A SEMINAR REPORT

ON

AIRBAG SYSTEMS
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the award of Degree of Bachelor of Technology in
Mechanical Engineering

SUBMITTED BY

NAMAN SHARMA 21210101006

SUBMITTED TO

Dr. AVNISH KUMAR

ASSISTANT PROFERROR

Department of Mechanical Engineering

UTTARANCHAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
UTTARANCHAL UNIVERSITY DEHRADUN
UTTARAKHAND 248001

Session: 2022-23
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the work embodies in this Seminar entitled ‘Airbags system’
being submitted by

‘Naman sharma (21210101006) for partial fulfillment of the requirement for the
award of ‘Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering discipline to
Uttaranchal Institute of Technology, Uttaranchal University Dehradun
(Uttarakhand) during the academic year 2022-23 is undertaken by him/her under the
guidance of the undersigned.

Signature Signature

Dr. AVNISH KUMAR Dr. SANJEEV KUMAR JOSHI

Assistant professor Head of the department

Department of Mechanical Engineering Mechanical engineering

i
 Acknowledgement

I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Avnish Kumar (Assistant Professor), for his
valuable guidance and support in completing my project.

I would also like to express my gratitude towards our Head of the Department Dr.
Sanjeev Kumar Joshi for giving me this opportunity to do a seminar report on ‘Airbags
System’. With their support and suggestions, this seminar report would not have been
completed.

Signature

ii
 ABSTRACT

The present paper represents a brief review of life saving system in roll- over accidents,
while driving on the road by a four wheeler. An Airbag is an automotive safety restraint
system for an occupant as well as passengers. The system consists of a flexible fabric
envelope or cushion, designed to inflate rapidly during an automobile collision. Its purpose is
to cushion occupants during a crash and provide protection to their bodies when they strike
interior objects such as the steering wheel or a window etc. Thus it lowers the number of
injuries by reducing the force exerted by steering wheel, windows and the dashboard at any
point on the body. Continuing research and developments are going on in its module design,
combustible material, air bag fabric design and material, coating etc. in making this life
saving safety device further efficient. However, success of any safety restraint device
depends on its correct implementation and
certain safety rules to be followed
iii
 LIST OF CONTENTS

CHAPTERS PAGENO.
CERTIFICATE i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii
ABSTRACT iii
LIST OF CONTENTS iv
LIST OF TABLES vi

LIST OF FIGURES viii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ix

1 INTRODUCTION
1
2 1 2 LITERATURE REVIEW
2
2.1 OVER VIEW 2
2.2 HISTORY 2
2.3 CHEMISTRY OF AIRBAG 5
3 MAIN PARTS
7
3.1 AIRBAG MODULE 7
3.1.1 AIR BAG PRODUCTION PROCESS 8
3.1.2 RAW MATERIALS USED IN AIR BAG 8
3.2 SENSORS 10
3.2.1 MASS TYPE SENSOR 10

3.2.2 ROLLER-TYPE SENSOR 11

3.3 AIRBAG CONTROL UNIT 12

4 WORKING AIRBAGS TYPE

15
4.1 FRONTAL AIR BAGS 16
4.2 HEAD PROTECTION BAGS 17
4.2.1 SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAGS 1
iv

4.3 SIDE IMPACT AIR BAGS 19

4.4 OCCUPANT POSITIONING AIR BAGS 20

5.4.1 KNEE BAGS OR BOLSTERS 21

5.5 CARPET BAGS 22
5.6 ANTI-SLIDE SEAT BAGS 23
5.7 MISCELLANEOUS AIRBAGS 24

6 AIRBAGS RISK 28

7 CONCLUSION 29
8 REFERENCES 30
 v

LIST OF TABLES
TABLE NO: TITLE PAGE NO:
2.1 Showing the same statics for belted, non-belted and overall 4

2.2 Showing chemical reactions inside and airbag 6

3.1 properties of these commercially used fabrics 8

vi
 LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURE NO: TITLE PAGE NO:

1.1 Driver and front passenger air bag 1

2.1 Statistics for Airbag Application in Vehicles 4
2.2 Airbag Unit growth in Vehicles, by Region- 2000 to 5
20005
2.3 Chemicals inside the airbags 5
3.1 ON/OFF switch of air bag system 7
3.2 Air bag fabric productions flow-chart 8
3.3 Mass type sensor 11
3.4 Roller-type sensor 11
3.5 Airbag control unit 12
5.1 Driver side airbag 16
5.2 Shows the deployed first stage of a air bag 17
5.3 Head protection airbags 18
5.4 Side curtain airbags 19
5.5 Side impact airbags 19
5.6 Left shows an identification stamp. On the right is a 21
picture of a deployed knee bag.

