Airbags: An Essential Safety Feature In Your Car

Almost half of the total car accidents become worse due to the collision of two vehicles. These collisions may be fatal sometimes and cause serious injuries to the death of the driver or passenger travelling in the car. However, the car makers have made a safety feature named airbag that is designed to protect the driver from extreme hits. It is one of the revolutionary inventions that has gained popularity due to its robustness and effectiveness. Airbags are meant to increase safety in collisions, which is why they are frequently referred to as a car owner’s best friend. When your car gets hit by another heavy vehicle or a hard object, airbags open up immediately and protect you from strike from the front of the car. This ultimately saves you from many injuries and sometimes saves you being obstructed by the hard object directly.

When was the airbag introduced?

Before knowing more about the airbags, let’s have a look back and see when it was actually invented and examine their first existence. It is surprising to know that airbags have been existing since the early 1940s. However, an American by the name of John W. Hetrick didn’t patent the concept for cars until August 18, 1953. A German engineer, Walter Linderer was also granted a patent for a related innovation just three months later, on November 12, 1953. Although the patents were issued almost simultaneously, airbags were not widely used in cars until the 1970s.

Hetrick and Linderer’s initial designs were very close to one another. Both systems were intended to deploy in the event of a collision, either voluntarily by the driver or in response to a violent impact, bumper contact, or a spring mechanism. These early prototypes served as a pioneer to modern airbag designs. Airbags provide vital protection during collisions and have been a standard safety element in the majority of modern automobiles since its first introduction in the 1970s. Later, when automobiles became a necessity, the automakers decided to put this feature in all the luxury cars. Now, you can have this built-in feature in almost every mediocre to luxury cars.  It does not end here, you can simply upgrade your used Toyota car with airbag features and make it even safer to run on the road.

What does an airbag look like?

Although it works like a magic, people often find themselves in confusion how does it actually look like and what is the structure of airbags. To make it simple, it has three main parts.

Airbag

In case of an accident, drivers and passengers get immense protection from this sizable, supple cushion. Constructed from interwoven nylon fabric, it is sometimes dusted with talc or cornstarch to facilitate assembly and keep the fabric from clinging to one another. The substance used in airbags has changed to silicone and urethane in more recent car models. Not only are these materials more resilient than previous versions, but they also do not need to be coated with a heat shield.

Inflator

A vital component of the airbag system is the inflator. Despite its seemingly insignificant size, this piece of metal plays a crucial part in maintaining the system’s functionality and preventing propellant contamination. Usually constructed of stamped stainless steel or cast aluminium, the inflator contains a steel wire and ceramic substance filter assembly. Friction inertia welding and laser welding are used to fuse the parts, improving the inflator’s strength and longevity. To ensure every inflator assembly is prepared to function in an emergency, it is put through a rigorous testing process.

Propellant

The mixture that causes the airbag to inflate is known as propellant. An oxidizer and sodium azide make up the propellant, which is present between the initiator and the filter assembly. Under highly developed automated systems, these ingredients are properly combined and kept until needed. The propellant mixture quickly produces nitrogen gas during an accident, which inflates the airbag to protect the occupants of the car.

Why do you must have airbags in your car?

All the safety features in the car are for your safety and protection. Even if it is a smaller piece of feature, never overlook at them. besides all the benefits of automobiles, they are dangerous while running on the road. Hence, you must put your safety first whether you are a regular driver or drive occasionally. Airbags are an essential component of contemporary car safety systems. It is impossible to exaggerate how well they shield passengers and drivers in collisions. The Airbag Control Unit (ACU), also referred to as the crash sensor, detects a collision as soon as it happens. The detonator is activated when the impact force is measured by the ACU and surpasses a predefined threshold.

A significant amount of nitrogen gas is produced when the propellant combination is activated by the inflator, which is sparked by the crash sensor’s spark. At a speed of 300 km/h, this gas causes the airbag to inflate, creating a soft cushion that keeps the driver and other passengers from hitting interior hard surfaces. The airbag’s tiny perforations let the gas out gradually, allowing people within to move.

If you are driving an older model of car, you must check into it and upgrade it with the airbags. This way you may simply make your car more valuable, ultimately increasing the resale price of it.

How do Airbags actually work?

The way in which airbags work is a marvel of modern engineering. When the ACU detects a collision, it assesses braking pressure and speed, among other characteristics. The airbag mechanism is triggered if the impact force surpasses a safe threshold. The airbag’s quick inflation puts a barrier of protection between the occupants and the hard interior surfaces of the car.

This quick action is essential to lowering the possibility of serious injuries or fatalities. Because airbags may deploy in milliseconds after a collision, passengers are guaranteed the best possible protection throughout the most vulnerable parts of an accident. Improvements to airbag technology are being made with the goal of enhancing their effectiveness and dependability.

Endnote

The airbag is an essential part of modern automotive safety systems. The severity of injuries received in auto accidents has decreased dramatically as a result of its invention and widespread use. Airbags will surely become even more efficient at protecting drivers and passengers as technology develops, solidifying its position as a must-have safety element in every car.