Curtain Airbags are used in vehicles to protect occupants in side impact and rollover crashes. Two main accidents types are distinguished: a) so called first impact crashes where the occupant has to be protected from another vehicle intruding into its own vehicle and b) rollover events where the vehicles rotate around the x-axis primarily. The challenge for the airbag system is to protect occupants for both accident types with just one airbag. Therefore the airbag has to inflate very rapidly (15ms) but maintain airbag cushion pressure levels that allow for rollover protection for multiple seconds (typical 6 or 7 seconds). Coldgas inflators that deliver cold stored gas into the cushion have proven to be the best inflation source for these type of curtain airbags because gas cooling effect in the cushion are reduced to a minimum. The Takata cold gas curtain inflator CCI uses a Shockwave principle as the outlet disc opening mechanism and this paper summarizes the major development efforts completed to understand the opening mechanism in detail and provide a robust system. The results presented herein include parameter studies to understand the effect of the variation of multiple parameters on the formed Shockwave and characterization of the wave formed using fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations, Shockwave speed assessments and visualization using Schlieren photography.
Shockwave characterisation, parameter studies and visualization for a cold gas curtain inflator
2008
17 Seiten, 23 Bilder
Aufsatz (Konferenz)
Englisch
Shockwave characterisation, parameter studies and visualization for a cold gas curtain inflator
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