5.7 Picture of a deployed carpet bag 22

5.8 Anti-slide Seat bags 22
5.9 Air bag in the head rest of the rear seat in a passenger car. 23
5.10 Air bag installed in the seat belt. 23
5.11 Pedestrians protection airbags 23
5.12 This air bag to deflect the path of the rider up and 24
over the impacted vehicle

5.13 Airbag vest is available to motorcycle riders 24

vii
 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

1. DOT - Department Of Transportation

2. SRS - Supplemental Restraint System

3. US - United States

4. NaN3 - Sodium Aside

5. Na - Sodium

6. N2 - Nitrogen gas

7. KNO3 - Potassium nitrate

8. K2O - Potassium oxide

9. SiO2 - Silicon dioxide

10. Na2K2SiO4 - Alkaline silicate glass

11. UV - Ultraviolet

viii
12. ECU - Electronic Control Unit

13. FMVSS - Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Std

14. ITS - Inflatable Tubular Systems

15. HPS - Head Protection Systems

16. NHTSA - National Highway Safety Admin

ix
 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Fig no: 1.1 Driver and front passenger air bag

For many years, the trusty seat belt provided the sole form of passive
restraint in our cars. Seat belts have been proven to be effective in saving lives and
preventing or lessening injuries in automobile accidents.. The first passive restraints
were modifications of seat belts themselves; the belts were coordinated with
operations of opening the car doors and starting the automobile, which caused belts
built into tracks in the doors to wrap around the driver or passenger when the seat
was occupied. Concurrently, the airbag was devised as a secondary form of passive
restraint during impact.

Air Bags have been under development for many years. They were initially used
and designed to be used in fighter planes during world war second. In the 1980’s the
first commercial air bags appeared in automobiles. Since 1988, all new cars have
been required to have air bags on both driver and passenger sides. To date, Statistics
show that air bags reduce the risk of dying in a direct frontal crash by 30 percent.
Other than steering Wheel mounted or Dash board mounted bags, there are
seatmounted and door mounted side air-bags.

1
 CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 OVERVIEW

Airbags are considered as passive device because no action by the vehicle

occupant is required to activate or use the airbag This is in contrast to seat belts,
which are considered active devices because the vehicle occupant must act to enable
them. Note that this is not related to active and passive safety, which are,
respectively, systems designed to prevent accidents in the first place and systems
designed to minimize accidents once they occur. For example, the car's Anti-lock
Braking System will qualify as an active-safety device while both its seatbelts and
airbags will qualify as passive-safety, which are, respectively, systems designed to
prevent accidents in the first place and systems designed to minimize accidents once
they occur. For example, the car's Anti-lock Braking System will qualify as an
active-safety device while both its seatbelts and airbags will qualify as passive-safety
devices. Further terminological confusion can arise from the fact that passive devices
and systems those requiring no input or action by the vehicle occupant can
themselves operate in an active manner; an airbag is one such device. Vehicle safety
professionals are generally careful in their use of language to avoid this sort of
confusion, though advertising principles sometimes prevent such syntactic caution in
the consumer marketing of safety features. Various manufacturers have over time
used different terms for airbags. General Motors' first bags, in the 1970s, were
marketed as the Air Cushion Restraint System. Common terms in North America
include Supplemental Restraint System and Supplemental Inflatable Restraint, these
terms reflect the airbag system's nominal role as a supplement to active

2.2 HISTORY

The first concepts for an automatically inflating air cushion used as an impact
protection for car passengers were discussed in the sixties, approximately 10 years
after corresponding patents had been granted .
2
against the background of increasing numbers of accidents, to improve vehicle
safety, thereby it called Safety Act. A bundle of new ordinances were planned to
improve safety in traffic. It was not until 1984, following long and controversial
discussions, that an agreement could be reached on the introduction of a passive
restraint system on September 1, 1989 for all new vehicles registered in the USA.
These automatic restraint systems could be automatically closing seat belts or the
airbag. In order to be able to comply with the new ordinances (FMVSS 208)
immediately after they come into force, airbag developments were also initiated and
intensified by European automobile manufacturers; primarily by Mercedes-Benz.
The basic development of passive restraint systems stepped up at Mercedes-Benz
from 1967 onwards. This first development stage from 1967 to 1972 is referred to as
the principle functional proof. However, General Motors has also introduced its first
airbags in the early 1970s but consumer did not readily accept them. The market for
airbag was assured by US when the Department of Transportation (DOT)
implemented the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) 208inch 1984 as
mention above. Because of this law, the US leads the commercialization of airbag.
The airbags of initial phase were inflated using compressedgas canisters. However,
the pressure canisters could only be accommodated in the instrument panel.
Connection to the steering wheel proved problematic since it could only be sealed
with great difficultly. In the next development phase experiments were carried out
with liquefied gas and solid fuels. The solid propellant should supply the thermal
energy needed to expand the liquid Fringe. . The airbags of initial phase were
inflated using compressed-gas canisters. Although the necessary inflation time of
1/30 second was reached this system was still too heavy. A neoprene-coated
polyamide fabric was initially determined as a suitable material for the airbag.

