SIDE IMPACT OCCUPANT PROTECTION BY A DOOR-MOUNTED AIRBAG SYSTEM

This paper outlines American and European procedures to test side impacts on cars, and presents the work of the Swedish company Electrolux Autoliv AB to improve occupant protection in side impacts. To pass the new American regulation, which will become effective between 1994 and 1997, each car model must pass a side impact test with a mobile deformable barrier of 1,360kg mass. The European regulation is proposed to be effective for new car models from October 1995; its test procedure uses a mobile deformable barrier of 950kg mass. The American and European procedures also have different test dummies and injury criteria. Electrolux Autoliv has considerably improved the protection of all body segments of the occupant in the struck side of the car, by combining an airbag in the chest/abdominal area with a 75mm thick soft padding in the pelvis/thigh area. The bag is 450mm long, to be able to protect occupants of different sizes in different seat positions. It has a rubber-coated polyamide fabric and 12l volume, and uses two small gas generators. The padding material is of a soft polyethylene foam type with open cells and density 30 to 40km/cu m. Tests by the company show that the combination used gives acceptable loadings to the struck side occupant, even for difficult deflection-based criteria. It seems possible to use this system to meet both American and European future regulation requirements. For the covering abstract see IRRD 862367.