1

Air Bags Used In

Automobiles
SUBMITTED BY : SAHIL DEV
CONTENT 2

 Introduction
 Purpose
 Physics of airbag during collision
 Need of the airbag in connection with the safety benefits
 Design and construction of airbag system
 Types of airbag
 Functional characteristics required for airbags fabric
 Raw material and manufacturing method
 Finishing process
 Comparison of nylon and polyester airbag fabric
 Types of airbag fabric
 Development in airbag system
 Conclusion
 References
INTRODUCTION 3

 An airbag is an automotive safety restrain 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.

► A safety device used in the four

wheelers to avoid the Head and
Chest injuries from collision by
providing the cushion between
the occupants.
PURPOSE 4

 To protect occupants during a crash and provide protection to their bodies

when they strike interior objects such as the steering wheel or a window
 Protect the head and upper body from hitting to steering wheel compared
to seat belt alone. Airbag have reduced death by 28%, serious injury by
29% and hospitalization by 24%
PHYSICS OF THE AIRBAG DURING 5
COLLISION
The Inertia Theory : If an object moving at a constant velocity continue at the
same velocity unless an external force acts upon them. This law, known as the
law of inertia, is demonstrated in the car collision.
Based on Newton’s law:
F = m ( -V/∆t )
Where,
F = Force on the body
m = Mass of the object (Body)
Vi = Velocity of the moving object (After collision it will decrease)
a = (V/∆t) = Acceleration (After collision it will decrease)
CONTINUE… 6

The injury can be avoided by reducing the force on the body. This can be
done by two ways as :
 By increasing the time interval (∆t) over the force being applied
CONTINUE… 7

 By spreading the force over large area of the body

Distribution of force over body

NEED OF AIRBAGS IN CONNECTION 8
WITH THE SAFETY BENEFITS
 Reduction by 26% in moderate to serious injuries by airbags and seatbelts
together than only by seat belt.

Percent reduction in moderate to serious head injuries (Compared to

drivers using no restraining safety equipment)
100

80

60

40

20

0
Airbad and belt Belt alone
DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF 9
AIRBAG SYSTEM
 There are three parts to an airbag that accomplish this action
 Airbag itself
 Crash sensor
 Inflating system
AIRBAG INFLATION SYSTEM 10

 The sensor sends the electric signal to burn the propellant kept here to
generate the gas
 Monitors the readiness of the airbag system
 A device that stores enough electrical energy to deploy the airbag if the
vehicle’s battery destroyed in it
CHEMISTRY BEHIND AIRBAG 11

Mainly two types of gas are used :

 Nitrogen gas based airbags

NaN3 (S) ======> 2Na (S) + 3 N2 (G)

10 Na (S) + 2 KNO3 (S) ======> K2O (S) + 5Na2O (S) + N2 (G) ↑

SiO2 (S) + K2O (S) + Na2O (S) ======> K2SiO3 (S) + Na2SiO3 (S)

 Carbon dioxide gas based airbags

NaHCO3 (S) + CH3COOH (Aq) ======> CO2 (G) + CH3COONa (Aq) + H2O(L)
OPERATION SEQUENCE OF AIRBAG 12

 Collision
 Sensing and inflation
 Fully deployed
 Deflation
TYPES OF AIRBAG 13

Driver side airbag Passenger airbag Knee airbag

TYPES OF AIRBAG 14

Curtain airbag Side thorax airbag Door mounted side airbag

THE FUNDAMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS 15
REQUIRED BY THE AIRBAGS FABRIC
 High bursting strength
 Good fire retardancy
 Light weight
 Compact folding ability
 Low cost
 Reduced skin abrasion (Softness)
 High tear propagation resistance
 Resistance against ageing
 Defined dimension stability
 Air seal ability i.e. low air permeability
 Good coating adhesion
 Good fog resistance
RAW MATERIAL AND MANUFACTURING 16
METHOD
Following multi-filament are used
 Nylon 6
 Nylon 6,6
 Polyester
 PA 46
PA 46 has higher melting point (285ºC) than Nylon 66 (260ºC) but cost of PA 46 is higher

Silicone
Fiber Yarn Fabric Coating
others

Module
Airbag Cut/Sew
Assembly
FINISHING PROCESS 17

 Cutting the fabric in required shape by laser

 Sewing by nylon-66, polyester and Kevlar aramid yarns

Desizing Calendaring Heat set Inspection

Folding Sewing Cutting

NYLON V/S POLYESTER 18

Properties Nylon 6,6 Polyester

Specific heat capacity (kJ/kg/K) 1.67 1.3

Melting Point (ºC) 260 258

Softening Point (ºC) 220 220

Energy to melt (kJ/kg) 589 427

Density (kg/m3) 1140 1390

CONTINUE… 19

 Fabric coverage is reduced for the

polyester fabric that gives less thermal
protection to the passenger.
CONTINUE… 20

 Low heat capacity of polyester at 400ºC temp for 2 second

 Poor ageing performance of polyester in hydraulic degradation behavior
CONSTRUCTION DETAILS FOR AIR 21
BAG FABRICS
Driver side Passenger Side
25 x 25 plain weave 25 x 25 rip stop

