Propellant composition for automotive safety applications
AssigneeAlliant Techsystems Inc.
InventorEdward H. Zeigler
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Clean burning, non-self extinguishing propellant compositions for use in hybrid automotive air bag systems are disclosed. The propellant compositions are based on a mixture of a crystalline nitramine propellant, an energetic or non-energetic binder and one or a combination of an oxidizing propellant and an energetic plasticizer.
Claims20
A crash bag propellant system comprising a source of compressed, oxygen-containing inert gas and a propellant composition in functional proximity to ignition means for effecting ignition of said propellant within said gas, said propellant composition consisting essentially of a uniform mixture of:
- a) from about 40 to about 80% by weight of a crystalline particulate propellant selected from the group consisting of cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine, cyclotetramethylenetetranitramine and mixtures thereof;
- b) from 0 up to about 35% by weight of a crystalline particulate oxidant selected from the group consisting of ammonium nitrate, triamino-guanidinium nitrate, pentaerythritol tetranitrate and mixtures thereof;
- c) from about 8 to about 30% by weight of an inert or energetic binder;
- d) from 0 to about 15% by weight of an energetic plasticizer selected from the group consisting of trimethylolethane trinitrate, tri(ethylene glycol)dinitrate, butane triol trinitrate, bis-dinitropropyl acetyl, bis-dinitropropyl formal, glycidal azide, 1,5-diazido-3-nitraza pentane, and mixtures thereof;
- provided however, that where said binder component (c) does not comprise an energetic binder, the mixture contains at least about 5% by weight of component (b) or component (d) or a mixture of components (b) and (d).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.