3
After 1970, research concentrated on an inflator filled with solid fuel to inflate the
airbag. Together with development partners from the chemicals and automotive
industries, this method of producing the gas was perfected for series production as of
1974. In December 1980, the first vehicle with a driver airbag was launched by
Mercedes Benz. Seat belt tensioner were also offered for the driver and front seat
passenger. As of 1988 front-seat passengers were also protected by an airbag. Since
the beginning of the nineties, all automobile manufacturers have been offering
airbags as a standard feature or optional extra, even in compact class cars. . The
airbags of initial phase were inflated using compressed-gas canisters. However, the
world-wide use of the airbag system didn't proceed harmoniously since on the US-
American market it is specified as the only restraint system (passive system)
whereas in Europe it has been developed as an additional safety device (SRS:
Supplemental Restraint System) to the seat belt system. . The airbags of initial phase
were inflated using compressed-gas canisters. These different developments have
affected the size of the airbag and inflator. As a sole passenger protection system the
airbags must be much bigger and must inflate earlier since the unprotected passenger
collides faster with the instrument panel. The number of persons, driver and
passenger killed in traffic has dropped continuously since 1970.

Table no: 2.1 Showing the same statistics for belted, non-belted and over all

As a result of which in fig no:2.1 air bag penetration in the market has also get hiked
from 1999 to 2005 . Airbag growth has also increased accordingly in every region of

4
 Fig no: 2.1 Statistics for Airbag Application in Vehicles

.Thus development of Federal rules, increased public awareness for safety and concern for
safety has enhanced the growth of air bags in the market as shown in fig no:2.2

Fig no: 2.2 Airbag Unit growth in Vehicles, by Region- 2000 to 20005.

5
2.3 CHEMISTRY OF AIRBAGS

Inside the airbag in fig no:2.3 is a gas generator containing a mixture of NaN 3,
KNO3, and SiO2. When the car undergoes a head-on collision, a series of three
chemical reactions inside the gas generator produce gas (N 2) to fill the airbag and
convert NaN3, which is highly toxic, to harmless glass. Sodium azide (NaN 3) can
decompose at 300oC to produce sodium metal (Na) and nitrogen gas (N 2). The signal
from the deceleration sensor ignites the gas-generator mixture by an electrical
impulse, creating the high-temperature condition necessary for NaN 3 to decompose.
The nitrogen gas that is generated then fills the airbag. The purpose of the

Fig no: 2.3 Chemicals inside the airbags

KNO3 and SiO2 is to remove the sodium metal (which is highly reactive and
potentially explosive, by converting it to a harmless material. First, the sodium reacts
with potassium nitrate (KNO3) to produce potassium oxide (K2O), sodium oxide
(Na2O), and additional N2 gas. The N2 generated in this second reaction also fills the
airbag, and the metal oxides react with silicon dioxide (SiO 2) in a final reaction to
produce silicate glass, which is harmless and stable. (First-period metal oxides, such
as Na2O and K2O, are highly reactive, so it would be unsafe to allow them to be the e

6
 Table no: 2.2 Showing chemical reactions inside an airbag

Reaction 1 2NaN3  2Na + 3N2

Reaction 2 10Na + 2KNO3  K2O + 5Na2O + N2

Reaction 3 K2O + Na2O + SiO2  Na2K2SiO4 (alkaline silicate

glass)

7
 CHAPTER 3

MAIN PARTS

The air bag system consists of three basic parts- an air bag module, crash sensor and a
diagnosis unit.
Some systems have ON/OFF switch to deactivate air bag system.

Fig no: 3.1 ON/OFF switch of air bag system

3.1 AIRBAG MODULE

The air bag module fig no:3.1 contains both an inflator unit and the lightweight fabric air
bag. The driver air bag module is located in the steering wheel hub, and the passenger air bag
module is located in the instrument panel. When fully inflated, the driver air bag is
approximately the diameter of a large beach ball. The passenger air bag can be two or three
times larger since the distance between the right-front passenger and the instrumental panel is
much larger than the

8
3.1.1 Air bag production process

Typical manufacturing line for air bag has been shown fig no:3.2. Airbags can be
manufactured by either of the mechanisms of fabric manufacturing, weaving and non- woven
fabric manufacturing process

Fig no: 3.2 Air bag fabric productions flow-chart

3.1.2 Raw materials used in air bag

Mostly used raw material as shown in table no:3.1 for the airbag fabric is nylon 6, 6 yarns in
the deniers ranging from 420 to 840. The side impact airbags used 1880 D nylon- 6.6 .

