IGNITION SYSTEM

• US 20180086676A1
• Filed: 03/11/2016
• Published: 03/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aerojet Rocketdyne Inc. (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Aerojet Rocketdyne Inc. (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Schlueter, Samuel
• Granted Patent: US 10,640,432 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: C06B 27/00 Compositions containing a metal, boron, silicon, selenium or tellurium or mixtures, intercompounds or hydrides thereof, and hydrocarbons or halogenated hydrocarbons
• CPC Class Codes: C06B 43/00 Compositions characterised by explosive or thermic constituents not provided for in groups C06B25/00 - C06B41/00
• CPC Class Codes: C06C 9/00 Chemical contact igniters; Chemical lighters
• CPC Class Codes: F42C 19/0819 Primers or igniters for the initiation of rocket motors, i.e. pyrotechnical aspects thereof

Abstract

An ignition system includes a multi-metallic ignition body that has at least two metallic elements in contact with each other. The metallic elements define an ignition initiation temperature above which there is a self-sustaining alloying reaction. A fluorine-containing body is in contact with the multi-metallic ignition body. The metallic elements may include palladium or palladium-ruthenium and aluminum.

Claims

1. An ignition system comprising:

a wire having an outer jacket encasing an inner core, the outer jacket including palladium and ruthenium, and the inner core including aluminum; and

a fluorine-containing polymer coating on the wire.

2. The ignition system as recited in claim 1, wherein the fluorine-containing polymer coating includes a fluorocarbon polymer with carbon-fluorine bonds.

3. The ignition system as recited in claim 1, wherein the fluorine-containing polymer coating is selected from a group consisting of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVF), hexafluoropropylene (HFP), polyvinylfluoride (PVD), polyethylenetetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), and combinations thereof.

4. The ignition system as recited in claim 1, wherein the outer jacket has, by weight, approximately 95% of palladium and approximately 5% of ruthenium.

5. The ignition system as recited in claim 1, wherein the inner core has, by weight, approximately 95% of aluminum.

6. An ignition system comprising:

a multi-metallic ignition body including at least two metallic elements in contact with each other, the at least two metallic elements defining an ignition initiation temperature above which there is a self-sustaining alloying reaction of the at least two metallic elements; and

a fluorine-containing body in contact with the multi-metallic ignition body.

7. The ignition system as recited in claim 6, wherein the at least two metallic elements include aluminum and palladium.

8. The ignition system as recited in claim 7, wherein the at least two metallic elements further include ruthenium.

9. The ignition system as recited in claim 6, wherein the at least two metallic elements includes a first metallic element and a second metallic element in one or more filaments, and each of the one or more filaments includes an outer jacket of the first metallic element that circumscribes an inner core of the second metallic element.

10. The ignition system as recited in claim 9, wherein the multi-metallic ignition body includes a plurality of the filaments.

11. A method of fabricating an ignition system, the method comprising:

providing a multi-metallic ignition body that includes at least two metallic elements in contact with each other, the at least two metallic elements define an ignition initiation temperature above which there is a self-sustaining alloying reaction of the at least two metallic elements; and

bringing a fluorine-containing body into contact with the multi-metallic ignition body.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the fluorine-containing body is a tube, and the bringing of the fluorine-containing body into contact with the multi-metallic ignition body includes shrink-wrapping the tube onto the multi-metallic ignition body.

13. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the fluorine-containing body is initially a liquid, and the bringing of the fluorine-containing body into contact with the multi-metallic ignition body includes depositing the liquid onto the multi-metallic ignition body followed by solidifying the liquid to form the fluorine-containing body.