839A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 220/581
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 81/02 Covering or wrapping annular or like cores forming a closed or substantially closed figure
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 1/00 Pressure vessels, e.g. gas cylinder, gas tank, replaceable cartridge pressurised apparatus for purposes other than storage, see the relevant subclasses such as A62C, B05B; associated with vehicles, see the appropriate subclass of classes B60 - B64; pressure vessels in general F16J12/00 ; autoclaves B01J3/04; tank vehicles B60P3/22; railway tank wagons for carrying fluent materials B61D5/00; accumulators for supplying fluid under pressure F15B1/04; liquefied gas stoves F24C3/00
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 1/06 built-up from wound-on bands or filamentary material, e.g. wires
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2201/0109 with exteriorly curved end-piece
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2201/058 portable (<30 l)
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2203/0604 Liners
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2203/0619 with two layers
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2203/0639 Steels
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2203/0656 in form of filaments
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2203/0663 in form of fibers or filaments
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2205/0314 breakable, e.g. with burst discs
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2209/2154 Winding
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2223/0123 gaseous, e.g. CNG, GNC
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2223/036 Very high pressure (>80 bar)
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2260/011 Improving strength
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2270/0181 Airbags
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 5/06 for filling with compressed gases

Abstract

An inflator device includes a steel member to at least in part form a pressure vessel and an external composite wrap overlying at least a portion of the metal member. The metal member can be tubular and have an elongated length such as to form a steel inner liner that is incapable of withstanding the pressure generated within the pressure vessel upon actuation of the inflator device without support provided by the composite overwrap.

Claims

1. An inflator device comprising:

a steel member to at least in part form a pressure vessel and

an external composite wrap overlying at least a portion of the steel member, the composite wrap comprising a composite of fibers and a resin matrix system.

2. The inflator device of claim 1 wherein the composite fibers comprise glass or basalt fibers.

3. The inflator device of claim 1 wherein the steel member forms an inner liner incapable of withstanding the pressure generated within the pressure vessel upon actuation of the inflator device without support provided by the composite wrap.

4. The inflator device of claim 1 wherein the resin matrix system comprises a radiation curable resin.

5. The inflator device of claim 4 wherein the radiation curable resin is a UV curable resin.

6. The inflator device of claim 1 wherein the resin matrix system comprises a heat curable thermoset resin.

7. The inflator device of claim 1 wherein the resin matrix system comprises a thermoplastic resin curable via local melting.

8. The inflator device of claim 1 wherein the steel member is tubular, has an elongated length and forms an inner liner and the external composite wrap overlies at least a substantial portion of the elongated length of the tubular steel member.

9. The inflator device of claim 8 wherein the steel inner liner is incapable of withstanding the pressure generated within the pressure vessel upon actuation of the inflator device without support provided by the overwrap.

10. The inflator device of claim 8 wherein the external composite wrap comprises a premade tube of the fibers and the resin matrix, with the premade tube applied onto the tubular steel member.

11. The inflator device of claim 8 wherein the external composite wrap comprises a sheet of preimpregnated, primarily unidirectional fibers wrapped about the tubular steel member.

12. The inflator device of claim 8 wherein the external composite wrap comprises a winding of the composite about the tubular steel member.

13. An inflator device comprising:

a steel liner at least in part forming a pressure vessel and

an external composite wrap overlying at least a portion of the steel liner, the composite wrap comprising a composite of fibers and a resin matrix system;

wherein the steel liner is incapable of withstanding the pressure generated within the pressure vessel upon actuation of the inflator device without support provided by the composite wrap and

wherein at functional pressures the composite wrap and the steel liner share loading with the composite wrap subject to a proportionally larger amount of the total load at increasing functional pressures.

14. The inflator device of claim 13 wherein the composite fibers comprise glass fibers.

15. The inflator device of claim 13 wherein the composite fibers comprise basalt fibers.

16. The inflator device of claim 13 wherein the resin matrix system comprises a UV curable resin.

17. The inflator device of claim 13 wherein the steel liner is a tubular member having an elongated length and the external composite wrap overlies at least a substantial portion of the elongated length of the tubular member steel liner.

18. A method of making an inflator device, the method comprising:

providing a steel inner liner to at least in part form a pressure vessel;

overwrapping the steel inner liner with a composite of fibers and a resin matrix system; and

treating the composite overwrapped steel inner liner to form an inflator device that withstands the pressure generated within the pressure vessel upon actuation of the inflator device and wherein the steel inner liner is incapable of withstanding the pressure generated within the pressure vessel upon actuation of the inflator device without support provided by the composite overwrap.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the resin is UV curable and said treating the composite overwrapped steel inner liner comprises UV curing the composite overwrapped metal inner liner.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the resin is a heat curable thermoset resin and said treating the composite overwrapped steel inner liner comprises heat curing the composite overwrapped metal inner liner.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein the resin is a thermoplastic resin curable via local melting and said treating the composite overwrapped steel inner liner comprises locally melting the composite overwrapped metal inner liner.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein the overwrapping of the steel inner liner with a composite of fibers and a resin matrix system comprises applying a premade tube of the fibers and the resin matrix onto the steel inner liner.

23. The method of claim 18 wherein the overwrapping of the steel inner liner with a composite of fibers and a resin matrix system comprises winding the composite about the steel inner liner.