Airbag - The Safety Balloon

Airbags:

Airbags the safety baloons

For those who are thinking that there are two cushions in the above picture, let me tell you that you are somewhat correct but technically these cushions are called AirBags. Airbags are just like comfortable  cushions but the only difference is that they are visible only in case of collision and i am sure none of you want to make them visible. A more technical definition of airbag is "It is an occupant restraint system consisting of a flexible fabric envelope or cushion designed to inflate rapidly during an automobile collision".
     

What they do:

Airbags are one of the main safety features that most of the car are equipped with these days. At the time of collision these balloon type airbags inflate and provide a safety cushion like structure and prevent the occupant to hit the car's interiors. The time lag between the collision and inflation is fraction of second and thus it provides superb safety to the vehicle's passengers. Many of you must be aware about the use of these airbags but i am sure most of the people don't know the mechanism behind the airbag inflation. Let me tell you what exactly happens behind the scene.

How they do: 

The most important unit of the airbag system is the sensors which sense the impact of the collision and when the impact  is high as compared to the threshold level, the sensors activate the ignition of gas generator. Sensors sense the impact on various compartments i.e doors, bumper , brakes applied etc. and triggers gas generator after cumulative calculations.

           The gas generator is the unit which generates the gas sufficient enough to inflate the airbags. The amount of gas generated differs car to car. Gas generator contains a combustible substance which burns when the 1-3 ampere signal sent by sensors create heat. When the gas generator gets heated the substance in it burns and release gases which flow into the airbags. Although the gas generated in the bags is slightly toxic in nature. Continuous innovation are going on to find a more suitable option for the combustion option.

How many types they have???

These airbags are fitted in different parts of the car in different shapes and sizes.Most commonly there are:

Frontal airbags:

Front Airbags

Side Airbag:

A side airbag

Curtain Airbag:

A curtain airbag

Bike Airbag:

Airbag in a Honda bike

These days when the safety is of utmost importance, airbags are not just part of the luxury variants of the car but most of the companies are including airbags as a standard feature in there cars. That's all for airbags will come up with something new next time.

This is it about the Airbags : The Safety Balloons...

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