Chlorite Containing Pyrotechnic Composition and Method of Inflating an Inflatable Automobile Safety Restraint

Reference is made to copending application Ser. Nos. 840,692 and 840,693 filed Oct. 11, 1977.

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to pyrotechnic compositions and especially such compositions which are useful in inflating an inflatable automobile safety restraint, as well as to methods for so inflating the restraint.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Various pyrotechnic formulations have been proposed for generating a gas upon combustion in order to inflate an air bag or similar safety restraint in a vehicle so as to restrain movement of an occupant in the event of a sudden deceleration of the vehicle, such as caused by a collision. Exemplary of the many patents issued in this area are the following U.S. Patents: No. 3,785,149 to Timmerman; No. 3,897,285 to Hamilton et al.; No. 3,901,747 and No. 3,912,562 to Garner; No. 3,950,009 to Hamilton and No. 3,964,255 to Catanzarite.

In order to be employed as a pyrotechnic gas generating composition for inflatable occupant restraints, several criteria must be met. The pyrotechnic must be capable of producing non-toxic, non-flammable and essentially smokeless gases over a wide range of temperatures and other environmental conditions. The gases that are generated must be at a sufficiently low temperature so as not to destroy the restraint or injure the occupant. The pyrotechnic must be safe to handle, preferably with very low or no toxicity and must be capable of generating a substantial amount of gas within a very short period of time, e.g., less than about 100 milliseconds.

The present leading candidates for commercialization in an all-pyrotechnic inflation system are sodium azide-based compositions. Such compositions exhibit excellent gas generating properties and produce a gas which consists almost totally of non-toxic nitrogen gas. However, there has been some concern raised respecting the safe handling of sodium azide. It would be desirable to provide a pyrotechnic composition and method of inflating an air bag or the like which exhibited gas generating properties akin to sodium azide but which is relatively non-toxic. It would also be desirable to provide a composition and method in which all of the above criteria are maximized.

In accordance with this invention, there is provided a pyrotechnic composition comprising:

about 1 to 20% by weight of a thermoplastic resin selected from the group consisting of polyacetal resins, polyvinyl acetate resins and mixtures thereof;

about 30 to 80% by weight of an alkali metal chlorite; and

about 20 to 60% by weight of a coolant selected from the group consisting of calcium hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide or mixtures thereof.

In further accordance with this invention, there is provided a method of inflating an inflatable automobile safety restraint comprising the step of substantially completely inflating the restraint with the gaseous composition products of combustion of a composition comprising:

about 1 to 20% by weight of a thermoplastic resin selected from the group consisting of polyacetal resins, polyvinyl acetate resins and mixtures thereof;

about 30 to 80% by weight of an alkali metal chlorite; and

about 20 to 60% by weight of a coolant selected from the group consisting of calcium hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide or mixtures thereof.

It has been found that the above composition provides excellent inflation of safety restraints within the necessary inflation times, the resulting gaseous mixture is essentially non-toxic, non-flammable and smokeless and has a relatively low flame temperature (e.g., less than about 2000.degree. F.). The pyrotechnic ingredients themselves have relatively low toxicity and are readily available.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of this invention, the pyrotechnic composition comprises:

about 15 to 30, preferably about 5 to 15, weight percent of a thermoplastic resin selected from the group consisting of polyacetal resins, polyvinyl acetate resins and mixtures thereof;

about 30 to 80, preferably about 40 to 60, weight percent of an alkali metal chlorite, such as sodium chlorite or potassium chlorite; and

about 20 to 60, preferably about 30 to 50, weight percent of a coolant selected from the group consisting of calcium hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide or mixtures thereof. The most preferred composition comprises a polyacetal resin, sodium chlorite and calcium hydroxide.

The polyacetal resin may be an acetal homopolymer (e.g., polyformaldehyde) or a copolymer (e.g., based on trioxane). An example of the former is the resin sold under the designation "Delrin" and an example of the latter is the resin sold under the designation "Celcon".

The polyacetal or polyvinyl acetate component of the pyrotechnic composition of this invention provides the fuel for the combustion; the alkali metal chlorite is an oxidizer and the calcium or magnesium hydroxide is a coolant. The composition of this invention may be prepared by any suitable powder or pellet blending process known to those skilled in the art. The composition of this invention preferably consists essentially of the three components enumerated above; however, for example, since the resultant mixture is white in color and hence is highly reflective, it may be preferred to include a pigment as a burn rate modifier. The preferred pigment is carbon black; other pigments that may alternatively be employed are black iron oxide, red iron oxide, black copper oxide and organic dyes. The amount of pigment in the composition may vary, but preferably is in the range of about 0.01 to 0.5 weight percent of the composition, more preferably about 0.05 to 0.15 weight percent.

It has been found that the pyrotechnic composition of this invention provides gaseous products which consist essentially of an optimum blend of oxygen, carbon dioxide and water vapor; such as about 20% O.sub.2, 20% CO.sub.2 and 60% H.sub.2 O, by volume. It is necessary to limit the amount of oxygen gas produced by the composition since it supports combustion and it is necessary to limit the amount of carbon dioxide produced because in high concentrations in a closed environment (e.g., a passenger compartment of a vehicle) it can be toxic.

In order to further describe the present invention, the following non-limiting examples are given.

A pyrotechnic composition consisting of 8.3 weight percent of an acetal copolymer havng a melt index of 9 (sold under the designation "Celcon"), 41.3 weight percent calcium hydroxide, 50.4 weight percent sodium chlorite and 0.1 weight percent carbon black was intimately mixed by ball milling under methylene chloride, dried and pressed into pellets. The pellets were then pressed into a slug measuring about 2 inches (5 cm) long and 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter. The slug was inserted into a cylindrical steel casing and the exposed end of the slug, to which a nozzle was attached, was ignited. A burn rate of 1 inch (2.5 cm) per second was measured at 3000 psi. This rate is acceptable for automobile safety restraint pyrotechnic compositions and is similar to that exhibited by azide compositions. The gaseous output was calculated to be as follows: 1800.degree. F. combustion temperature; on a volume basis; 20% O.sub.2, 20% CO.sub.2 and 60% H.sub.2 O.

A pyrotechnic composition is prepared by blending about 15 weight percent polyvinyl acetate, about 40 weight percent potassium chlorite and about 45 weight percent magnesium hydroxide. The composition is tested as in Example 1 and similar results are noted.

Example 1 is repeated except that polyvinyl acetate is substituted for polyacetal. Similar results are noted.

Example 1 is repeated except that magnesium hydroxide is substituted for calcium hydroxide. Similar results are noted.

It is to be understood that variations and modifications of the present invention may be made without departing from the scope thereof. It is also to be understood that the present invention is not to be limited by the specific embodiments disclosed herein but only in accordance with the appended claims when read in light of the foregoing specification.