9
 Table no: 3.1 Properties of these commercially used fabrics

Table shows the important properties of these commercially used fabrics. They are generally
woven, with the construction of either 840 X 840 D, 98 X 98 /dm plain weave, 60 width or
420 X 420 D, 193 X 193 /dm plain weave, 60 width Usually Rapier with insertion rate of
400 m/min has been found most suitable for weaving airbags. Since, it can maintain warp
tension with accuracy of 1 can per war- p12-14. Even water jet and air jet with insertion rate
of 600 m/min are being used15. Commonly, the airbag made were coated by neoprene, but
recently silicon coated and uncoated varieties have become popular. Coated airbag are
generally preferred for driver seats. The weight per unit length uncoated one is higher than
coated bags, i.e. 244 - 257 Vs 175 g/m2. Today, the latest research on potential airbag
materials includes High tenacity polyester, Nylon 4, 6, etc. apart from Nylon 6, 6. However
Nylon 6, 6 has the most superior quality in all. Air bag fabric has to keep a balance between
two extreme conditions . It has to be sufficiently flexible to fold into relatively small
volumes. At the same time it should be sufficiently strong to withstand the deployment at
high speed, e.g. under the influence of an explosive charge, and the impact of passengers or
other influences when inflated. To play this role successfully airbag fabric should possess
following quality parameters:
 Small fabric thickness.
 Low specific fabric weight.
 High tenacity in warp and weft direction as well as toughness.
 High tenacity for furthers tearing  High elongation.
 Good resistance to aging.
10
  Low and very even air permeability.
 Reduced cost.
 Precisely controlled gas permeability.
 Excellent seam integrity.
 Improved pliability and pack height
 Reduced value or burn through resistance.

3.2 SENSORS

The crash sensors are located either in the front of the vehicle and/or in the passenger
compartment.
Vehicle can have one or more crash sensors. The sensors are activated by forces generated in
significant

frontal or near-frontal crashes only and not during sudden braking or while driving on rough or
uneven pavement. By function, there are 2 types. Impact sensors and Safing sensors. The forward
sensors are located in various locations forward of the passenger compartment. Some are
located inside the fenders, some are on the cowl, some are attached to the core support in
front of the radiator. Rear sensors are also known as safing sensors as their function is to
determine that a crash has occurred. Rear safing sensors are located in various locations in the
passenger compartment depending on the manufacturer. Some are integrated with the
Control/Diagnostic Module. The rear safing sensor must close before the forward sensors to
avoid airbag deployment in cases where the impact is not severe enough to cause deployment.
When the vehicle is parked with the ignition off deployment is very unlikely because there is
no power to the circuits for deployment. Airbag impact sensors, sometimes colloquially
called crash sensors, are important safety features for your vehicle. These sensors, located
throughout your vehicle, detect a collision and trigger the airbags to go off. They are usually
found at the front of the vehicle, behind the front fender, to detect a frontal impact, and in the
side columns to detect a side impact. The exact number and location of airbag sensors you
have will vary from one model to another, but those are the most frequently used locations.

11
3.2.1 Mass type sensor

An impact sensor in fig no:3.3 is normally fitted to the front of the vehicle as this is where a
collision is likely to occur. The sensor is positioned inside the engine and a similar safety
sensor is located inside the passenger zone to the vehicle. This safety sensor is required to
measure the intensity of the collision to determine whether the impact is over a certain
threshold to justify release of an airbag. Both types of sensors (termed inertia sensors) work
on the principle of detecting a decrease in acceleration of a moving vehicle and generate an
electrical impulse. Figure is a schematic diagram of an inertial sensor

Fig no: 3.3 Mass type sensor

3.2.2 Roller-type sensor

The roller-type sensor in fig no:3.4 involves a weight connected to a coil spring component.
Like the mass-type sensor, during impact with an oncoming vehicle, the metal weight is
forced forward which alters the tension on the coil spring to manipulate the electrical circuit
that closes off the sensor contact. It is important to note that the impact and safety sensors
must activate and close off at the same time to allow for deployment of the airbag

12
 Fig no: 3.4 Roller-type sensor

3.3 AIRBAG CONTROL UNIT

Fig no: 3.5 Airbag control unit

13
The ECU in fig no: 3.5 is the main controlling unit or the brain of the entire passenger safety
system. The ECU not only sends the firing signal to all the air bags, but in the case of a smart
air bag system, it controls the force at which some of those air bags are deployed. These
control units are part of more advanced smart system that can sense whether the front
passenger seat is empty, and if so, will keep the passenger air bag from deploying. The ECU
also sends the signal to seat belt pretension devices and the rollover protection bars in
convertibles. The control unit is constantly receiving sensory input from sensors mounted
around the vehicle and makes the necessary calculations to allow it to deploy the appropriate
safety systems. The ECU is typically mounted in the centre of the vehicle in an area that
provides the best protection. Some of the first generation units had capacitors that could take
approximately 20 – 30 minutes for the power to drain after the 12 volt battery was
disconnected. Today’s vehicles, however, have capacitors that drain within seconds. Care
must still be taken, however, during extrication operations to ensure that the ECU is not
damaged; this could inadvertently cause the ECU to deploy an air bag. An even more
advanced system senses the weight of the front seat passenger and can either deploy the air
bag with more or less force, depending on the passenger’s weight. One of the later
amendments to the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 requires that all vehicles
manufactured after 2007 are required to be equipped with this type of system. The purpose of
this type of system is to perform one of two functions, depending on the vehicle: keep the
front passenger air bag from deploying if unoccupied, or sense the weight of the occupant in
the front seat and deploy the air bag with less force if the passenger is smaller or with greater
force for a larger person. Some systems are very simple and only sense the presence of a
person on the seat, others can differentiate between a child, small adult or large adult. This
type of system, called an Occupant Classification System or smart system, uses sensors in the
seat along with dual stage or de-powered frontal air bags. This smart system can also sense
the severity of the crash using accelerometers, wheel speed indicators, brake pressure sensors
and impact sensors in the vehicles to deploy the air bags with the appropriate force. Dual
stage air bags are equipped two individual inflator units that can be deployed individually or
both at the same time. If the ECU determines that the occupant is a heavier person or that the
crash meets the criteria for a severe crash, both inflator units will fire. If the occupant is a
smaller person or the crash is less severe, it only ignites one of the inflator units, leaving the
se
 14