840 D nylon 6,6 840 D nylon 6,6

Scoured, heat set, coated Scoured, heat set

46 x 46 plain weave 41 x 41 plain weave

420 D nylon 6,6 630 D nylon 6,6

scoured, heat set, coated Scoured, heat set

49 x 49 plain weave

420 D nylon 6,6

Scoured, heat set

Typical characteristics of driver and passenger side fabrics used in airbags

(Courtesy of AlliedSignal)
CONSTRUCTION DETAILS FOR AIR 22
BAG FABRICS
Parameters Uncoated Coated
(Epi x Epi) 25 x 25 25 x 25
Thickness 0.013 0.107
Weight (oz/ sq. yd) 5.69 8.30
Tensile strength
Warp 533 450
Filling 549 478
Elongation
Warp 33.6 28
Filling 35.3 38
Tongue tear
Warp 199.4 85
Filling 192.5 83

Typical properties of 840 Denier, nylon 6,6 Airbag Fabric (Courtesy of AlliedSignal)
TYPES OF AIRBAG FABRICS 23

 Coated airbag fabrics

 Uncoated airbag fabric
 Needle punched airbag fabrics
 Woven and nonwoven combined airbag fabric
 One sided laminated woven and nonwoven combined airbag
COATED AIRBAG FABRIC 24

Coating substances elastomeric material as

 Neoprene
 Silicone
ADVANTAGE OF SILICON OVER 25
NEOPRENE
 Needed in half amount so lighter, pliable, less thicker fabric
 More chemically competitive and cheap with nylon
 Better heat resistance and stability
 Prevents burn through (Pinholes) so maintains air permeability of the
fabric
THE PROBLEMS WITH COATED 26
WOVEN FABRIC AIRBAG
 Formation of bubbles during coating
 Breakup of film due to non integration of film and fabric
 Injury to face skin
 Irregularities during coating
 Recyclability of the airbag becomes difficult
 Fabric becomes stiffer
UNCOATED AIRBAG FABRIC 27

 Woven in a manner that creates a product possessing low permeability

 Provide calendaring treatment to reduce permeability
 Extrusion coated with a thermoplastic material to make them air
impermeable
ONE SIDED LAMINATED WOVEN AND 28
NONWOVEN COMBINED AIRBAG

 Offer air seal ability and fire retardancy while being lightweight
 Heavy weight per unit area
 Reliability of the air bag is poor, are not solved
NEW DEVELOPMENT IN AIRBAG 29
SYSTEM
 Lower Leg Airbag : Autoliv’s Inflatable Carpet protects the car occupant’s
feet, ankles and lower legs in frontal crashes by removing the feet from the
intruding foot well of the vehicle
CONTINUE… 30

 Radial Deployment System (RDS) : Airbag (Umbrella RDS) coves the

steering wheel-saves the short person
CONCLUSION 31

 Airbags is one of the inevitable components in car and vehicles to

safeguard drivers and passengers as per present applications. SO selection
of material is key feature for airbag manufacturing
 Airbags made from nylon 6,6 are more popular due to their inherent
properties of strength, energy absorption, thermal resistance and
environmental stability
 Textile and automobile industry may provide effective safety to the drives
and passengers during driving time
REFERENCES 32

1. Aravin P. Periyasamy & Moin Khan, "Theory Behind In Air Bags Application in Automobiles”.
2. Khan. M. S, project done by DKTE students, online launched on Textile review, “Air bags for automobiles.
3. Kunal Singha, “Strategies for in Automobile: Strategies for Using Automotive Textiles-Manufacturing Techniques
and Applications”, Journal of Safety Engineering 2012, 1(1): 7-16 9. Indian textile research journal, “Airbags &
airbag textiles”.
4. Dupont , Sun. J, Barnes J. A, Airbag End-Use Technology, “Material selection for Air-bags” , pp 1-8.
5. Tasnim N. Shaikh, Satyajeet Chaudhari and Hiren Rasania ,“Air Bag: A Safety Restraint System of an Automobile”,
Department of Textile Engineering, Faculty of Technology & Engineering, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of
Baroda, Vadodara, Gujarat, Indi
6. S.Adanur, “Wellington Sears Handbook of Industrial Textiles”, Technomic, Switzerland, Ed. 1st edition, 1995, 500-5
Aravin P. Periyasamy & Moin Khan , “Theory Behind In Air Bags Application in Automobiles”.
7. Walter Fung And Mike Hardcastle , ‟Textiles in automotive engineering Woodhead” Publishing Limited.
8. Mukopadayay, S.K., and Partridge, J.F., “Automotive Textiles”, 1997, Textile progress, 29(12), 29-34.
9. Prof. P.A. Khatwani, Mr. S.S. Yardi NCUTE- programme on “Technical textile”.
10. http://textilepapers.tripod.com/airbags.htm
11. http://www.autoevolution.com/news/how-airbags-work-6362.html
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