Producing motive power

摘要

A motive power generating unit, e.g. for spinning up a gyroscope rotor, contains a pyrotechnic gas-generating substance in the form of an azide composition 34. When electrically ignited, it produces nitrogen gas which is filtered at 40 and exits as a jet through orifice 26 to impact on buckets in the periphery of the rotor and spin it up to speed. The composition 34 may include transition metal oxides or alkali metal perchlorates as an oxidising agent. ……