High Speed X-ray Technology is used in order to understand the internal functioning of Airbag Inflators. The Inflator investigated in this study uses a conventional 60-liter driver-side design with 3 concentric chambers: ignition, combustion and stabilization. The propellant is a pressed pyrotechnical composition in the shape of pellets. The combustion of the propellant in the combustion chamber was filmed using a high-speed X-ray system running at 1000 frames/second. The various images obtained during the complete combustion of the propellant (40 ms) indicate, step by step, the evolution of the flame zone in the combustion chamber. In this way, the front flame can be seen to start around the entire ignition chamber, ending 40 ms from the combustion chamber external wall. The pellets do not burn separatly and are not all ignited together at the same time but behave as one large and isotropic 'Toric Propellant grain' made up of small propellant grains. The entire propellant burns in a 'parallel layer' much like a conventional propellant grain. Very good correlation was also found between the X-ray film timing of the propellant combustion and the internal pressure curve, the tank pressure curve and the static bag test timing.
High speed x-ray of airbag inflator function
Schnelle Röntgenfotografie zur Erfassung des Gasgeneratorfunktionsverhaltens
1996
11 Seiten, 9 Bilder
Aufsatz (Konferenz)
Englisch