Ignition enhancer composition for an airbag inflator

• US 6,214,138 B1
• Filed: 08/18/1997
• Issued: 04/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Key Safety Systems, Inc. (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Breed Automotive Technology, Inc. (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Canterberry, J B, Walsh, Robert Keith, Schlueter, Samuel Steven, Adams, John Herman
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, Edward A.
• Application Number:
  US08/912,106
• Time in Patent Office: 1,331 Days
• Field of Search: 149/36, 149/43, 149/61
• US Class Current: 149/36
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/272 with means for increasing the pressure of the gas just before or during liberation, e.g. hybrid inflators
• CPC Class Codes: C06B 33/00 Compositions containing particulate metal, alloy, boron, silicon, selenium or tellurium with at least one oxygen supplying material which is either a metal oxide or a salt, organic or inorganic, capable of yielding a metal oxide
• CPC Class Codes: C06C 9/00 Chemical contact igniters; Chemical lighters

Abstract

An ignition enhancer and gas heater composition for vehicle occupant restraint systems (commonly known as “airbags”) contains a non-azide fuel, an oxidizer and a metal. The ignition enhancer composition provides reliable and consistent ignition of a main propellant composition to produce a sufficient amount of gas to inflate an attached airbag within ten to eighty milliseconds or successfully heat the stored gas in a hybrid system. In a preferred embodiment, the enhancer composition contains 5-aminotetrazole, strontium nitrate, boron nitride, mica or clay and aluminum.

Claims

1. A composition for use as an ignition enhancer, said composition consisting essentially of:

(a) 5-aminotetrazole as fuel, at a concentration of about 15 to 35 weight %;

(b) stronitum nitrate as oxidizer, at a concentration of about 50 to 80 weight %;

(c) a metal selected from aluminum, titanium, boron, magnesium, zirconium, zinc, silicon and mixtures thereof at a concentration of about 3 to 15 weight %; and

(d) a processing aid selected from silicon dioxide, mica, boron nitride, talc, molybdenum disulfide, metal stearate salts, clay and mixtures thereof at a concentration of about 0 to 7 weight %;

wherein said ignition enchancer provides reliable ignition of a gsa generant charge.

2. The composition for use as an ignition enhancer according to claim 1 wherein said fuel is 5-aminotetrazole;

said oxidizer is strontium nitrate; and

said metal is aluminum.

3. The composition for use as an ignition enhancer according to claim 1 wherein said processing aid is a mixture of mica at a concentration of about 2 weight % and boron nitride at a concentration of about 1 wt %.

4. The composition for use as an ignition enhancer according to claim 2 wherein said 5-aminotetrazole is present at a concentration of about 15 to 30 weight %;

said strontium nitrate is present at a concentration of about 60 to 80 weight %; and

said aluminum is present at a concentration of about 3 to 15 weight %.

5. The composition for use as an ignition enhancer according to claim 4 wherein said 5-aminotetrazole is present at a concentration of about 26 weight %;

said strontium nitrate is present at a concentration of about 64 weight %; and

said aluminum is present at a concentration of about 7 weight %.