Polyamide Fiber Airbag Fabric High-Speed Deployment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing polyamide fibers used in airbag fabrics face challenges in achieving high-speed deployment, burst resistance, and compactness while maintaining mechanical properties and storability, with previous technologies either compromising on mechanical strength or exhibiting issues with weaving and heat resistance.

Innovation Solution

A polyamide fiber with specific thermal treatment processes, including multistage stretching and stepwise heat setting, which enhances tensile strength, shrinkage control, and slack recovery, resulting in a fabric that is deployable at high speeds, resistant to bursting, and compact, with improved thermal behavior and physical property retention.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If high-strength nylon 66 fiber is used to improve mechanical properties, then tensile strength is improved, but weaving yield and burst resistance deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetensile strengthVSAvoidburst resistance
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The invention changes the chemical composition parameters by specifying that the polyamide fiber must contain at least 85 mol% polyhexamethylene adipamide units but also include other polyamide units, deviating from conventional 100% nylon 66. It also changes the physical parameter of formic acid relative viscosity to 8.0 or higher, creating a new parameter space that simultaneously achieves high tensile strength (10.5-12.0 g/d) and excellent burst resistance

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The invention creates a composite polyamide fiber structure by combining polyhexamethylene adipamide units with other polyamide units (such as polyamide 6, polyamide 11, polyamide 12, etc.) in specific proportions. This composite structure at the molecular level provides both the strength from nylon 66 and the burst resistance from the complementary polyamide components

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Weight of moving object

If fiber amount is reduced to achieve weight reduction and compactness, then vehicle fuel efficiency is improved, but burst resistance deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveairbag weightVSAvoidburst resistance
Core Design Contradiction:
Weight of moving objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The invention changes the fiber's intrinsic strength parameters by controlling the formic acid relative viscosity (≥8.0) and molecular composition, enabling the use of finer fibers with higher specific strength. This allows weight reduction through decreased fiber amount while maintaining or improving burst resistance through the enhanced quality of each fiber unit

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The invention extracts and optimizes the essential functional components of the polyamide fiber, identifying that specific compositional ratios and high viscosity are the critical factors for burst resistance, rather than simply increasing fiber quantity. This enables minimal fiber usage with maximal performance

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Speed

If high-speed deployment is achieved to reduce actuation time, then response speed is improved, but burst resistance deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedeployment speedVSAvoidburst resistance
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The invention changes the fiber's structural parameters including crystallinity, orientation, and cross-sectional shape, which control both deployment speed and burst resistance. The specific compositional parameters and high viscosity create a fiber structure that can rapidly deploy while maintaining integrity under high-speed deployment conditions and burst loads

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

4Volume of moving object

If fiber fineness is reduced to achieve compactness, then storage compactness is improved, but mechanical strength deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestorage volumeVSAvoidmechanical strength
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of moving objectVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The invention changes the quality parameters of the fiber by specifying high formic acid relative viscosity (≥8.0) and controlled compositional ratios, which compensate for the reduced cross-sectional area of finer fibers. This enables the use of lower fineness fibers for compact storage while maintaining mechanical strength through enhanced material quality

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The described polyamide fiber achieves high-speed deployment, excellent burst resistance, compactness, and enhanced storability, maintaining mechanical properties and reducing air permeability, thus addressing the limitations of previous technologies.

Implementation Method 1

a yarn spun from a spinneret is subjected to a multistage stretching treatment consisting of a cold stretching stage and a hot stretching stage

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCold stretching: Deformation

Implementation Method 2

a yarn spun from a spinneret is subjected to a multistage stretching treatment consisting of a cold stretching stage and a hot stretching stage

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHot stretching: Deformation

Implementation Method 3

a stepwise heat set and relaxation treatment involving a stepwise drop of temperature between 250°C and 50°C is applied in two or more stages

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeat treatment: Heat Treatment

Implementation Method 4

the shrinkage in boiling water is from 4.0 to 11.0%

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThermal contraction: Thermal Contraction

Data Source

PatentEP2789715B1Polyamide fiber and airbag fabric
Publication Date: 2020.10.21 ASAHI KASEI KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
  • EP2789715B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2789715B1 patent drawingFigure 2(a)~2(b)
  • EP2789715B1 patent drawingFigure 3(a)~3(d)

AI summary

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a polyamide fiber from which a fabric appropriate for use in airbags is obtainable, and which exhibits weave-loosening prevention properties after weaving thereof, and excellent mechanical properties. This polyamide fiber is characterized by having; a total fiber density of 100-700 dtex; a tensile strength of 8.0-11.5 cN/dtex; a boiling-water shrinkage of 4.0-11.0%; a slack recovery rate (A) represented by formula (1) after a fixed-length heat treatment of 0-4.0%; and a tightening index (F) represented by formula (2) of 3.8 or higher. A=[(Ta-Tb)/Ta]×100 (1) (In formula (1), Ta represents the amount of slack immediately after heat treatment, and Tb represents the amount of slack at the time of stabilization after heat treatment.) F=A+0.35xB (2) (In formula (2), A represents the slack recovery rate after the fixed-length heat treatment, and B represents the boiling-water shrinkage rate.)