| PHYSICAL EVIDENCE OF AIRBAG PERFORMANCE IN A HIGH-SPEED FRONTAL CRASH |
| Sung-Woo Koh, Jingwen Hu |
| University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute |
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| ABSTRACT |
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Field data (NASS) analyses showed that 0.9 % of frontal airbags deployed in motor vehicle collisions sustained at least one type of damage. Crash investigators often need to determine whether a damaged airbag inflated in a timely manner to provide occupant protection during the crash. This study provided a comparison of physical evidence from the restraint system and the seat resulted from high-speed frontal impacts with and without airbag deployment. Evidence of an airbag deployment event was collected from a real-world vehicle crash, in which the airbag was found damaged at the scene. A sled test was conducted with an 80 km/h delta-V in an exemplar vehicle to demonstrate the occupant loading evidence on vehicle components when the airbag was absent in a crash of the same severity as the real-world crash. In the test, the load limiter was activated and provided webbing spool out until bottoming out, severe abrasions and markings occurred on the seatbelt webbing and the D-ring, and the seat bottom deformed downward. These occurrences were absent in the real-world crash, suggesting that the frontal airbag was inflated in a timely manner and absorbed occupant's kinetic energy during the high speed frontal impact. |
| Key Words:
Airbag damage, Airbag tear, Restraint system, High speed crash, Pretensioner, Load limiter, Force limiter, Loading mark, Crash investigation |
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Corresponding Author.
Jingwen Hu , Email. 
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