Highly thermal resistant material for a vehicle safety device

• US 8,109,534 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2009
• Issued: 02/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Highland Industries, Inc. (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Highland Industries, Inc. (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Schindzielorz, Michael, Sescourka, Edward Thomas Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Freedman, Laura
• Application Number:
  US12/507,458
• Publication Number:
  US 20110018244A1
• Time in Patent Office: 930 Days
• Field of Search: 531/16, 531/17, 534/29, 534/59, 139384 R-387 R, 280/728.1, 280/729, 280/731, 280/740, 280/742, 280/743.1, 383/3, 428/34.3, 428/34.5, 428/34.6, 428/34.7, 428/36.1, 428/36.91, 442/76, 442/152, 442/158, 442/164, 442/203, 442/218
• US Class Current: 280/743.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23123 Heat protection panels
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23514 coated fabric
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/231 characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2346 Soft diffusers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/235 characterised by their material
• CPC Class Codes: D06N 3/0063 Inorganic compounding ingredients, e.g. metals, carbon fibres, Na2CO3, metal layers; Post-treatment with inorganic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: D06N 3/128 with silicon polymers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/1362 Textile, fabric, cloth, or pile containing [e.g., web, net, woven, knitted, mesh, nonwoven, matted, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/2139 Coating or impregnation specified as porous or permeable to a specific substance [e.g., water vapor, air, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/2861 Coated or impregnated synthetic organic fiber fabric
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/3179 Woven fabric is characterized by a particular or differential weave other than fabric in which the strand denier or warp/weft pick count is specified
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/3301 Coated, impregnated, or autogenous bonded

Abstract

An airbag. The airbag includes a heat shield made of a thermal resistant material that prevents a pyrotechnic inflator'"'"'s clinkers and hot gas from damaging the airbag or injuring the vehicle occupant. The thermal resistant material is a base fabric web with an elastomeric coating that includes a high aspect ratio additive such as vitreous fibers of alumina silicates. The resulting thermal resistant material exhibits exceptionally good thermal resistance times while, at the same time, uses relatively low coating weights.

Claims

1. A vehicle safety device comprising:

(a) an air bag; and

(b) a heat shield located within said air bag, said heat shield including a high aspect ratio thermally resistant additive, said additive including particulates having longer dimensions and shorter dimensions, with the ratio of the average length of the longer dimension to the average length of the shorter dimension being equal to or greater than 40, with said average longer dimension being between about 160 microns and 240 microns, and said average shorter dimension being between about 1 micron and 20 microns whereby said heat shield has a thermal resistance value of greater than 120 seconds at 450°

C.

2. The vehicle safety device of claim 1 further including an inflator in fluid communication with said air bag and said heat shield.

3. The vehicle safety device of claim 2 further including a cover partially enclosing said air bag and said heat shield.

4. The vehicle safety device of claim 2 further including an attachment plate connecting said air bag and said heat shield.

5. The vehicle safety device of claim 1 wherein said heat shield has a thermal resistance value of greater than 120 seconds at 550°

C.

6. The vehicle safety device of claim 1 wherein said heat shield has a thermal resistance value of greater than 120 seconds at 650°

C.

7. The vehicle safety device of claim 1 wherein said heat shield has a thermal resistance value of greater than 60 seconds at 750°

C.

8. A heat shield for an air bag vehicle safety device comprising:

(a) a base fabric web; and

(b) a coating including a high aspect ratio thermally resistant additive, said additive including particulates having longer dimensions and shorter dimensions, with the ratio of the average length of the longer dimension to the average length of the shorter dimension being equal to or greater than 40, with said average longer dimension being between about 160 microns and 240 microns, and said average shorter dimension being between about 1 micron and 20 microns whereby said coating includes between about 10 wt. % and less than 20 wt. % of said high aspect ratio additive.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein said base fabric web is formed from synthetic fibers.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein said synthetic fibers forming said base fabric web are between about 300 denier and about 900 denier.

11. The device according to claim 9, wherein said synthetic fibers are selected from the group consisting of nylon, polyester, acrylic, nylon/polyester blends, nylon/acrylic blends and polyester/acrylic blends and combinations thereof.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein said synthetic fibers are a high tenacity nylon 66.

13. The device according to claim 8, wherein said base fabric web weighs between about 4 oz/yd² and about 8 oz/yd².

14. The device according to claim 8, wherein said base fabric web is a woven construction.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein said base fabric web is a 1×

1 plain weave construction.

16. The device according to claim 8, wherein said device includes between about 1 oz/yd² and about 6 oz/yd² of coating on said base fabric web.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein said device includes about 4 oz/yd² of coating on said base fabric web.

18. The device according to claim 8, wherein said coating is an elastomer.

19. The device according to claim 18, wherein said coating includes a polymeric silicone elastomer.

20. The device according to claim 19, wherein said polymeric silicone elastomer is a room temperature vulcanizing polymeric silicone elastomer.

21. The device according to claim 8, wherein said coating includes about 15 wt. % of said high aspect ratio additive.

22. The device according to claim 8, wherein said high aspect ratio additive includes a plurality of particulate materials.

23. The device according to claim 22, wherein said plurality of particulate materials are substantially inorganic materials.

24. The device according to claim 23, wherein said substantially inorganic materials include silicon oxides, aluminum hydrates, and metallic oxides.

25. The device according to claim 22, wherein said plurality of particulate materials generally have a shape selected from the group consisting of fibers, rods, flakes, ovals and mixtures thereof.

26. The device according to claim 25, wherein said plurality of particulates are fibers.

27. The device according to claim 8, wherein said high aspect ratio additive has a specific surface area per volume of between about 0.2 m⁻

1 and about 4 m<sup>−

1</sup>.

28. The device according to claim 8, wherein said high aspect ratio additive has a specific surface area per mass of between about 0.5 m²/g and 1.0 m²/g.

29. The device according to claim 8, wherein the viscosity prior to being applied of said coating including a high aspect ratio thermally resistant additive is between about 15,000 centipoises and about 70,000 centipoises.

30. The device according to claim 29, wherein the viscosity prior to being applied of said coating including a high aspect ratio thermally resistant additive is about 60,000 centipoises.

31. A vehicle safety device comprising:

(a) an air bag;

(b) a heat shield located within said air bag, said heat shield including a base fabric web and a coating including a high aspect ratio thermally resistant additive, said additive including particulates having longer dimensions and shorter dimensions, with the ratio of the average length of the longer dimension to the average length of the shorter dimension being equal to or greater than 40, with said average longer dimension being between about 160 microns and 240 microns, and said average shorter dimension being between about 1 micron and 20 microns, and said heat shield having a thermal resistance value of greater than 120 seconds at 450°

C.; and

(c) an inflator in fluid communication with said air bag and said heat shield.

32. The vehicle safety device of claim 31 wherein said heat shield has a thermal resistance value of greater than 120 seconds at 550°

C.

33. The vehicle safety device of claim 31 wherein said heat shield has a thermal resistance value of greater than 120 seconds at 650°

C.

34. The vehicle safety device of claim 31 wherein said heat shield has a thermal resistance value of greater than 60 seconds at 750°

C.