The danger with this type of system is that if only one of the frontal air bag inflator units has
been deployed, rescuers can falsely assume that that both air bags are no longer a threat. The
fact is, we can have an inflator that is still loaded and ready to deploy the air bag. The typical
extrication scenario has one of the two front seats empty. A rescuer, seeing a deployed air
bag, thinks that the vehicle is safe and enters the vehicle. The rescuer then places his or her
knee on the unoccupied seat. Now the ECU senses the rescuer’s weight and arms the second
un-deployed inflator. The air bag, even though it has already deployed, is now ready to
deploy for a second time into the unsuspecting rescuer. For this reason, it is especially
important to disable the entire system by disconnecting the 12 volt battery. Even if rescuers
are able to disable the system, we must make every effort to keep ourselves and any patients
out of all air bag deployment zones.

Upon signal of a collision, the controller interprets the electrical input and measures the level of
collision to determine release of an airbag. In the event of one impact sensor and safety sensor being
closed, an electrical current is transmitted to an airbag module which contains the airbag and inflator
assembly. Activation of the airbag results in an ignition that produces an electrical transmission
between a pair of metal pins. The electrical arc created between both pins activates a propellant
(made up of sodium azide) that starts to burn and give off nitrogen gas, and it is this gas that starts to
fill the airbag. The Volvo V40 model takes airbag technology to a new level by deploying a pedestrian
airbag upon impact on the bumper to this car. Similar airbag control units currently on the market
include a model introduced by TRW. This integrated control module detects vehicle impact by using
an occupant dynamic-based algorithm, which meets all North American and European regulations
with a rollover sensor adapting a functional system similar to the type discussed in this article. The
idea of an integrated airbag control unit has many advantages:

 Increased sensitivity of the moving vehicle by placing the integrated control module
in the vehicle’s centre of gravity
 Integrated crash sensors diversifies the diagnostics on a collision
 Increased precision of the integrated sensor technology to allow for better safety 
Cost-effective if all crash sensor systems are integrated into one module.
 15

CHAPTER 4

WORKING

The first stage of the airbag deployment is the accident itself. The collision, be it frontal or
lateral, activates an array of sensors in the vehicle, including accelerometers, impact sensors,
side pressure sensors, brake pressure sensors, and seat occupancy sensors. All these sensors
are in intimate connection with the ACU (Airbag Control Unit). The unit decides if and how
to deploy the airbags. When the ACU detects that the deployment threshold has been reached,
it initiates the inflation stage. As the compressed air system would have been impractical and
quite inefficient, engineers came up with an idea quite similar to the working principle of the
solid rocket booster.

Each airbag incorporates a pyrotechnic device, known as an initiator or electric match,

consisting of an electrical conductor cocooned in combustible material. A current pulse heats
up the conductor, which in turn ignites the combustible material. This igniter triggers the
chemical reaction that actually fills the nylon fabric airbag with gas. The large volume of gas
then forces the airbag out of the steering wheel and/or dashboard at a speed of up to 200 mph
or 322 mph, the whole process taking about 0.04 seconds. Considering that the blink of an
eye is approximated at 0.2 seconds, one could say it's quite a speedy process The last stage of
the airbag process is the deflation, which occurs almost immediately after the inflation is
completed. The gas escapes through special vents. They also prevent the occupants from
suffering major impact injuries. Another effect of the deflation is the release of dust-like
particles, mostly cornstarch and talcum powder that are used to lubricate the airbag. Small
amount of Sodium hydroxide may initially be present. This chemical can cause minor
irritation to the eyes and/or open wounds; however, with exposure to air, it quickly turns into
Sodium bicarbonate (common baking soda). Depending on the type of air bag system,
potassium chloride (a table salt substitute) may also be present. Initially, the chemicals used
in airbags were a major health concern, but present systems will only produce a mild
irritation of the throat and eyes for most people, as an outcome of dust released. Generally,
these minor irritations continue up to the time occupant remains in the vehicle with the
windows closed and no ventilation. Once deployed, the air bag cannot be reused and should
be replaced by an

16
 CHAPTER 5

AIRBAG TYPES

With each new generation of vehicles coming out on the market, rescuers are finding
that these vehicles are being equipped with more airbags. All of these air bags are
designed with a specific purpose and function but when used in conjunction with the
other safety systems, increase the survivability of all occupants involved in a vehicle
accident. In this section, we will discuss the different types of air bags, the intended
function and the danger that they present to rescuers.

