Title: Automotive airbag stiffness evaluation: a simulation-based conceptual design

Authors: Javad Marzbanrad; Vahid Rastegar; Esmail Dehghani

Addresses: School of Automotive Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, 1684613114, Iran ' School of Automotive Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, 1684613114, Iran ' School of Automotive Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, 1684613114, Iran

Abstract: In this research, a model and a particle simulation method were used to analyse the stiffness of a fully deployed airbag that is related to the severity of the occupant injury in a frontal crash. First, a mathematical model based on a three-dimensional airbag geometry was introduced. Then, quasi-static and dynamic test setups were defined, including an external impactor to simulate an actual crash. A simulation was also designed by the corpuscular method with the same initial conditions to validate the airbag model and to assess the effect of parameters at the out-of-position (OOP) impact. Finally, airbag stiffness characteristics were calculated for different airbag capacities and inflator performances as a function of internal pressure and volume. The evaluated time-dependent stiffness characteristics were linearised by the proposed method. The estimated coefficients were correlated to airbag geometry and inflator performance and can predict occupant injury in a high-speed crash.

Keywords: automotive airbag; in position; out of position; stiffness; linearisation; corpuscular method; conceptual design; occupant safety; crash injury; inflator performance.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVD.2023.134721

International Journal of Vehicle Design, 2023 Vol.93 No.1/2, pp.24 - 40

Accepted: 06 Aug 2021
Published online: 09 Nov 2023 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article