OTOLOGIC HAZARDS OF AIRBAG RESTRAINT SYSTEM. SAE PT-31, PASSENGER CAR INFLATABLE RESTRAINT SYSTEMS: A COMPENDIUM OF PUBLISHED SAFETY RESEARCH

Since the airbag passive restraint system may be in general use in early 1976, and in fact is now an option on some automobiles, its potential biomedical hazards need to be thoroughly examined. Previous investigations in this area have been extremely limited. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of local slap pressure of airbag deployment against the external ear and tympanic membrane and to measure its effects on subsequent hearing acuity. Adult and infant squirrel monkeys were used as experimental subjects, because the gross structure of their ear and tympanic membrane closely resembles man's. To create an adequate simulation of the airbag trauma, a small airbag was fabricated and mounted on a pneumatic impact facility. This device was designed to produce a specific velocity to determine the behavior of objects under impact conditions simulating accident kinematics. Cochlear nerve action potentials were measured in both ears of 10 subjects prior to blast, immediately postblast, and several weeks postblast. Highspeed photography recorded the events of the blast, as well as the technique of recording the potential from the cochlea and the appearance of the drumhead pre-and posttrauma. No permanent hearing damage, eardrum perforation, or disruption of ossicles occurred at airbag velocities up to 100 mph and a sound intensity level of 150 db. For the covering abstract see IRRD 810752. (Author/TRRL)

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0898831199
• Corporate Authors:

  Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)

  400 Commonwealth Drive
  Warrendale, PA  United States  15096
• Authors:
  • Richter, H J
  • STALNAKER, R L
  • Pugh, J E
• Publication Date: 1987

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: p. 381-386
• Serial:
  • SAE Technical Paper
  • Publisher: Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)
  • ISSN: 0148-7191
  • EISSN: 2688-3627
  • Serial URL: http://papers.sae.org/

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air bags; Animals; Crash victim simulation; Ear; Evaluation; Hearings; Injuries; Laboratory animals; Loss and damage; Pressure; Testing
• ITRD Terms: 1465: Air bag (restraint system); 1614: Damage; 9020: Evaluation (assessment); 2081: Hearing; 2163: Injury; 5412: Pressure; 2247: Reaction (human); 9103: Simulation
• Subject Areas: Highways; Research; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00480383
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• ISBN: 0-89883-119-9
• Report/Paper Numbers: SAE Tech Pap 741185
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 31 1989 12:00AM