Cars+Group+4

Kayla K & Sienna G.

Topic Choice: Airbags


 * The first [|patent] on an inflatable crash-landing device for [|airplanes] was filed during World War II.
 * Since model year 1998, all [|new cars] sold in the United States have been required to have airbags on both driver and passenger sides.
 * 1980s is when they first appeared in automobiles
 * airbags reduce the risk of dying on a on collision by 30%
 * Cars consist of several objects, including the vehicle itself, loose objects in the car and, of course, passengers. If these objects are not restrained, they will continue moving at whatever speed the car is traveling at, even if the car is stopped by a collision.
 * What an airbag wants to do is to slow the passenger's speed to zero with little or no damage.
 * the **bag** itself is made of a thin, nylon fabric, which is folded into the steering wheel or dashboard or, more recently, the seat or door
 * The **sensor** is the device that tells the bag to inflate. Inflation happens when there is a collision force equal to running into a brick wall at 10 to 15 miles per hour (16 to 24 km per hour). A mechanical switch is flipped when there is a mass shift that closes an electrical contact, telling the sensors that a crash has occurred. The sensors receive information from an **accelerometer** built into a microchip.
 * The airbag's **inflation system** reacts sodium azide (NaN3) with potassium nitrate (KNO3) to produce **nitrogen gas**. Hot blasts of the nitrogen inflate the airbag.
 * The airbag system ignites a **solid propellant**, which burns extremely rapidly to create a large volume of gas to inflate the bag. The bag then literally **bursts** from its storage site at up to 200 mph (322 kph) -- faster than the blink of an [|eye]! A second later, the gas quickly dissipates through tiny holes in the bag, thus **deflating** the bag so you can move.
 * The **powdery substance** released from the airbag, by the way, is regular cornstarch or talcum powder, which is used by the airbag manufacturers to keep the bags pliable and lubricated while they're in storage.







Nitrogen gas is used because it is not flammable, and it is in the air we breathe already so it is safe.

Alexis and Nick - Make a fake airbag and show what would happen if you got into an accident and how the airbag would work Amanda and Emily- Explain how it would affect children Hanna and Kayla G- How many air bags are needed/in cars? Norbert and Ethan - Why does it need to inflate so violently? Julie, Cindy, Sarah - Can airbags ever harm someone more than it helps them? Dylan and Paul- effects on someone when a air bag is used and when it is not used. Amanda and Katelynn- explain why and how an airbag might defect. Alex- Show why side air bags are so important in safty.
 * 2 are needed, one in the drivers side and one in the passengers side. but most cars have 6 or 8