Investigating occupant safety through simulating the interaction between side curtain airbag deployment and an out-of-position occupant

Potula, S.; Solanki, Kiran; Oglesby, D. L.; Tschopp, Mark A.; Bhatia, M. A.

doi:10.1016/j.aap.2012.03.007

Cited by 20 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…For front airbags, occupants in out-of-position scenarios may experience severe injuries to the cervical spine due to shear and bending forces to the neck (Hahn et al 2021). Curtain airbags in out-ofposition scenarios have shown to reduce the acceleration on the head compared to no airbag scenarios, while increasing the forces on the neck (Potula et al 2012).…”

Section: Graphical Abstractmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, curtain airbags have a more complex structure than front airbags, consisting of multiple channels and subdivisions of the bag, making it even harder to simulate the inflation process accurately. Potula et al (2012) used the uniform pressure and a SPH (smoothed particle hydrodynamics) model for the simulation of a curtain airbag. For all scenarios, the airbag was fully inflated when hit by the occupant.…”

Section: Graphical Abstractmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A method to quantify the supersonic discharge of airbag cold gas inflators

2022

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We discuss a method to quantify the supersonic discharge of airbag cold gas inflators. Since one primary quantity of interest, the mass flow with time, is not directly measurable, a combined experimental and numerical approach was chosen. Shadowgraph and schlieren images visualize the gas dynamic process. Pressure measurements were conducted inside the inflator and downstream of the outlets in the supersonic jet. In this context, a method to measure the pressure of the flow without effects of shock reflection is presented. The temperature inside the inflator was estimated using a fast response heat flux probe and assuming different scenarios for the unknown heat transfer coefficient. Then, a numerical model of the inflator was created. The experimental results served as boundary conditions and some basic sensitivities remaining unknown from the measurements were studied to verify the numerical outcome. The numerical model was verified using experimental results. Finally, the mass flow rate was derived from the numerical model and compared to an analytical model. The method can reconstruct the temporal evolution of the mass flow discharging from the inflator, the pressure and the topology of the flow field within acceptable bounds. Furthermore, the method can deliver inflow data for subsequent airbag inflation studies. Graphical abstract

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Section: Graphical Abstractmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Graphical Abstractmentioning

confidence: 99%

A method to quantify the supersonic discharge of airbag cold gas inflators

2022

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“…In order to reduce the experimental iterations, finite element simulations were carried out to explore different folding patterns and inflation sequences for the full-scale plugs [45][46][47]. Simulations helped to try folding patterns such as zig-zag or rolling, as well as to implement inflator models, such as the Uniform Pressure Method, which are similar to those applied in the simulations of automobile airbags [98][99][100][101][102], and large-scale inflatables for other civil engineering applications [103][104][105]. Simulations also helped to identify the position of the membrane fold held by the passive restrainers created to "save" membrane material necessary to cover the upper regions of the tunnel perimeter as illustrated in Fig.…”

Section: Phase 2bmultiple Layer Membrane Design Initial Testingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Large-scale inflatable structures for tunnel protection: a review of the Resilient Tunnel Plug project

Sosa

Thompson

Holter

et al. 2020

J Infrastruct Preserv Resil

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The protection of underground civil infrastructure continues to be a high priority for transportation and transit security agencies. In particular, rail transit tunnels running under bodies of water are susceptible to disruptions due to flooding caused by extraordinary climatic events such as hurricanes or other events resulting from human activities. Several events have taken place in the past decades that have demonstrated the need to mitigate vulnerabilities or, at least, minimize the consequences of catastrophic events. Although it is impossible to prevent all situations that can lead to flooding, damage can be substantially decreased by reducing the area affected by the event. To minimize the effects of an event, a possible approach is to compartmentalize the tunnel system by creating temporary barriers that can contain the propagation of flooding until a more permanent solution can be implemented. One way to create a temporary barrier is by the deployment of a large-scale inflatable structure, also known as an inflatable plug. In such an application, the inflatable structure is prepared for placement, either permanently or temporally, and maintained ready for deployment, inflation, and pressurization when needed. The internal plug pressure imparts a normal force against the tunnel wall surface with the friction between the plug and tunnel surfaces opposing axial movement of the plug. The sealing effectiveness depends on the ability of the inflatable structure to self-deploy and fit, without human intervention, to the intricacies of the perimeter of the conduit being sealed. Primary design constraints include having the plug stowed away from the dynamic envelope of the trains and being able to withhold the pressure of the flooding water. This work presents a compilation of the main aspects of the activities completed for the development of large-scale inflatable structures as part of the Resilient Tunnel Plug (RTP) Project. The main test results and lessons learned are presented to demonstrate the viability of implementing large-scale inflatable plugs for the containment of flooding in rail tunnels systems. Over 400 coupon and specimen tests, 200 reduced scale tests, and 100 full-scale tests were conducted to demonstrate the efficacy of the design of different prototypes over a 10-year research and development project. The culmination of the work was 12 large-scale flooding demonstrations where the inflatable tunnel plug was shown able to be deployed remotely and withstand a simulated flooding event.

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“…In case of accident, the airbag deployment against an out of position (OP) occupant may cause serious injuries instead of mitigating the crash effects (Lebarbé et al 2005;Maxeiner and Hahn 1997;Potula et al 2012;Prasad et al 2001;Yoganandan et al 2007). In fact, car manufacturers must pass severe crash tests for the airbag deployment against OP manikins, including driver and passengers (Code of Federal Regulations 2016a, b;Lund 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A methodology for out of position occupant identification from pressure sensors embedded in a vehicle seat

Vergnano

Leali

2020

Hum.-Intell. Syst. Integr.

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The airbag deployment against an out of position (OP) occupant is critical. The OP condition can be hardly expected during design, while a too close airbag deployment can cause serious injuries instead of mitigating the crash effects. An adaptive airbag system would be capable to adjust its deployment to the inside scenario. However, the integration between human passengers and intelligent vehicle requires the airbag control unit to be aware of the actual occupant(s) position. In the present research, a methodology for monitoring the occupant(s) position is developed and tested with a seat prototype. A layout of thin film sensors monitors the interface pressure between the occupant and the seat cover. An inertial measurement unit (IMU) monitors the accelerations of the vehicle, considered the reference moving platform. A microcontroller is programmed for pressure sensors calibration, IMU alignment with the vehicle reference system, signals processing, OP detection, and identification. Real driving experiments on a race track were performed in the correct position and in three different OPs. The comparison of the pressure center in longitudinal and transversal directions with the vehicle acceleration enables to identify the OPs.

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Investigating occupant safety through simulating the interaction between side curtain airbag deployment and an out-of-position occupant

Cited by 20 publications

References 32 publications

A method to quantify the supersonic discharge of airbag cold gas inflators

A method to quantify the supersonic discharge of airbag cold gas inflators

Large-scale inflatable structures for tunnel protection: a review of the Resilient Tunnel Plug project

A methodology for out of position occupant identification from pressure sensors embedded in a vehicle seat

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