Propellant composition for automotive safety applications

Claim 1

A crash bag propellant system comprising a source of compressed, oxygen-containing inert gas and a propellant composition in functional proximity to ignition means for effecting ignition of said propellant within said gas, said propellant composition consisting essentially of a uniform mixture of: a) from about 40 to about 80% by weight of a crystalline particulate propellant selected from the group consisting of cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine, cyclotetramethylenetetranitramine and mixtures thereof; b) from 0 up to about 35% by weight of a crystalline particulate oxidant selected from the group consisting of ammonium nitrate, triamino-guanidinium nitrate, pentaerythritol tetranitrate and mixtures thereof; c) from about 8 to about 30% by weight of an inert or energetic binder; d) from 0 to about 15% by weight of an energetic plasticizer selected from the group consisting of trimethylolethane trinitrate, tri(ethylene glycol)dinitrate, butane triol trinitrate, bis-dinitropropyl acetyl, bis-dinitropropyl formal, glycidal azide, 1,5-diazido-3-nitraza pentane, and mixtures thereof; provided however, that where said binder component (c) does not comprise an energetic binder, the mixture contains at least about 5% by weight of component (b) or component (d) or a mixture of components (b) and (d).