5.1 FRONTAL AIR BAGS

Fig no: 5.1 Driver side airbag

These are the most prevalent and familiar air bags on vehicles. Fig no:5.1 shows Driver
side airbag This is the only type of air bag that is on every vehicle that is equipped with
air bags. There may not be a head curtain air bag or side impact bags, but if the vehicle
has air bags, it will be equipped with frontal air bags. The purpose of the frontal air bag
is to prevent any front seat occupant from impacting the steering wheel or dash board in
the event of a frontal collision. The first version of the frontal air bag was a single stage
air bag with only one firing unit. It provided an added measure of safety for all
passengers but created a hazardous situation for shorter drivers. In order for the frontal
air bag to be effective, it has to have enough room to fully deploy prior to the driver
impacting the bag. This ensured that the air bag’s deployment a shorter driver has to
move the driver’s seat
 17

dangerous and sometimes fatal. The driver usually made contact with an air bag prior to
complete deployment and absorbed a lot of the energy. This is the point where injuries
and fatalities occurred, usually due to brain damage or fractured cervical vertebrae.
Another danger with first generation frontal air bags is that they were extremely
unreliable. That, coupled with the fact that some did not have any labelling or
identification gave Resc- uers the idea that these airbags were not present. If the 12 volt
battery was not disconnected, the system remained armed. To combat these hazards, an
amendment to FMVSS 208 mandated that vehicles manufactured in 2007 and later be
equipped with an Occupant Classification System to work in conjunction with dual
stage or de-powered frontal air bags, as discussed before in the Electrical Control Unit
section. Some older model vehicles were equipped with this system long before the
standard dictated. These air bags, however, are difficult if not impossible to differentiate
from single stage air bags. The rescuer will not know whether the deployed frontal air
bag is a single or dual stage type. The following pictures illustrate some frontal airbags.
Here we have a typical un-deployed steering wheel mounted single stage frontal air bag.

Fig no: 5.2 shows the deployed first stage of a air bag

5.2 HEAD PROTECTION BAGS

One of the first types of head protection to be introduced in the US was the (HPS) Head
Protection System in the 1998 BMW, also known as the (ITS) Inflatable Tubular
Structure. These are much different than the curtain airbags we see in most vehicles.
This tube is anchored at the pressurized cylinder that is mounted on the lower portion of
the post and at the rear to the roof rail behind the post, allowing it to deploy diagonally
across the window opening. The bag is stored inside the trim of the post, along the
headliner trim over each door.
 18

bag deploys to form an airtight tube. Also unlike most airbags, the tube does not deflate;
there are no vent holes that allow the gas to escape. The tube will actually remain
inflated for hours after the collision. The tube remains firmly inflated to offer head
protection from rebound forces, which are common in side impacts and rollovers. Once
the door is opened, rescuers can safely puncture the tube and cut the mounting strap at
the post to get the bag out of their way. The bag is approximately 38 inches long and 5
inches in diameter when inflated. Nylon web straps are sewn into each end of the

Fig 5.3 Head protection airbags

bag to attach it to the vehicle. Like all side impact airbags these cannot deploy a second
time. If the tube is not deployed rescuers must not only stay out of the deployment zone
of the tube, but the whole door area. These tubes are always used in conjunction with a
torso type door or seat mounted airbag. The gas inflator is located at the front end of the
system. The canister which is filled with nitrogen, argon or other inert gas is mounted in
the dash at the lower pillar area. These systems will deploy if the sensor experiences an
impact of about 12 mph or above. As stated before the cylinder of a tube can always be
found in the lower portion of the post. This location is in close proximity to where we
will make relief cuts for the different dash displacement evolutions. It is imperative that
we make sure to peel all the plastic from this area to ensure that we do not cut through
these cylinders.
 19

5.2.1 Side curtain airbags

The two most commonly used curtain airbags are the front window type and the full
length type. The front window curtain usually extends from the post to post and extends
down from the roof to about the top of the door panel .The full length curtain usually
extends from just behind the A post to post and extends from the roof to the top of the
door panel also. Like the head protection tube, both of these are hidden behind the trim
panels and head liner, when undeployed they can only be detected by small emblems
embedded in the trim panels. Rescuers must be aware that these emblems only indicate
the presence of a head curtain bag, not the location. These bags are deployed by small
stored gas inflators that can be located at the front, centre, rear, or anywhere along the
support system. They are found in the post, along the roof rails, in the posts and some
even over the rear glass. It is extremely important that these inflators be visually located
before any extrication procedures begin. Unlike the solid propellant gas canister built
into the passenger’s frontal airbag, these inflators have no protection around them; they
are simply a long thin tube that is filled with a compressed inert gas.

