Inflators which store premixed fluid fuel and oxidizer in a porous matrix

摘要

The storage of combustible mixed fluid fuel and oxidizer in a porous matrix provides for enhanced control of fluid fueled inflators such as are used in automotive passive restraint airbag systems. By storing such in mixtures in a porous matrix having pores smaller than the quenching distance of the stored mixture the flammability of the mixture is suppressed. Storage of the mixture in a porous matrix having larger pores provides a mechanism for controlling the rate of release of the mixture, as well as providing a heat sink which helps moderate the temperature of the mixture during the filling operation, during long term storage and during the combustion process. Several inflator embodiments, with particularly advantageous structures for storing and releasing the mixture, are disclosed.