Gas-generating agent for air bag

• US 6,416,599 B1
• Filed: 06/28/1999
• Issued: 07/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Klaus Schmidt, Nippon Kayaku Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Klaus Schmidt, Nippon Kayaku Company Limited
• Inventors: Yoshikawa, Eiichiro, Iwasaki, Makoto, Minoguchi, Ryo, Ikeda, Kenjiro, Kanda, Takeshi, Kuroiwa, Akihiko, Tanaka, Akihiko, Sato, Eishi, Kubo, Dairi, Masuda, Kaoru, Kanamaru, Moriyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Carone, Michael J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FELTON, AILEEN BAKER
• Application Number:
  US09/331,839
• Time in Patent Office: 1,107 Days
• Field of Search: 149/35, 149/61, 149/45, 149/46
• US Class Current: 149/45
• CPC Class Codes: C06D 5/06 by reaction of two or more solids

Abstract

The present invention provides a gas generating agent for an air bag including a fuel component of nitrogenous organic compound and an oxidizing agent as its major components, to which at least one metal nitride or metal carbide that is allowed to react with a metallic component contained in the fuel component or the oxidizing agent to form slag is added, thus providing the effects of: solving the slag collecting problem which stands in the way of commercially practicing the nitrogenous organic compound base fuels; promoting the size reduction of the gas generator through the full use of high rate of gasification of the nitrogenous organic compound base fuels; and providing a gas generating agent molded member which is strong and stable with age by improving heat resistant properties and formability of the nitrogenous organic compound base fuels which are poor compared with the metallic compound azide of an inorganic matter.

Claims

1. A gas generating agent for an air bag comprising a fuel component, which is a nitrogenous organic compound, and an oxidizing agent as the major components of the gas generating agent, and at least 2.6% of silicon nitride functioning as consolidation preventing agent for at least either of said fuel component or said oxidizing agent, a metallic component being in said fuel component compound or in said oxidizing agent and said metal nitride further being able to react in a combustion process to form high-viscosity slag with said metallic component,

further, containing an additional slag forming metallic component that can react with a metallic component of said metal nitride or oxide originating from the metal nitride in a combustion process to form said high-viscosity slag, the slag forming metallic component being an element or a compound.

2. A gas generating agent for an air bag as set forth in claim 1, wherein said silicon nitride as the consolidation preventing agent for at least either of said fuel component and said oxidizing agent is in the form of impalpable powder.

3. A gas generating agent for an air bag as set forth in claim 1, wherein said silicon nitride is added in the range of 2.6% to 20 weight % of the total gas generating agent.

4. A gas generating agent for an air bag as set forth in claim 1 or 3, wherein said slag forming metallic component is at least one slag forming metallic component selected from the group consisting of silicon, boron, aluminum, alkaline metals, alkaline earth metals, transition metals and rare earth metals.

5. A gas generating agent for an air bag as set forth in claim 1, wherein said additional slag forming metallic component is added thereto in the form of a hydrotalcite for which the general chemical formula is:

6. A gas generating agent for an air bag as set forth in claim 5, wherein said hydrotalcites is synthetic hydrotalcite for which the chemical formula is Mg₆Al₂(OH)₁₆CO₃.4H₂O, or pyroaurite for which the chemical formula is Mg₆Fe₂(OH)₁₆CO₃.4H₂O.

7. A gas generating agent for an air bag as set forth in claim 6, wherein said synthetic hydrotalcite or said pyroaurite is added in the form of a compound including a component both as a binder for said gas generating agent composition and as said slag forming metallic component.

8. A gas generating agent for an air bag as set forth in claim 5, wherein said synthetic hydrotalcite or said pyroaurite is added in amount of 2 to 10 weight % of the total gas generating agent.

9. A gas generating agent for an air bag as set forth in claim 1 or 3, wherein said nitrogenous organic compound is at least one nitrogenous organic compound selected from the group consisting of tetrazole, aminotetrazole, bitetrazole, azobitetrazole, nitrotetrazole, nitroaminotetrazole, triazole, nitroguanidine, aminoguanidine, triaminoguanidine nitrate, dicyanamido, dicyandiamido, carbohydrazide, hydrazocarbonamido, azodicarbonamide, oxamide and ammonium oxalate or their salts of alkaline metals, alkaline earth metals or transition metals.

10. A gas generating agent for an air bag as set forth in claim 1 or 3, wherein said nitrogenous organic compound is a cyclic nitrogen compound.

11. A gas generating agent for an air bag as set forth in claim 10, wherein said cyclic nitrogen compound is at least one cyclic nitrogen compound selected from the group consisting of tetrazole, aminotetrazole, bitetrazole, azobitetrazole, nitrotetrazole, nitroaminotetrazole, triazole or their salts of alkaline metals, alkaline earth metals or transition metals.

12. A gas generating agent for an air bag as set forth in claim 1 or 3, wherein said oxidizing agent is at least one oxidizing agent selected from the group consisting of nitrates of alkaline metal or alkaline earth metals, chlorates of alkaline metals or alkaline earth metals, perchlorates of alkaline metals or alkaline earth metals and ammonium nitrates.

13. A gas generating agent for an air bag as set forth in claim 1 or 3, wherein a water-soluble polymer compound is added as a formability modifying agent in amount of 0.01 to 0.5 weight % of the total gas generating agent composition to said gas generating agent composition.

14. A gas generating agent for an air bag as set forth in claim 13, wherein said water-soluble polymer compound is at least one water-soluble polymer compound selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl alcohol, polypropylene glycol, polyvinyl ether, polymaleic copolymers, polyethylene imide, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyacrylamide, sodium polyacrylate and ammonium polyacrylate.

15. A gas generating agent for an air bag as set forth in claim 1 or 3, wherein 0.01 to 1 weight % lubricant is added to said gas generating agent composition and is molded in a predetermined form.

16. A gas generating agent for an air bag as set forth in claim 15, wherein said lubricant is at least one lubricant selected from the group consisting of stearic acid, zinc stearate, magnesium stearate, calcium stearate, aluminum stearate, molybdenum disulfide and graphite.

21. A gas generating agent for an air bag as set forth in claim 5, comprising 32% 5-amino triazole, 59.9% strontium nitrate, 3.6% silicon nitride and 4.5% synthetic hydrotalcite.

17. A gas generating agent for an air bag comprising 20 to 50 weight % 5-aminotetrazole as a fuel component;

30 to 70 weight % strontium nitrate as an oxidizing agent; and

0.5 to 20 weight % silicon nitride as a slag forming agent; and

2 to 10 weight % synthetic hydrotalcite both as a binder and as a high-viscosity slag forming metallic compound.

18. A gas generating agent for an air bag comprising 20 to 50 weight % 5-aminotetrazole as a fuel component;

30 to 70 weight % strontium nitrate as an oxidizing agent; and

0.5 to 20 weight % silicon nitride as a slag forming agent, wherein a slag forming metallic compound comprising at least one slag forming metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum, magnesium, yttrium, calcium, cerium and scandium is further mixed in the range of 1;

9 to 9;

1 in a ratio of said silicon nitride to said slag forming metallic compound.

19. A gas generating agent for an air bag as set forth in claim 18, wherein said slag forming metallic compound is at least one of oxide, hydroxide, nitride, carbide, carbonate and oxalate of said slag forming metal.

20. A gas generating agent for an air bag as set forth in claim 18, wherein said slag forming metallic compound is synthetic hydrotalcite.

22. A gas generating agent for an air bag as set forth in claim 19, wherein said slag forming metallic compound is aluminum nitride or aluminum oxide.