Silicone-Coated Airbag Fabric for Heat Resistance and Blocking Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air bag fabrics face challenges in achieving high heat resistance while maintaining a lightweight and compact design, particularly when used with pyro-inflators, as they tend to suffer from thermal damage and blocking issues due to excessive coating amounts and inadequate heat resistance in current reinforcing fabrics.
Innovation Solution
A coated fabric is developed with a solvent-free silicone elastomer resin applied to one side of a woven synthetic fiber fabric, featuring an average resin thickness of 8-45 µm and 100 or more foams per cm², allowing for heat resistance and preventing blocking without the need for multiple fabric layers, using a method that includes controlled hot wind drying to optimize resin distribution and foam formation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a large amount of heat-resistant elastomer is applied to the fabric (60-120 g/m²), then heat resistance is improved, but the mass of the coated fabric increases and the applied layer becomes hard
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the key parameter of elastomer application amount from the conventional 60-120 g/m² to a reduced range of 1-60 g/m². This parameter change achieves heat resistance sufficient for airbag applications while significantly reducing the mass increase and preventing the applied layer from becoming excessively hard, thus resolving the contradiction between heat resistance and weight.
2Temperature
If a large amount of elastomer is applied (60-120 g/m²), then heat resistance is improved, but tackiness increases due to contact between coat surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
By reducing the elastomer application amount to 1-60 g/m², the patent prevents excessive tackiness that occurs when coat surfaces contact each other during storage. This parameter change maintains adequate heat resistance while eliminating the harmful tackiness effect, resolving the contradiction between heat resistance and surface stability.
3Weight of moving object
If the base fabric weight is reduced to make the air bag lighter, then weight is improved, but heat resistance of the fabric lowers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite structure by applying a heat-resistant elastomer coating to a lightweight base fabric. This composite material approach allows the base fabric to remain light while the elastomer coating provides the necessary heat resistance, resolving the contradiction between weight reduction and heat resistance maintenance.
4Temperature
If multiple reinforcing fabrics are added to compensate for low heat resistance of lightweight fabric, then heat resistance is improved, but the mass of the whole airbag increases and sewing becomes complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the base fabric itself multi-functional by coating it with heat-resistant elastomer. This single coated fabric simultaneously serves as both the structural base fabric and the heat-resistant protective layer, eliminating the need for separate reinforcing fabrics and thus reducing both mass and sewing complexity while maintaining heat resistance.
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 coated fabric exhibits excellent heat resistance and prevents blocking, enabling reduced damage from pyro-inflators and allowing for compact storage, while maintaining the fabric's lightweight and compact design, thus addressing the limitations of current air bag fabrics.
Implementation Method 1
using a method that includes controlled hot wind drying to optimize resin distribution and foam formation
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
The present invention provides a coated fabric for an air bag obtained by applying an elastomer resin onto at least one side of a woven fabric made from synthetic fiber, characterized in that the applied amount of the elastomer resin is 25 to 60 g/m2, that an average resin thickness on warp and weft at head top of the woven fabric surface is 8 µm to 45 µm, and that number of foams having diameter of 30 µm or larger is 100 or more/cm2 on the surface of a resin layer. The coated fabric for an air bag has a high heat resistance to such an extent that it can be used well for a reinforcing fabric for an air bag, has a heat resistance in such a level that it can be used for an inflator attachment port having high thermal load even in an applied amount of 60 g/m2 or less, and prevents, at the same time, a blocking property caused by contact between the coated surfaces.