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Name: Judy
Status: Educator
Grade: K-3
Location: FL
Country: United States
Date: May 2007
Question:
How do they put the air bag in the steering wheel of a car?


Replies:
Hi Judy,

Airbags are carefully folded an exact way, so that when they suddenly are inflated, they unfold without one part of the bag getting in the way of the rest of it. Quite a bit of research was needed to determine the best and most reliable way to fold an airbag, so that it works every time.

This is rather like how parachutes are folded. If a parachute is incorrectly folded, it will get caught up in itself when opening, with disastrous consequences for the user. Well, it is the same with an airbag. Great care must be taken to ensure it is folded in the correct sequence, otherwise it may fail to inflate properly, resulting serous injury to the person behind it in a crash.

Regards,

Bob Wilson.


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