Pyrotechnic Seatbelt Pretensioners

Description: Pyrotechnic pretensioners are the most advanced pretensioner out of the three types, which are mechanical, electrical and pyrotechnic; they are, of course, the most expensive as well. This pretensioner uses pyrotechnics that are electrically triggered to not only lock the seatbelt into place but tightens it to take up any parts of the belt that may be lose to reduce any movement of the person upon a case of a crash. Pyrotechnic pretensioners can operate on either the buckle or the ratchet side of the seatbelt system. Once the pyrotechnic pretensioner is activated, it must be replaced. How the feature works in terms of Physics: When a car's state of motion is disrupted, the subjects inside will still continue in a forward motion unless acted upon by an unbalanced forcein this case, a seatbelt. This is an example of Newton's First Law, the law of Inertia, where it is said that, 'An object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will continue in motion unless acted upon by an outside force.' The force exerted by the seatbelt on the subject will depend how much momentum the subject has. The formula for momentum is: p = mv, where 'p' is momentum, 'm' is the mass of the subject and 'v' is the velocity at which the subject is travelling at. To calculate how much force the seatbelt will exert on the subject, we can use the formula: Ft = mv mu For example, if a girl of mass 50.0kg rides her car at 35m/s, she suddenly stopped to avoid crashing into a deer crossing the road. The airbags stopped her body in 0.5 second. What average force does the seatbelt exert on her? Ft = mv mu Ft = m (v u) 0.5F = 50 (0 35) F = [50 (0 35)] /0.5 Therefore F = -3500N The force exerted is negative because it is the seatbelt that is exerting the force on the girl. The purpose of the seatbelt is to save the subject wearingit; it is to prevent them from flying off during a sudden stop.

Kimberley Nguyen Year 11

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