Abstract
The basic principles of airbag restraint have been discussed in Chapter 8. The primary advantages of an airbag system over a standard belt restraint system are the potential to distribute the restraining force over a large portion of the body area, including the head, and the potential to provide additional controlled stopping distance within the occupant compartment. Distribution of restraining force eliminates areas of high force concentration and minimizes localized body deformations and reduces relative motions between adjacent body parts. If used effectively, the additional stopping distance will result in the reduction of the forces needed to decelerate the body. Accordingly, the airbag has the potential to enhance the performance of a belt restraint system, particularly when belt force-limiting features are included. When the airbag is used as the only restraint and it cannot rely on the belt system for restraint early in the crash sequence, a more demanding burden is placed on the performance of the airbag system. To provide good restraint, the airbag must be deployed into the space between the occupant and the car interior in a timely manner, prior to the occupant moving too far into that space. In addition the airbag must have sufficient depth and internal pressure to prevent the occupant from fully compressing the bag in severe collisions. The use of a belt restraint in conjunction with an airbag can make both the timing and capacity requirements less critical, but many design dilemmas remain in matching the performance of an airbag restraint system to a particular vehicle design. This chapter addresses some of these dilemmas and the Biomechanics of the special injury consequences that result from the airbag under certain circumstances. These special injury outcomes are known as inflation-induced injuries (IIIs; also abbreviated as I3). Discussions of belt restraint-related injuries can be found in the chapters in this book dealing with thoracic and abdominal trauma.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Mertz HJ, Marquardt JE Small car air cushion performance considerations. SAE 851199, May 1985.
Campbell DD. Air cushion restraint systems 12. development and vehicle application. 2nd Inter¬national Conference on Passive Restraints, SAE 720407, May 1972
Klove EH, Oglesby RN. Special problems and considerations in the development of air 13. cushion restraint systems. 2nd International Conference on Passive Restraints, SAE 720411, May 1972.
Patrick LM, Nyquist GW. Airbag effects on the out-of-position child. 2nd International Confer¬ence on Passive Restraint, SAE 720442, May 15. 1972.
Aldman B, Andersson A, Saxmark O. Possible effects of airbag inflation on a standing child. Proceedings of the International Meeting on Biomechanics of Trauma in Children, Lyon, France, 1974.
Horsch JD, Culver CC. A Study of driver interactions with an inflating air cushion. SAE 791029, 1979 (Reprinted: SAE PT-31, 1987 ).
Stalnaker RL, Klusmeyer LF, Peel HH, White CD, Smith GR, Mertz HJ. Unrestrained, front seat, child surrogate trajectories produced by hard braking. Twenty-Sixth Stapp Car Crash 18. Conference, SAE 821165, October 1982.
Montalvo F, Bryant RW, Mertz HJ. Possible positions and postures of unrestrained front-seat 19. children at the instant of collision. Proceedings of the Ninth International Technical Conference on Experimental Safety Vehicles, Kyoto, Japan, November 1982.
Mertz HJ, Driscoll GD, Lenox JB, Nyquist GW, Weber DA. Responses of animals exposed to deployment of various passenger inflatable restraint system concepts for a variety of colli- 21. sion severities and animal positions. Proceedings of the Ninth International Technical Conference on Experimental Safety Vehicles, Kyoto, Japan, November 1982.
Wolanin MJ, Mertz HJ, Nyznyk RS, Vincent HJ. Description and basis of a 3-year-old child dummy for evaluating oassenger inflatable restraint concepts. Poceedings of the Ninth International Technical Conference on Experimental Safety Vehicles, Kyoto,Japan, November 1982.
Mertz HJ, Weber DA. Interoretations of the impacy respomses of a 3-Year-old cjild dummy relatice to child injury potential. Proceedomhs of yje Ninth International Technical Conference on Ecperimental Safety Vehicles, Kyoto,Japan,November 1982.
