Thermal Induced Stresses in Bridge-Wire Initiator Glass-to-Metal Seals

Cracks have been observed in the insulating glass of bridge-wire initiators that may allow moisture to penetrate the assembly, potentially leading to the corrosion and degradation of the bridge wire and the pyrotechnic material. Degradation of the pyrotechnic or the bridge wire may result in initiator failure or diminished performance. The goal of this research is to determine if the manufacturing processes could produce thermal stresses great enough to crack the glass. A parametric plane stress closed-form solution was used to determine the effects of changing material properties and dimensions of the initiator, and to determine potential stresses within the initiator from two different manufacturing scenarios. To verify and expand the plane stress closed-form solution, a two-dimensional axisymmetric finite element analysis was performed. To reproduce the two manufacturing scenarios, lumped models and models that included the effects of cooling the initiator were used. Both models showed that if the manufacturing process involves pouring molten glass into the initiator, the potential for cracking exists. Furthermore, if the surface of the initiator cools faster than the center, cracking is more likely.