Automotive Airbag Systems

Automotive airbags are fabric-based passive restraint systems that deploy in 20–30 milliseconds upon crash detection (deceleration >20g for frontal, >5g for side), cushioning occupants against steering wheel, dashboard, door, and roof surfaces. Airbag fabric is OPW (one-piece woven) nylon PA66 (315–470 dtex, 420–630 g/m², plain weave, 3D shape woven in a single loom pass) or cut-and-sewn flat-woven PA66 (235–470 dtex, 170–280 g/m², 50–70 threads/cm²). OPW construction eliminates sewn seams in critical zones reducing deployment stress concentrations and enabling complex 3D geometries (curtain, knee, pedestrian hood bags). Silicone coating (15–40 g/m² add-on) provides gas retention, heat resistance to 300°C inflator gas temperature, and lubricity for controlled deployment. Tenacity requirements: >70 cN/tex (ISO 5079), elongation at break <25% (ISO 5079), seam strength >2,500 N (ISO 13935-1). Curtain side airbags (700×400 mm, 12–18 litre volume) must remain inflated for 5–6 seconds in rollover events (ECE R95). Modern vehicles deploy 6–10 airbags from frontal driver/passenger through side thorax, curtain, knee, seatbelt, and pedestrian systems. Global airbag fabric market exceeds $2.1 billion; Autoliv, ZF-TRW, and Joyson Safety hold 75% combined market share.