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'Cool Gas' Powers New Inflators From Autoliv

11 September 2000

'Cool Gas' Powers New Inflators From Autoliv AUTOLIV SIDE AIRBAG CURTAIN Autoliv's Side Airbag Curtain. (PRNewsFoto)[PM] AUBURN HILLS, MI USA 09/11/2000    

    AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Sept. 11 A new inflator technology is
helping to make protection from side-impact and rollover accidents a practical
reality for passenger-vehicle occupants.  Autoliv Side Hybrid-2 (ASH-2) "cool
gas" inflator is already part of side-impact safety systems in some of the
newest models from GM and DaimlerChrysler, and will soon find its way into the
offerings of other major automakers.  ASH-2 was selected to receive the 2000
Ernst & Young PACE Award for innovation in technology.
    (Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000911/DEM008 )
    The patented ASH-2's unique performance characteristics are based on the
science of dissociation, rather than on classic combustion principles used in
other inflators.  Dissociation separates the gas into its nitrogen and oxygen
components without generating high temperatures, and uses the energy that
comes from breaking the bond between the nitrogen and oxygen to expand the
gas.
    Unlike conventional inflators, which generate relatively hotter gases, the
"cool-gas" technology prevents volume loss caused by gases that contract as
their temperature drops.  This is especially crucial for systems providing
rollover protection, where the side curtain must remain fully inflated for the
entire rollover event which can take up to several seconds.
    Manufacturing considerations also favor the ASH-2.  The new inflator has
44% fewer parts and less than half the welds of the company's previous models,
making it simple to manufacture and robust in design.