Substituted basic metal nitrates in gas generation

• US 6,958,101 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2003
• Issued: 10/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Autoliv ASP Incorporated (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Autoliv ASP Incorporated (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Taylor, Robert D., Mendenhall, Ivan V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Palo, Francis T.
• Application Number:
  US10/412,530
• Publication Number:
  US 20040200554A1
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• Field of Search: 149/36, 149/45
• US Class Current: 149/45
• CPC Class Codes: C06B 31/00 Compositions containing an inorganic nitrogen-oxygen salt
• CPC Class Codes: C06D 5/06 by reaction of two or more solids

Abstract

A material for a pyrotechnic composition and related pyrotechnic compositions are provided in which the material includes a substituted basic metal nitrate including a reaction product of an acidic organic compound and a basic metal nitrate. A method for enhancing a burn rate of a gas generant composition and a burn rate enhanced gas generant composition including a reaction product of basic metal nitrate and tetrazoles, tetrazole derivatives, and combinations thereof, and a nitrogen-containing co-fuel such as guanidine nitrate are also disclosed. The burn rate enhance gas generant composition may optionally include an additional oxidizer such as basic copper nitrate.

Claims

1. A material for use in a pyrotechnic composition comprising:

a substituted basic metal nitrate;

wherein the substituted basic metal nitrate includes a reaction product of an acidic organic compound and a basic metal nitrate.

2. The material of claim 1 wherein the acidic organic compound is a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compound including an acidic hydrogen.

3. The material of claim 1 wherein the acidic organic compound is selected from the group consisting of tetrazoles, imidazoles, imidiazolidinone, triazoles, urazole, uracil, barbituric acid, orotic acid, creatinine, uric acid, hydantoin, pyrazoles, derivatives thereof, and combinations thereof.

4. The material of claim 1 wherein the acidic organic compound is selected from the group consisting of tetrazoles, imidazoles, derivatives thereof, and combinations thereof.

5. The material of claim 1 wherein the acidic organic compound comprises 5-amino tetrazole.

6. The material of claim 1 wherein the acidic organic compound comprises bitetrazole dihydrate.

7. The material of claim 1 wherein the acidic organic compound comprises nitroimidazole.

8. The material of claim 1 wherein the basic metal nitrate is selected from the group consisting of basic copper, zinc, cobalt, iron, and manganese nitrates, basic transition metal nitrate hydroxy double salts, basic transition metal nitrate layered double hydroxides, and combinations thereof.

9. The material of claim 1 wherein the basic metal nitrate comprises basic copper nitrate.

10. The material of claim 1 wherein the substituted basic metal nitrate comprises 2Cu(OH)₂•

Cu(CH₂N₅)₂•

Cu(NO₃)₂.

11. The material of claim 1 wherein the substituted basic metal nitrate comprises 2Cu(OH)₂•

Cu(C₂N₈)•

Cu(NO₃)₂.

12. The material of claim 1 wherein the substituted basic metal nitrate comprises 2Cu(OH)₂•

Cu(C₃H₂N₃O₂)₂•

Cu(NO₃)₂.

13. A pyrotechnic composition consisting essentially of the material of claim 1.

14. The pyrotechnic composition of claim 13 wherein the acidic organic compound is a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compound containing an acidic hydrogen.

15. The pyrotechnic composition of claim 13 wherein the acidic organic compound is selected from the group consisting of tetrazoles, imidazoles, derivatives thereof, and combinations thereof.

16. The pyrotechnic composition of claim 13 wherein the basic metal nitrate comprises basic copper nitrate.

17. The pyrotechnic composition of claim 13 wherein the substituted basic metal nitrate is selected from the group consisting of 5-amino tetrazole substituted basic copper nitrate, bitetrazole dihydrate substituted basic copper nitrate, nitroimidazole substituted basic copper nitrate.

18. A burn rate enhanced gas generant composition comprising:

the material of claim 1; and

a nitrogen containing co-fuel,

wherein the acidic organic compound is selected from the group consisting of tetrazoles, tetrazole derivatives, and combinations thereof.

19. The burn rate enhanced gas generant composition of claim 18 wherein the basic metal nitrate is selected from the group consisting of basic copper, zinc, cobalt, iron, and manganese nitrates, basic transition metal nitrate hydroxy double salts, basic transition metal nitrate layered double hydroxides, and combinations thereof.

20. The burn rate enhanced gas generant composition of claim 18 wherein the substituted basic metal nitrate fuel comprises 5-amino tetrazole substituted basic copper nitrate.

21. The burn rate enhanced gas generant composition of claim 18 wherein the nitrogen containing co-fuel comprises guanidine nitrate.

22. The burn rate enhance gas generant composition of claim 18 comprising:

about 5 to about 95 composition weight percent of the substituted basic metal nitrate; and

about 5 to about 60 composition weight percent of the nitrogen-containing co-fuel.

23. The burn rate enhanced gas generant composition of claim 18 further comprising an additional oxidizer.

24. The burn rate enhanced gas generant composition of claim 23 wherein the additional oxidizer comprises a basic metal nitrate.

25. The burn rate enhanced gas generant composition of claim 24 wherein the additional oxidizer comprises basic copper nitrate.

26. The burn rate enhanced gas generant composition of claim 23 wherein the additional oxidizer is present in an amount of up to about 50 composition weight percent.

30. A method of increasing a burn rate of a gas generant composition, the method comprising:

adding the substituted basic metal nitrate of claim 1 to the gas generant composition.

31. The method of claim 30 further comprising:

combining an acidic organic compound with a basic metal nitrate; and

forming a reaction product including the substituted basic metal nitrate.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein the acidic organic compound is selected from the group consisting of tetrazoles, tetrazole derivatives, and combinations thereof.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the basic metal nitrate compound is selected from the group consisting of copper, zinc, cobalt, iron and manganese nitrates, basic metal nitrate hydroxy double salts, basic metal nitrate layered double hydroxides, and combinations thereof.

34. The method of claim 30 wherein the substituted basic metal nitrate comprises 5-amino tetrazole substituted basic copper nitrate.

27. A burn rate enhanced gas generant composition comprising:

about 5 to about 95 composition weight percent substituted basic copper nitrate, the substituted basic copper nitrate including a reaction product of an acidic organic compound and a basic copper nitrate; and

about 5 to about 60 composition weight percent guanidine nitrate co-fuel,

wherein the acidic organic compound is selected from the group consisting of tetrazoles, tetrazole derivatives, and combinations thereof.

28. The burn rate enhanced gas generant composition of claim 27 wherein the substituted basic copper nitrate comprises 5-amino tetrazole substituted basic copper nitrate.

29. The burn rate enhanced gas generant composition of claim 27 further comprising basic copper nitrate additional oxidizer in an amount of up to about 50 composition weight percent.