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The Invention of the Air Bag

The Invention of the Air Bag. By Jeff Luerman. How the Invention Works.

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The Invention of the Air Bag

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  1. The Invention of the Air Bag By Jeff Luerman

  2. How the Invention Works • The air bag works when a car hitsanother car or object at ten to fifteen miles per hour. Then the accelerometer sends the information to the crash sensors which trigger the inflation device. The inflation system works when sodium azide is mixed with potassium nitrate to produce nitrogen gas. Then a hot blast of the nitrogen gas inflates the air bag. Faster than the blink of an eye, the air bag blows out of it’s storage place at 200 mph. Once the air bag is inflated, then it deflates a second later so that you can move. The gas quickly leaves the bag through tiny holes in the bag.

  3. History of the Air Bag The air bag was invented by John W. Hetrick in 1952 and was patented in 1953. Hetrick was inspired to invent the first prototype after he and his family were in a car accident. Although he had the first patent he did not receive a penny off it. Allen K. Breed invented the key component for automobile use, the ball in tube sensor for crash detection. Allen Breed marketed this in 1967. The air bag was available in the U.S. in the 1970’s. In 1973 an infant was killed by an air bag and this was the first air bag fatality. The government had a lot to do with air bags being required to be in cars. In 1971 the NHTSA ordered passive restraints in cars by 1976. But they had a problem with safety and people being potentially killed by the force of air bags hitting them.

  4. History of the Air Bag Air bags became common in the 1980’s with Chrysler making them standard equipment in all of their cars by 1990. In March 12, 1990 two LeBarons were going over a blind hill top at over seventy miles per hour and collided. Both passengers walked away because each car was equipped with an air bag. This was the first recorded collision between two vehicles in which an air bag deployed to protect each driver. In July of 1994 the U.S. government required all cars being made after April 1, 1989 to have driver side airbags. In 1998 dual air bags were required by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In 1995 side air bags were first offered as an option in Volvos. In 2006 Honda introduced the first motorcycle air bag safety system. The air bag was installed on its Gold Wing motorcycle.

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  6. Improvements that have Been Made Over the years the air bag has become safer and more effective. One improvement is that the air bag knows if the crash is bad or not so bad. If the crash is really bad then the bag will fill up with a lot of air. If the crash is minor the bag will only fill up with a small amount of air. On some cars the air bags know how hard to go off by taking the person’s weight, seat position, and also severity of the crash. Researchers have learned that the risk zone for driver air bags is the first two to three inches. So placing yourself ten inches away from the air bag can increase the margin of safety. There are also now side curtain air bags for some cars in the front and back. Also, Honda has now made air bags for their motorcycles.

  7. Biography of Allen K. Breed Allen Breed was born in 1927 and died in 1999. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Northwestern University in 1950. After college Allen Breed worked for RCA as a manager of manufacturing and design engineering. In 1957 he founded his first company Waltham Engineering. In 1961 he formed the Breed Corp. to make safety and arming devices for the military. He invented the first sensor and safety system in 1968. This was the world’s first electromechanical automotive air bag system. In 1995 he was elected the National Entrepreneur of the year and in 1999 Allen Breed was placed in the Automotive Hall of Fame. Allen K. Breed was married to Johnie Cordell and had four children, Leslie, Daryl, Douglas, and Jeffrey.

  8. Allen K. Breed

  9. How the Invention Improved Life • The invention of the air bag has saved thousands of lives. From 1975 to 1994 the air bag has saved about 730 lives. It has also saved the following number of lives: 783 in 1996, 973 in 1997, 1,208 in 1998, 1,716 in 2000, 1,978 in 2001, and 2,248 in 2,002, which is the most recent report. It has also reduced the amount of injury from car crashes that do not kill people. People can now drive without the fear of their face smashing into the dashboard.

  10. The Future of the Invention • Air bag Technology is changing constantly. “Smart” air bags are being developed which will inflate according to such factors as seat belt use, occupant size, presence, and closeness to the air bag module. Even motorcycle air bag technology has been developed to protect riders from injury when the front of the motorcycle strikes an object. They have even invented a vest that inflates when riders are ejected from their motorcycles.

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