In recent investigations of airbag deployments, drivers have reported abrasions to the face, neck and forearms due to deploying airbags. A study of the airbag design and deployment parameters affecting the incidence and severity of abrasions caused by driver-side airbags has produced the development of a laboratory test procedure to evaluate the potential of an airbag design to cause skin injury. This report describes the procedure, which is based on static deployments of airbags into a cylindrical test fixture. The target area is covered with a material that responds to abrasion-producing events in a manner related to human skin tolerance. Test results show excellent correlation with abrasion with abrasion injuries produced by airbag deployments into the skin of human volunteers. (A)
Samenvatting