WIRE MESH FILTER WITH IMPROVED WIRE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE WIRE

摘要

A filter for use in safety air bags as employed in vehicles and the like comprises compressed corrugated wire wherein the corrugations are formed as a periodic sequence of substantially identical first sinusoidal waves coplanar in one orientation of a first given amplitude and pitch and a periodic sequence of substantially identical second sinusoidal waves of a second amplitude and pitch different than the first given amplitude and pitch oriented orthogonal to the plane of the first waves to form a wire with complex three dimensional waves. The wires so formed are wrapped about a mandrel in multiple layers and the ring so formed distorted into an oval shape that is inserted into a filter forming die. A plunger then is forced under high pressure into the die to form the compressed wire filter. The layers of undulations of the wire interlock to preclude separation of the compressed layers during deployment of an air bag.