Fig no: 5.4 Side curtain airbags

Some vehicles, such as the Volvo XC90, Infinity QSX, Nissan Pathfinder, Armada and
Quest minivan, and Ford Excursion have head curtains in two sections, requiring two
cylinders to deploy the curtain. Again, it becomes extremely important to expose as
much of the plastic as possible prior to beginning any evolutions.
 20

5.3 SIDE IMPACT AIRBAGS

Fig no: 5.5 Side impact airbags

Side impact air bags fig no:5.5 are designed to protect a passenger’s head and thorax
with some style of bags or just the thorax with another type of bag. Some of these bags
are designed to help keep an occupant from being ejected from a vehicle in a roll over.
Like the frontal airbags; side impact airbags must have a crash sensor to recognize that
a crash has occurred. These sensors are usually mounted in the frond door, the post, or
most are located inside the rocker panel just below the post. The cylinders for these
bags can be mounted in the post and also underneath the folded air bag in the seat back.
Some older vehicles used the same chemical propellant, sodium azide, used in frontal
air bags. The air bags can be mounted in one of two locations: the door or the out board
side of the seat back. The door mounted bags can either mounted on the inside of the
door and deploy from a blow out panel. Some newer door mounted bags pop up, like a
toaster, from the top of the door. The 2010 Volvo C70c1920c on vertible has an air bag
that extends the entire length of the passenger compartment, from the post to the rear of
the passenger compartment. This bag is extremely rigid so that it can provide the
necessary head protection, even without a roof. These bags obviously present a danger
to rescuers who are leaning over the door of a car that has not had the battery
disconnected. Side impact bags that are mounted in the seat are usually powered by high
pressure cylinders. Some older cars, however, still use chemical propellants. As stated
before the cylinders can be mounted in the posts of the vehicle or in that actual seat
back itself, usually under the folded air bag.
 21
The seat mounted bag is usually placed under the seat fabric in the out board side of the
seat. It can either come out of a blow out panel or from a pre stressed seam in the fabric
that is designed to tear open on air bag deployment. The danger with this type of air bag
is its deployment path. The normal path is to first deploy outwards before it goes
forward. The bag uses the closed door to rebound inward changing the direction of the
bag. If a door is opened or has been removed, a rescuer standing in the door way may
think that he is out of the deployment zone, but due to the bags deployment path, might
be placing him or herself in danger.

5.4 OCCUPANT POSITIONING AIR BAGS

Occupant positioning air bags are different bags placed throughout the vehicle that
work together, along with the seat belt and pretensioner, and have the sole purpose of
keeping front seat occupants from sliding out of the seat in a front end collision. In this
type of collision, a person in the front seat usually slides out of their seat and is thrown
under the dash if this system is not in place. This is known as submarine and usually
meant significant injury or death to the occupant. Some vehicles may have some or all
of these types of bags and some vehicles may not be equipped with any at all. All of
these bags present their own unique dangers that we will now discuss.
5.4.1 Knee bags or bolsters

These bags fig no:5.6 deploy exactly where their name suggests. They are usually
placed under the steering column and under the passenger side dash board. They
function not only as part of the Occupant Positioning System, they also reduce the
severe knee and hip injuries that normally occur During a front end collision. These
bags, as well as the others we will discuss, work in conjunction to keep the occupant in
their seat. There are two basic types of bags: the knee bag and the knee bolster. Both
serve the same purpose. The knee bag is just a simple air bag that deploys outward from
the dash toward the front edge of the seat. These bags are usually powered by the same
firing units and the propellants (sodium-azide) as the frontal air bags and are usually
identified on the blow out panel. The picture shows an identification stamp. On the
right is a picture of a deployed knee bag.
 22

Fig no: 5.6 left shows an identification stamp. On the right is a picture of a deployed
knee bag.

