Reduced smoke gas generant with improved temperature stability

• US 6,588,797 B1
• Filed: 04/15/1999
• Issued: 07/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TRW Limited (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Original Assignee: TRW Limited (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Inventors: Blomquist, Harold R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, Edward A.
• Application Number:
  US09/292,628
• Time in Patent Office: 1,545 Days
• Field of Search: 649/36, 649/46, 149/47, 280/741
• US Class Current: 280/741
• CPC Class Codes: C06B 23/04 for cooling the explosion gases including antifouling and flash suppressing agents
• CPC Class Codes: C06D 5/06 by reaction of two or more solids

Abstract

An apparatus (12) comprises an inflatable vehicle occupant protection device (20) and a gas generating composition (16) which when ignited produces gas to inflate the inflatable vehicle occupant protection device (20). The gas generating composition (16) comprises an oxidizer and a fuel. The oxidizer is an inorganic salt and the fuel is a tetrazine.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising an inflatable vehicle occupant protection device and a gas generating composition which, when ignited, produces gas to inflate said inflatable vehicle occupant protection device, said gas generating composition comprising an inorganic salt oxidizer and a fuel, said fuel comprising 3-R₁-6-R₂-1,2,4,5-tetrazine-1,4, dioxide, wherein R₁ and R₂ are selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, amino, amino-nitrate, amino-nitramide, amino-oxalic acid, hydrazino, nitramino, tetrazolyl, 5-aminotetrazolyl, 5-aminotetrazolyl-nitrate, 2H-tetrazolyl-ammonium salt, hydrazinium-5-tetrazolyl, 5-amino-3-nitro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl, azido, carboxylic acid, and carboxylic acid amide.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the fuel is 3,6-diamino-1,2,4,5-tetrazine-1,4-dioxide.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the inorganic salt oxidizer is selected from the group consisting of ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate, potassium perchlorate, ammonium perchlorate, and combinations thereof.

4. The apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein the oxidizer is ammonium nitrate and the ammonium nitrate is phase stabilized.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the gas generating composition further comprises about 10% to about 25% by weight based on the weight of the gas generating composition of a coolant.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the coolant is aluminum oxide.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the amount of fuel is about 30% to about 70% by weight based on the combined weight of the inorganic salt oxidizer and the hydrogen containing fuel.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the amount of inorganic salt oxidizer is about 30% to about 70% by weight of the combined weight of the fuel and the inorganic salt oxidizer.