Prasad P, Daniel RP. A biomechanical analysis of head, neck, and torso injuries to child surrogates due to sudden torso acceleration. Twenty-Eight Stapp Car Crash Conference, November 1984.
Mertz HJ. Restraint performance of the 1973–76 GM air cushion restraint system. SAE 880400, SP-736, February 1988.
Guidelines of evaluating out-of-position vehicle occupant interactions with deploying airbags. SAE information report J1980, January 1, 1998.
Horsch J, Lau I, Andrzejak D, Viano D, Melvin J. Assessment of airbag deployment loads. Thirty-16.Fourth Stapp Car Crash Conference, SAE 902324, November 1990.
Melvin JW, Horsch JD, McCleary JD, Wideman LC, Jensen JL, Wolanin MJ. Assessment of airbag deployment loads with the small female Hybrid III dummy. Thirty-Seventh Stapp Car Crash Conference, SAE 933119, November 1993.
Lau IV, Horsch JD, Viano DC, Andrzejak DV. Mechanism of injury from airbag deployment loads. Accident Analysis and Prevention 1993; 25 (1): 29–45.
Guidelines for evaluating child restraint system interactions with deploying airbags. SAE information report J2189, August 1993.
Road vehicles-test procedures for evaluating out-of-position vehicle occupant interactions with deploying airbags. ISO technical report 10982, 1998.
Road vehicles, test procedures for evaluating out-or-position vehicle occupant interaction with deploying airbags. ISO technical report 14645, 1998.
Mertz HJ, Prasad P, Irwin AL. Injury risk curves for children and adults in frontal and rear collisions. Forty-First Stapp Car Crash Conference, SAE 973318, November 1997.
Lund AK, Ferguson SA, Powell MR. Fatalities in airbag-equipped cars: a review of 1989–93 NASS Cases. SAE 960661, February 1996.
Dalmotas DJ, Hurley J, German A, Digges K. Airbag deployment crashes in canada. Proceedings of the Fifthteeth International Con ference on Enhanced Safety of Vehicles, ESV paper 96–S1–0–0–5, 1996.
Cases of airbag related fatalities and serious injuries. National Center for Statistics and Analysis, Special Crash Investigation Division, August 1, 1999. (Note: Tables are updated monthly. See http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/ ncsa/scireps.html.)
Effectiveness of occupant protection systems and their use. NHTSA Fourth Report to Con gress, DOT HS 808 919, May 1999.
Phen RL, Dowdy MW, Ebbeler DH, Kim EH, Technology 1999, SP-1411, March 1999. Moore NR, Van Zandt TR. Advanced airbag 30. Ryan S. An innovative approach to adaptive technology assessment, final report. JPC publi airbag modules. SAE 980646, Airbag Tech-cation 98–3, NHTSA, April 1998. nology, SP-1333, February 1998.
Steiner P, Wetzel G. New aspects on static pas–senger and child seat recognition and future dynamic out–of–position detection for airbag control systems. SAE 1999–01–0765, Airbag Tech–nology 1999, SP–1411, March 1999.
Billen K, Federspiel L, Schockmel P, Serban B, Sherill, W. Occupant classification system for smart restraint systems. SAE 1999–01–0761, Airbag Technology 1999, SP–1411, March 1999.
Bevan MG, Kotlarski KA, Nickerson JE, Jablon–ski DG, Saleh W, Chen MH. Occupant position sensor compatibility with 50th percentile male Hybrid III dummy. SAE 1999–01–0762, Airbag
Ryan S. An innovative approach to adaptive airing modules. SAE 980646, Airbag Technology,SP-1333, February 1998.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2002 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Melvin, J.W., Mertz, H.J. (2002). Airbag Inflation-Induced Injury Biomechanics. In: Nahum, A.M., Melvin, J.W. (eds) Accidental Injury. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-21787-1_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-21787-1_9
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-3168-9
Online ISBN: 978-0-387-21787-1
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive