Air Bags

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Air Bags How They Work

• By Samantha Spicer

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What is an Air Bag?

• Air Bag- a bag designed to inflate during a
  collision to help stop the passenger while doing
  as little damage to him or her as possible.
• The purpose of an air bag is to keep your head,
  neck, and chest from slamming into the dash,
  steering wheel or windshield in a front end crash.

www.dictionary.com www.howstuffworks.com/airbags
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What Will Cause An Airbag to Inflate?

• An air bag will inflate due to a force equal to
  running into a wall at 10-15mph.

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Three Main Parts of an Air Bag

• Bag
• Sensor
• Inflation System

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1.) The Bag

• Made of thin, nylon fabric
• It is folded into the steering wheel/dashboard

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2.) Sensor

• Tells the bag to inflate
• It detects the collision force

Crash Sensors
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3.) The Inflation System

• The inflation of the Air Bag occurs when an
  electric signal from the sensor triggers a
  chemical reaction between Sodium Azide and
  Potassium Nitrate which produces a hot nitrogen
  gas.
• The Gas inflates the bag and burst out the
  steering wheel or dashboard as it expands.
• About 1-2 seconds later the bag deflates (due to
  holes) in order to get out of your way.

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Inflation
The bag bursts from the storage site at up to 200
mph, faster than the blink of an eye.
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Air Bag Facts

• Air Bags were first installed in the 1980s
• Saved thousands of lives
• They cannot smother you and they cannot restrict
  your movement
• Smoke that you may have seen in a vehicle after
  an air bag demonstration is the non-toxic starch
  or talc that is used to keep the inside of the
  air bag from sticking together.
• Air bags give you a 30 risk reduce of dying
• Air bags are still only effective if you wear
  your seatbelt

http//whyfiles.org/032air_bag/how-work.html
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Air Bag Safety

• You should sit 10 inches away form the steering
  wheel
• The steering wheel should be pointed towards your
  chest (not head/neck) to prevent injury
• Children under 12 years should ride in the back
  seat because air bags can seriously injure a
  child.
• If children under 12 must ride in the front, you
  should have the seat pushed as far back as
  possible and they should have the correct car
  seat.

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Improvements

• Air bags are still under development
• Air bags are now sometimes inserted in the seats,
  doors, and sides of a vehicle to prevent injury.
• You can get an on/off switch installed that allow
  air bags to be deactivated.

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The End