How do airbags work?
An airbag is a type of vehicle occupant restraint device that intrudes between the occupants and the dashboard of the vehicle during a collision to protect the occupants from major injury.
The airbag's mechanism is based on chemical processes and a network of sensors that, milliseconds after they detect a collision, start the airbag's inflate process.
They were placed in a car's steering wheel's centre console and on the opposite side of the dashboard in an extremely basic manner. Additionally, many airbags of different sorts are integrated into the lower dash, seatbelts, automobile pillars, and seats.
When it comes to safety features, your vehicle's airbag system may be the most crucial. In a car accident, airbags effectively make the difference between life and death. Early airbag deployment protects you from serious injuries or fatalities caused by the collision. Over the years, thousands of airbags have been deployed.
Due to the requirement that the airbags, be released within milliseconds after the impact, the technology in use here is a little complicated. This will guarantee the safety of the driver and passenger in the event of a collision.
How it works:
- The car's front collision sensors track unexpected acceleration and provide electrical impulses to turn on an initiator.
- The initiator's built-in tiny wire warms up and enters the propellant chamber. The chemical propellant within the inflator undergoes a quick chemical reaction consequently. A pyrotechnic chain is a common term used to describe this phenomenon.
- The air bag gets filled with nitrogen gas as a result of this interaction. In less than a twentieth of a second, the airbag is inflated by this expanding gas.
- This deflates the plastic module cover in front of the driver and opens it up. Three tenths of a second after impact, the bag deflates after only one-tenth of a second of inflation.
- The inside side of the airbag has a covering of talcum powder or cornstarch that is discharged from the bag when it is opened.
Growing need for safety will drive market expansion
The automobile sector is expanding globally, and most economies have begun to expand. The demand for cars is anticipated to be high in many emerging nations by 2025, and growing economies result in higher sales of commercial vehicles. In 2025, 78 million automobiles are anticipated to be sold in developing nations, compared to 34 million in industrialized economies. This industry is anticipated to expand as a result of government laws in place and consumer demand for car safety.
The automobile airbag and seatbelt industry's curtain airbag category is expanding at the quickest rate. They are often positioned on the roof above the side window, on the side of the seat or the door. Curtain airbags are intended to shield the adult's head in the case of a collision. Curtain airbags have been shown to cut the probability of driver fatalities by 45%. Airbags for pedestrians are becoming more and more popular nowadays. When a car is poised to collision with a pedestrian, these are immediately deployed.
In the upcoming years, this market is anticipated to be driven by rising income levels and more safety awareness. Driver airbags, seat belt reminders, speed warnings, and parking systems must all be included. Over the anticipated time, demand for knee airbags would increase quickly. It is a result of growing consumer demand for active leg protection and bolster seat replacement.
Consumer knowledge of automobile safety features is rising
Road accidents are a major issue everywhere, especially when traveling in congested traffic or inclement weather. The World Health Organization estimates that traffic accidents claim the lives of almost 1.25 million people annually. For instance, airbags are widely employed in automobiles to lessen the effect of accidents and increase overall vehicle safety to minimize the number of collisions.
Additionally, customers are spending more on the safety features of their vehicles due to growing consumer awareness and disposable cash. To lessen significant chest injuries in side-impact incidents, top manufacturers now equip their vehicles with side airbags.
A new front-centre airbag from Autoliv Inc. was introduced in 2019; it is positioned in the area between the driver and front-seat passenger, and it lowers the risk of chest, shoulder, and head injuries while also saving lives in side-impact collisions. As a result, the market for airbags is anticipated to grow over the projected period due to the adoption of improved safety systems (airbags) and increased consumer awareness of safety features.
Airbags are driver safety devices deployed in vehicles toprovide cushion and protection to passengers during crashes/accidents. Airbagscomprise three crucial elements:bags, crash sensors and inflation systems.The bag is made of thin nylon fabric, which is folded into the dashboard, steering wheel, seat, roof or door. The crash sensor sends message to inflate the bag when there is a collision, while the inflation system reacts sodium azide with potassium nitrate to generate nitrogen gas. There are different types of airbags,such as side airbags, front airbags, and knee airbags. The market for airbags is expected to growby a double-digit CAGR in the next six years.
Increasingly stringent safety norms and regulations in major Asian countries such as India, China, Japan and South Korea are driving growth inthe airbags market inthe region.Additionally, some of the key programs thatratevehicles based on their safety performance, such asthe New Car Assessment Program(NCAP) are also fueling growth of airbags in Asia Pacific. Further, other drivers such as growing public awareness about vehicle safety, affordability and technological advancement arealso boosting the uptake of airbags in AsiaPacific.
Major players in the Asia Pacific airbag market include Autoliv, Inc., Robert Bosch GmbH, Delphi Automotive PLC, Continental AG, Takata Corporation, Toyoda Gosei Co. Ltd., Denso Corporation, Hyundai Mobis Co. Ltd, TRW Automotives, and Key Safety Systems, Inc.This market is highly competitive in nature and competition between the airbag module manufacturing firms is increasing, owing to high growth rate. However, high capital is required to set up manufacturing plants, making it difficult for new players to enter this market.