5.5 CARPET BAGS

Carpet bags in fig no:5.7are mounted in the floor board of the vehicle and use the
same sensors as frontal air bags. These air bags deploy using a pressurized gas cylinder
that is usually mounted over the centre tunnel. The purpose of this bag is to push the
occupant’s feet up, thereby slightly changing the angle of the occupant’s legs. This slight
change of angle in the legs will help keep the patient from sliding out of the seat and
under the dash. The danger comes more from where the pressurized cylinder is mounted.
Rescuers may not expect that cylinder is in the centre tunnel and cut through it or weaken
it during operations

.
Fig no: 5.7 Picture of a deployed carpet bag
 23
5.6 ANTI-SLIDE SEAT BAGS

The anti-slide seat bag in fig no:5.8 is one of newest bags to be installed in vehicles. It is not
actually a bag, but instead a thin metal envelop structure that is mounted under the foam
cushion of the seat. The operating principle of this bag is similar to an airbag except that the
bag never comes in contact with the occupant. The bag operates in two stages upon receiving
the firing signal from the ECU: First, a gas generator inflates the metallic envelope which
pushes the foam up in the front edge of the seat. This action pushes the occupant back and
against the seat back. Second, a deflation controller beneath the module slowly deflates the
envelope and causes the metal envelope to form to the shape of the pelvis. This forms a
pocket in the seat to hold the occupant in position, forming a protective shield around the
pelvis. It also assists the carpet bag in lifting the weight of the occupants legs preventing the
downward force of the feet pushing into the floor.

Fig no: 5.8 Anti-slide Seat bag

5.7 MISCELLANEOUS AIRBAGS

In this section in fig no: 5.9 we will illustrate what the rescuer has in store for him as
far as the future of the air bag. The direction of seat belt technology shows us that the
possibility of air bags and their locations is limitless.

Fig no: 5.9 Air bag in the head rest of the rear seat in a passenger car.
24
 Fig no: 5.10 Air bag installed in the seat belt.

Not all air bags will be inside the patient compartment. Soon, rescuers will be faced with
hood, front bumper and/or windshield air bags.

Fig no: 5.11 Pedestrians protection airbags

The Jaguar XK fig no:5.11 has 2 airbags under the hood that help to protect pedestrians by
cushioning the hood and decreasing the impact force into the windshield. Ford will soon be
unveiling a bumper and windshield air bag that is designed to protect the pedestrian from
impacting the bumper and hood. The windshield bag will decrease the force of impact with
the

Dept. of Mechanical Engg.

 25

Fig no: 5.12 This air bag to deflect the path of the rider
up and over the impacted vehicle

Air bags will not only be seen in cars, they will also be installed on motorcycles as well. This
air bag is designed in fig no:5.12 to deflect the path of the rider up and over the impacted
vehicle. Before, the rider would fly directly into the vehicle causing fatal head and neck
injuries

Fig no: 5.13 Airbag vest is available to motorcycle riders

 26

An airbag vest in fig no:5.13 is available to motorcycle riders to give protection to the head
and upper torso in a crash. The vest is only effective if the rider is wearing a helmet. As we
have clearly seen, air bags present a very real danger to both rescuers and patients during
extrication operations, regardless if they have deployed. The most important thing to take
away from this is to always operate as if you are surrounded by live and loaded air bags.
Vehicle manufacturers have installed safety devices in an attempt to prevent accidental
deployment but we should not and cannot depend on those devices to be operational after an
accident. Even if the vehicle has been stabilized and the battery has been disconnected, you
must protect yourself, your crew and your patient from the possibility of being impacted by
an air bag.
27
 CHAPTER 6

AIRBAG RISKS

6.1 AIR BAG CONTACT INJURIES

Air bags must inflate very rapidly to be effective, and therefore come out of the steering
wheel hub or instrumental panel with considerable force, generally at a speed over 100 mph.
Due to this very high initial force, contact with a deploying air bag may cause injury.
Properly restraint occupant along with applied due seat belt receives very minor abrasion or
burns. However, very serious or fatal injuries can occur when someone is very close to, or in
direct contact with an air bag module when the air bag deploys. Even never attach objects to
an air bag module or place loose objects on or near an air bag module, since they can be
propelled with great force by a deploying air bag, potentially cause serious or fatal injuries.
Thus safety restraint system must be utilized with due care and regulation to get best results.
An unrestrained or improperly restraint occupant can be seriously injured or killed by a
deploying air bag. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
recommended certain rules for the safety of occupant and passengers.
They are as follows:

Never put a rear-facing infant restraint in the front seat of a vehicle with a front passenger
air bag.
Children of age 12 and under should be properly restrained in a rear seat.
Driver should sit with at least 10 inches between the centre of their chest bone and the
steering wheel.
Always apply seat belt, it retain occupant and passenger rightly positioned and minimizes
risk of serious injuries.
 CHAPTER 7

CONCLUSION

The air bags are of greater importance in today’s vehicles since safety of human life is
of prior importance. Since the count of automobiles is increasing tremendously on our
roads, the probability of accidents is also more. So far a safe riding and for saving the
precious life the safety bags must be implemented. Today it is the privilege of the high
class people who own high priced cars. Let’s hope every automobile manufacturer
implement the same since safety for life is inevitable. The number of persons killed or
injured in traffic has dropped continuously since the development of air bag system. Over
the time, the development of seat belt becomes an indisputable matter of course. Today,
the 3point automatic seat belt, seat belt tensioner and airbag constitute a carefully matched
passenger protection system. Implementation of these safety restraint systems with due
care and regulation can further drop the fatality rate and serious injuries at the time of road
accidents
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