Saturday, March 26, 2011

Week 10 : Restraint System (Air Bag) part 2

Hello everyone... the entry post before this was tell about what is the air bag, the history and also the raw material that be used in air bag system.. let continue with air bag system..

The Manufacturing Process

Air bag production involves three different separate assemblies that combine to form the finished end product, the air bag module. The propellant must be manufactured, the inflator components must be assembled, and the air bag must be cut and sewn. Some manufacturers buy already-made components, such as air bags or initiators, and then just assemble the complete air bag module. The following description of the manufacturing process is for driver-side air bag module assembly. Passenger-side air bag module assemblies are produced slightly differently.






Propellant
  • The propellant consists of sodium azide mixed together with an oxidizer, a substance that helps the sodium azide to burn when ignited. The sodium azide is received from outside vendors and inspected to make sure it conforms to requirements. After inspection it is placed in a safe storage place until needed. At the same time, the oxidizer is received from outside vendors, inspected, and stored. Different manufacturers use different oxidizers.
  • From storage, the sodium azide and the oxidizer are then carefully blended under sophisticated computerized process control. Because of the possibility of explosions, the powder processing takes place in isolated bunkers. In the event safety sensors detect a spark, high speed deluge systems will douse whole rooms with water. Production occurs in several redundant smaller facilities so that if an accident does occur, production will not be shut down, only decreased.

  • After blending, the propellant mixture is sent to storage. Presses are then used to compress the propellant mixture into disk or pellet form.





Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Week 9 : Restraint System (Air Bag) part 1

The Air Bag system

An air bag is an inflatable cushion designed to protect automobile occupants from serious injury in the case of a collision. The air bag is part of an inflatable restraint system, also known as an air cushion restraint system (ACRS) or an air bag supplemental restraint system (SRS), because the air bag is designed to supplement the protection offered by seat belts. Seat belts are still needed to hold the occupant securely in place, especially in side impacts, rear impacts, and rollovers. Upon detecting a collision, air bags inflate instantly to cushion the exposed occupant with a big gas-filled pillow.



















Saturday, March 12, 2011

Week 8 : Restraint System (Seatbelts)

Seat Belt
A three-point seatbelt is a belt with three attachment points: one on the side pillar, and one on each side of the driver's or passenger's hips.
The three-point belt is superior to the older lap-only seatbelt for a couple of reasons.
Not only do three-point belts reduce the likelihood of the wearer hitting the steering wheel, windshield, or other interior surfaces, but they spread the crash forces over more of the body and reduce the strain of the lap belt on the lower body.