Chemical Reactions in Airbags

Chemical Reactions Used to Generate the Gas Airbags have been shown to significantly reduce the number and severity of injuries, as well as the number of deaths, in head-on automobile collisions. Airbags protect us in collisions by providing a cushion to decrease the force on the body from hitting the steering wheel, and by distributing the force over a larger area. The cushion is generated by rapidly inflating the airbag with N2 gas from the …

…airbag to a protective device, it must inflate within 40 milliseconds. Also, the system must be able to detect the difference between a severe and minor crash. Scientists experimented with certain chemicals and how they react, in order to create a lifesaving airbag. Finally, a breakthrough was discovered involving chemical reactions. All chemicals and their reactions are significant due to the simple fact that without them, airbags would not exist and without airbags neither would people.