Patent ID: 6749702
Filing Date: 2004-06-15
Classification: C06B,C06C

Abstract:
A low temperature autoignition composition for safely initiating combustion of a main pyrotechnic charge in a gas generator or pyrotechnic device exposed to flame or a high temperature environment, consisting essentially of:a mixture of a silver nitrate oxidizer composition and a powdered metal fuel, the silver nitrate oxidizer composition consisting essentially of one of: (a) silver nitrate; or (b) a comelt or mixture consisting essentially of silver nitrate and at least one additional component selected from the group consisting of an alkali metal nitrate, an alkaline earth metal nitrate, a complex salt nitrate, a dried hydrated nitrate, an alkali metal chlorate, an alkali metal perchlorate, an alkaline earth metal chlorate, an alkaline earth metal perchlorate, ammonium perchlorate, sodium nitrite, potassium nitrite, silver nitrite, a complex salt nitrite, a solid organic nitrate, and a solid organic nitrite; wherein the powdered metal fuel is selected from the group consisting of molybdenum, calcium, strontium, barium, titanium, zirconium, vanadium, niobium, tantalum, chromium, tungsten, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, cadmium, tin, antimony, bismuth, aluminum, silicon, and mixtures thereof; the silver nitrate oxidizer composition has at least one of a crystalline phase transition, a melting point, a eutectic point, or a peritectic point at a temperature of no more than about 250Â° C.; the metal fuel is present in an amount at least substantially stoichiometric relative to the silver nitrate oxidizer composition; and the mixture of metal fuel and silver nitrate oxidizer composition has a mix intimacy and homogeneity sufficient between the silver nitrate oxidizer composition and the metal fuel to react in an autoignition reaction of metal fuel and silver nitrate oxidizer composition at an autoignition temperature of no more than about 232Â° C., thereby providing an autoignition composition having the autoignition temperature of no more than about 232Â° C.; wherein heating the autoignition composition to the autoignition temperature results in a reaction between the silver nitrate and the metal fuel, thereby initiating the autoignition reaction.