ENERGY AND ENTROPY IN AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT: THE EFFECT ON AN OUT-OF-POSITION OCCUPANT

Deployment of an airbag or charging of a tank by an inflator-canister system is a highly dynamic process. Quantification of energy storage, energy flux, work done, flow rate, thermodynamic properties, and energy conservation are essential to describe the deployment process. The concepts of available work and entropy production are presented as useful parameters when evaluating airbag aggressivity from tank test results for different types of inflators. This paper presents a computational methodology to simulate a pyro- and a hybrid-inflator-canister-airbag system to predict the force pattern that could occur on an out-of-position occupant when the airbag deploys. Comparisons with experimental data have been made in all cases where data were available. These include driver-, passenger-, and side-airbag designs.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0768003431
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was presented at one of the Air Bags sessions of the 1999 SAE International Congress and Exposition and is included in the SAE Special Publication, "Air Bag Technology 1999" (SP-1411).
• Corporate Authors:

  Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)

  400 Commonwealth Drive
  Warrendale, PA  United States  15096
• Authors:
  • NUSHOLTZ, G S
  • Wu, Jingxian
  • Wang, D A
  • Wylie, E B
• Conference:
  • 1999 SAE International Congress and Exposition
  • Location: Detroit, Michigan , United States
  • Date: 1999-3-1 to 1999-3-4
• Publication Date: 1999-3

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; Figures; References;
• Pagination: p. 161-173
• Serial:
  • SAE Special Publications
  • Publisher: Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air bags; Drivers; Energy; Entropy (Communications); Force; Front seat occupants; Mathematical models; Passengers; Side crashes
• Uncontrolled Terms: Inflators; Out of position occupants
• Subject Areas: Energy; Highways; Passenger Transportation; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment; I84: Personal Injuries; I91: Vehicle Design and Safety;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00768983
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0768003431
• Report/Paper Numbers: 1999-01-1071
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 29 1999 12:00AM