Hetrick’s invention saves lives in
automobile accident
The heating element
ignites a chemical explosive. As the explosive burns, it generates a massive
amount of harmless gas that floods into a nylon bag packed behind the steering
wheel .The gas may be either nitrogen or argon. . Older air bag used sodium
azide as their explosive, newer ones use different chemicals. it work by an air
bag sensor (Ex: crash sensor) which is responsible for detecting sudden
deceleration in a collision. It sends a signal to the airbag computer which uses
the vehicle speed, seat belt, yaw and ECU to determine if an airbag should deploy
in a crash. The two types of mechanical sensor, the cam type and tube style and
ball.
One day in 1952, john W. Hetrick was driving, with his wife
and daughter in the front seat, when he had to swerve and brake quickly to
avoid the obstacle. Instinctively, he and his wife put their arm out to shield
their daughter in case of crash. This inspired him to provide automobile with
airbag to protect people during accident. he had been an engineer in the United
States, navy during world war II, and he recalled a compressed air torpedo
accidently turning itself on, causing its canvas cover to shoot “up into the
air, quicker than you could blink an eye”. In 1952 hetrick proposed using
compressed air to inflate air bags during car crashes. He received patent for
his invention in 1953, but car manufacture in 1950s.
The three main components in airbags are bag itself, a
sensor for measuring the severity of the crash, and gas to inflate the bag in a
severe. Although air bags have saved thousands of lives, they are not sufficient
to prevent death and injury during crashes
Ford’s president Donald
Petersen shows an air bag to U.S. Transportation secretary Elizabeth dole in
1983
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