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Air Bag Explosion 7

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My recollection is that Honda, or Toyota, can't remember which, famously attempted to pooh-pooh IIHS's corner impact tests, which they failed and Volvo, I think, passed, but got both bad press and dings from Volvo that they would up improving their crumple zone behavior to stay competitive and gain those marketing bragging rights.

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Its funny because Dacia with the Jogger got 1 in Euro NCAP, when you dig in an bit it actually did ok with the internal occupant safety.

It doesn't seem to have made the slightest bit of difference in sales. And they have openly said they have no intention of doing anything to improve the score with future models.
 
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Have there been any influences of airbags on insurance rates... people being badly 'banged up' and hospitalised, rather than being killed outright?

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In my younger days I would be looking at how to remove the propellant from intact airbags from vehicles in a wrecker yard.

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I would have thought that the repair costs would pale in comparison to the medical costs.

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That was my thoughts as well. Dead is cheaper than perm broken and alive.

Basically now where I am if the air bags trigger the car is written off by insurance even if its a couple of days out the dealerships doors.

They just don't fix them.

Mind you modern cars have the structural capacity of a beer can absorbing energy and protecting the occupants.

My Mrs had someone side swipe our old 2000 e class 3ltr merc, rear quarter next to the fuel cap. I couldn't believe the state of the other car it had taken the front quarter out and busted the engine mounts. We had a scuff next to the fuel cap and a scratch on the alloys. It did another 3 years before it rusted to death.

A mates brother had his spine broken in a crash and he is now in a wheel chair. The pay out was over 1 million in the UK. Lord only knows how much it would have been in the USA. The value of the cars involved was under 50k.

 
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ctopher said:
How would you redesign it? You think after all these year of the airbag system being proven, you can make it better?
Click to expand...

Anything that is now made can be made better. They choose not to because of cost, and is originally why Takata used the propellant that they did (cost savings), that caused the big mess in the first place.
What ever was used in the older beginning days of airbags is what to use for propellant, we never heard of them having an issue back then. All the replaced (In cars now) takata inflators have the same stuff that blew in the first examples, but now with a bit of desiccant added to the mix. Those should now be recalled since they are now older than the first generation was when the issues began. NHTSA is in a waiting to see if anything happens to them before issuing a recall as far as what I have read.
I would design the case out of thicker stronger material, and add over pressure relief valves to exhaust away from the driver, the materials and such would under go many proof tests. The propellant would be something very stable like I mentioned that was used in the old days when we never heard of airbags flipping out shrapnel at the drivers face.
 
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ctopher said:
If the case was thicker stronger material, the airbag would have to have more force to punch through.
Click to expand...

What? Please explain punch through.
There would be no chance of the thicker case turning to shrapnel if that is what you mean. The pressure relief system will prevent that.
There is zero advantage to the test subject sitting behind the steering wheel that has a tin can that can blow pieces into their face, in a car that cost them many thousands. Explain how a thicker case will make more force than the proven bad design tin can?
 
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The plastic dash, steering wheel, etc, are perforated so the airbag punches through them. No metal shrapnel. Thicker plastic panels, the more force is needed from the airbag. Look at how airbags work and how they are designed. They are rigorously tested with dummies. They have come a long way how they were designed in the beginning.

If you're against airbags, don't use them, and hope you're not in a serious accident.

Chris, CSWP
SolidWorks
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The pressure relief system will prevent that.
Click to expand...

Note that the last video is 9 years old, and they show gigantic pressure relief holes, so those stupid engineers that you despise seem to know what they were doing. Note also that airbags are supposed to fully inflate before your head even contacts the surface, and the it's the reduction in pressure due to your head's impact that safely reduces the velocity of your head.


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This thread is about the inflators that are exceeding safe pressures and fragmenting.

So the first video is a cartoon.
The second video talks about the proper propellant sodium azide as only very small amount needed. And the propellant is number one problem with the airbag issue we have now, so yes those stupid engineers.
The third video just some guys setting them off.

Nothing there showing an extreme over pressure airbag inflator with special exhaust away from the operators face over pressure relief system?
Just the same old tin can fireworks in the steering wheel there.

Did you all not hear about the inflators blowing up?

 
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There is no where for the gas to go apart from exploded the dash to the rear.

You would have to pipe to a blow out port. And that would be a small pipe either with the volume of gas produced.


Simple solution is to get rid of the requirement to be able to function without wearing a seat belt.
 
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A simple solution to prevent airbags from killing you is to just get rid of them and people return to being killed by the steering wheel. I think I prefer my airbags, stupidly engineered and all.

Brad Waybright

The more you know, the more you know you don't know.
 
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Well actually USA if a bit different to every other nation. Due to this not having to wear a seat belt bollocks
Click to expand...

Not sure where you got that, mate. Only one state in the US doesn't have a seat belt law, although most states aren't particularly prone to enforcing their laws; it's unclear whether that's because there's a constant struggle to ensure that cops aren't simply profiling or harassing motorists with non-criminal violations.


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See above the airbags in USA and cars have to be legal in states.

And die to this no set belt requirement you are all inflicted with the same bullocks of the bags needing to be able without the presumption of the seat belt being in play.

SO your gas generators need to produce faster and and the system pressure needs to be higher due no seat belt in the mix.

If someone is stupid enough to not wear a seat belt I really don't care.





 
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