Air bag- Safety Features in Automobile / (SRS):-
The Supplemental restraint system (SRS) is a safety device to supplement the seat beltS during a severe frontal collision. The most common SRS component in use are airbag and seat belt tensioner.
It may be noted that during collision, it is quite possible for impact forces to be weight so great that a seat belt alone would not be able to restrain the passenger's upper body, resulting in the head or chest striking the steering wheel, instrument panel or other vehicle components.
When the vehicle provided with SRS, is involved in a frontal collision, then the SRS inflate the large Bags instantaneously between the front seat occupants and the steering wheel and instrument panel.
These bags are referred to as airbags and they cushion the vehicle's front seat passengers to provide increased protection.
TYPES OF AIRBAG-
FRONTAL AIRBAGS-
Frontal airbags have been standard equipment in all passenger cars since model year 1998 and in all SUVs, pickups and vans since model year 1999. These airbags are mounted on the steering wheel to offer protection for the driver and on the dash to protect the passenger. Many new cars have a weight sensor for the front passenger seat that will prevent the airbag from deploying if a small child is sitting there. For older cars without a weight sensor, the airbag's force can cause injury in younger children, so the government suggests that children under 13 should ride in the back seat.
SIDE AIRBAGS (SABS)-
SABs are being offered on many new passenger vehicles. Side airbags protect passengers in case of a side impact. There are two main types: a side torso airbag and a curtain airbag. The side torso airbag is usually located in the side of the seat and inflates between the driver and the door, in order to protect the person’s torso. Most cars only have these in the front seats, though some luxury models offer them in the back, as well. The curtain airbag is mounted in the roof and deploys like a curtain from the car's ceiling to protect the person’s head. Usually, curtain airbags cover front and rear seats, though they also can protect third-row passengers in some larger vehicles.
KNEE AIRBAGS-
Since the early 2000s, many vehicle manufacturers now include knee airbags, which are usually mounted under the steering wheel and deploy from under the dashboard, stopping front seat occupants' knees from hitting the hard surface. This can prevent kneecaps from shattering, which is a common injury in high-speed frontal collisions.
INFLATABLE SEAT BELTS-
The inflatable seat belt is only available in select models. While it gets categorized as an airbag, the inflatable seat belt really isn’t really an airbag, it merely functions like one by deploying in an accident. Most airbags cushion passengers, but the inflatable seat belt instead helps spread an accident's force over a wider area on a person's body. The result is that the accident doesn't feel as severe, since the force isn't as highly concentrated
How Front and Side Air Bag Work
Front airbags are designed to inflate in moderate to severe frontal crashes to prevent a person's head and chest from contacting hard structures in the vehicle. They offer the most protection when occupants are wearing safety belts and sitting properly in the seat but are designed to provide protection for all occupants.
Newer airbags have a safety belt sensor and use an algorithm to decide whether to deploy the bag in a given crash, depending on whether people are using safety belts.
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| Front air bag |
Head- and chest-protecting side airbags are designed to inflate in side crashes to prevent people's heads and chests from contacting intruding parts of vehicle side structure, a striking vehicle or an object such as a tree or pole. Side airbags cushion and spread the load of impacts to prevent any part of the body from sustaining concentrated impact forces.
A head-protecting side airbag is particularly important because it may be the only thing between the occupant's head and the striking vehicle, since window glass can shatter in a crash.
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| Side air bag |
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