Airbags are safety devices that inflate rapidly during a collision to protect passengers. They work by cushioning impacts and spreading out the force over a larger area of the body. Airbags are most commonly made of woven nylon fabric and contain sodium azide, which produces nitrogen gas to inflate the bag within 30-60 milliseconds of a crash. Common airbag locations include the steering wheel and passenger dashboard. New technologies continue to be developed, such as side curtain airbags, to improve safety.

1. Airbags and it’s role in safety
Vinayaka Mallya S
Hemanth G
Vikas G Hegde

2. WHAT ARE AIRBAGS ?
 It is a safety device fitted in a vehicle, consisting of a cushion designed to
inflate rapidly and protect passengers from impact in the course of a
collision.

3. Objectives of Airbags
 The main objective of an air bag is to minimize the harm to the
passenger by reducing the force exerted by steering wheel and the
dashboard or any point on the body during an impact. This is
accomplished in two ways:
1. By increasing the interval of the force being applied.
2. By spreading the force over a larger area of the body .

4. WHY DO WE NEED THEM?
 During the automobile construction, the top priority is always given to the
safety of the driver and the passenger.
 Thus the airbags were introduced
 The installation of airbags makes the vehicle costlier. But the safety of the
passenger is increased exponentially

5. HISTORY
 The automobile industry had started in the late 1950’s to research on
air bags and the first invented version was patented on 1953.
 Air bags have been commercially available since the late 1980’s.
 The study also suggests that death among drivers using both airbags
and seat belts are 26% lower than among drivers using seat belts
alone.
 In the early 1970s, Ford and General Motors began offering cars
equipped with airbags.
 GM's Oldsmobile Tornado was the first domestic vehicle to include a
passenger airbag.

6. WHAT ARE AIRBAGS MADE UP OF ?
 The material most commonly used is “Woven Nylon Fabric”.
 Neoprene coated, Non Neoprene coated and Silicone coated.
These materials are having following properties;
 High tensile strength
 High air permeability
 High tear strength
 Good folding behavior
 Reduced skin abrasion
 Free of knots, sharp edges, package ability and so on.

7. LOCATIONS OF AIRBAGS IN AN AUTOMOBILE.
 Airbags is mainly found in cars as most people as it the most
preferred public transport.
 Front driver / passenger airbag – its capacity is 65 litres.
 Rear passenger’s side impact airbag – its capacity is 100 – 300 litres.
They can be mounted in the doors, seats, or sometimes even roof
rails. Most side airbags are designed to protect people's chests, and
they are likely to provide some head protection.
 Knee bolster airbag for driver, Thorax air bag for driver.

8. WORKING PRINCIPLE
 It takes only about 30-60 milliseconds to get activated at the event of
collision. Airbags become energy-absorbing buffers between people
and the hard interior surfaces of vehicles.
 Once the sensor has turned on the electrical circuit, a pallet of
sodium azide (NaN3) is ignited, and a rapid reaction occurs,
generating nitrogen gas. This gas fills a nylon or poly amide bag at a
velocity of 150-230 miles per hour.
 In order for the air bag to cushion the head for maximum protection,
the air bag must begin to deflate by the time the body hits. Otherwise
the high internal pressure of the airbag would create a surface as hard
as stone.

9. WORKING PRINCIPLE

10. OPERATION OF AIRBAGS

13. OPERATION WHILE ROLLING
 Rollover accidents are a rapidly increasing problem due to the popularity of
light trucks, sport utility vehicles and other vehicles with a higher center of
gravity. This causes a severe damage to occupants during rollover; this can be
prevented by putting a side airbag.

14. NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN AIRBAG
TECHNOLOGY
 The new technologies are,
 Radial development systems Lower leg airbag system.

15. DIFFERENT TYPES OF AIR BAGS USED:
 Frontal airbag
 Shaped airbags
 Side airbag
 Side torso airbag
 Seat cushion
 Side tubular or curtain airbag
 Rear curtain airbag
 Pedestrian

16. SRS AIRBAGS:
 An SRS airbag is an extra safety measure that’s commonplace in vehicles
these days. The SRS stands for supplemental restraint system, and it’s
intended to provide protection above that offered by the seatbelt in the
event of an accident.
 When the vehicle is hit, the airbag sensor (also known as the airbag ECU) will
signal the airbag to open. All modern vehicles have at least one airbag for the
driver, which is in the steering wheel, and many also have an airbag for the
passenger. These are effectively large cushions that stop the person going
forward into the wheel, dash, or through the windshield.
 The SRS airbag is tested by the car’s computer every time the vehicle is
switched on. A light will come on in the dash

18. Aerospace and military applications
 NASA engineers test the Mars Pathfinder airbag landing system on simulated
Martian terrain
 The aerospace industry and the United States government have applied airbag
technologies for many years. NASA, and United States Department of
Defense have incorporated airbag systems in various aircraft and spacecraft
applications as early as the 1960s.
 OH-58D CABS test

19. THANK YOU