Airbags...
09-02-2005, 09:22 PM
#1
Senior Member
SL Member
Team ScioNRG
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 343
Airbags...
Okay...I don't think people fully understand how airbags actually work here, I've seen a lot of threads lately about airbags not deploying.
This is the description from Howstuffworks.com:
Even this however doesn't really explain how they work, its all based on inertia, it does not matter how fast your going, it depends on how fast you stop, angle, etc...depending on what type of air bag your vehicle has...there is a coil, a ball bearing, etc...basically the idea is....if you stop abruptly and one of the sensors is triggered (usually only 2 or 1 on the front of a vehicle but nowadays there seems to be more) getting hit at precise angle, velocity, braking speed...all take into effect. Thus your airbag is deployed.
I hope this brief summary will help some people. I work in a body shop and airbags can be set off by the simplest things depending on how the sensor is affected.
We have a police car in the shop presently that ran into road....basically it was driving a long a flat surface the road raised and caught the bottom of the vehicle. This set off the airbag because of the sudden stop and the way the vehicle was hit pull it in such a way the sensor was set off. The officers were not traveling all that fast it just got caught the wrong way.
Basically, the airbag is not supposed to deploy for every hit. If it did, a lot of people would get injured...think getting punched in the face
Another way to look at it, if you survived the accident with a few cuts and bruises, the car did its job, cause at least your walking away from it.
Again, I hope this helps people get a bit more understanding with them.
This is the description from Howstuffworks.com:
Air bags have saved thousands of lives since their introduction in the early 1980s. If you run into something, your air bag can inflate in less than a tenth of a second to protect you from the forces of a head-on collision.
There are three parts to an air bag. First, there is the bag itself, which is made of thin, nylon fabric and folded into the steering wheel or the dash board. Then there is the sensor that tells the bag to inflate. It detects a collision force equal to running into a brick wall at 10 to 15 miles per hour (16 to 24 kph).
Finally, there is the inflation system. Air bags are actually inflated by the equivalent of a solid rocket booster. Sodium azide (NaN3) and potassium nitrate (KNO3) react very quickly to produce a large pulse of hot nitrogen gas. This gas inflates the bag, which literally bursts out of the steering wheel or dashboard as it expands. About a second later, the bag is already deflating (it has holes in it) in order to get out of your way.
There are three parts to an air bag. First, there is the bag itself, which is made of thin, nylon fabric and folded into the steering wheel or the dash board. Then there is the sensor that tells the bag to inflate. It detects a collision force equal to running into a brick wall at 10 to 15 miles per hour (16 to 24 kph).
Finally, there is the inflation system. Air bags are actually inflated by the equivalent of a solid rocket booster. Sodium azide (NaN3) and potassium nitrate (KNO3) react very quickly to produce a large pulse of hot nitrogen gas. This gas inflates the bag, which literally bursts out of the steering wheel or dashboard as it expands. About a second later, the bag is already deflating (it has holes in it) in order to get out of your way.
I hope this brief summary will help some people. I work in a body shop and airbags can be set off by the simplest things depending on how the sensor is affected.
We have a police car in the shop presently that ran into road....basically it was driving a long a flat surface the road raised and caught the bottom of the vehicle. This set off the airbag because of the sudden stop and the way the vehicle was hit pull it in such a way the sensor was set off. The officers were not traveling all that fast it just got caught the wrong way.
Basically, the airbag is not supposed to deploy for every hit. If it did, a lot of people would get injured...think getting punched in the face
Another way to look at it, if you survived the accident with a few cuts and bruises, the car did its job, cause at least your walking away from it.
Again, I hope this helps people get a bit more understanding with them.
09-03-2005, 06:38 PM
#3
Senior Member
SL Member
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 116
Re: Airbags...
Originally Posted by DelayedTurbo
Basically, the airbag is not supposed to deploy for every hit. If it did, a lot of people would get injured...think getting punched in the face
09-03-2005, 07:06 PM
#4
Senior Member
SL Member
Team ScioNRG
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 343
Re: Airbags...
Originally Posted by qbiceman
Originally Posted by DelayedTurbo
Basically, the airbag is not supposed to deploy for every hit. If it did, a lot of people would get injured...think getting punched in the face
09-03-2005, 07:37 PM
#5
Senior Member
Scikotics
SL Member
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Posts: 9,731
The airbag systems in newer cars also take into account deformation, weight of passengers, direction of impact, etc. So you are dead on about them not deploying for any hit. I know someone whose airbags deployed when they should not have. They were lucky to not have permanent damage to their face and neck,
09-04-2005, 02:24 AM
#6
Senior Member
SL Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Riverview, FL
Posts: 170
Originally Posted by engifineer
The airbag systems in newer cars also take into account deformation, weight of passengers, direction of impact, etc. So you are dead on about them not deploying for any hit. I know someone whose airbags deployed when they should not have. They were lucky to not have permanent damage to their face and neck,
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
SF2K4
Scion tC 1G ICE & Interior
79
05-21-2007 12:46 AM
RedneckwithanxB
Regional - Southeast
20
10-21-2006 08:42 PM