Maybe you have or maybe not thought about the word SRS on your car steering or on the dashboard or by the door. Personally, I could remember when i first saw it and I couldn't wrap my head around what the meaning is.
SRS means Supplementary Restraint System
WHY IS IT NECESSARY?
You likely agree with me that when a car attains a certain level of speed, there's a special kind of feeling but can be quickly followed with the fear of a crash. If a car suddenly got involved in an accident or crashes into another body or car, the experience is often not a palatable one, but what actually happens in a crash?
When a body possesses mass, and is moving at a very high speed, momentum, the presence of the both makes kinetic energy possible. This means that the heavier and faster a vehicle is moving, the more kinetic energy it possesses. When that car with so much kinetic energy crashes, all the energy needs to go away in an instant. The body or passenger inside the vehicle also posses kinetic energy, so when the vehicle is stopped abruptly, the body will keep moving.
Newton's first law also makes it clear that a body will continue in a state of motion until it is brought to rest by a force. The reason why after you apply your brakes, you tend to go forward.
When the vehicle stops and the passenger keeps moving, it can be very damaging to the life of the driver and others in the vehicle. There comes the need for a safety system to protect to the extent possible, the lives of people.
SRS, A SAFETY DEVICE?
Yes it is! It however would become dangerous to lives if not properly used. As indicated by its name, it supplements another type of safety device which is the seat belt. The seat belt has for many decades been the only means of reducing the effect of an auto crash or accidents. However, since the head only is found to weigh about 6kg and is involved in the motion, apparently, would posses its kinetic energy and cannot be held back by the seat belt upon impact, and would likely hit the steering, the dashboard, or the windshield. So the SRS is designed to supplement the seat belt to restrain the head from hitting any object. The Airbag has been designed to Inflate quickly upon impact and decelerate too.
At what speed does the Airbag inflate and deflate?
At what speed of the car does an impact triggers the SRS airbag?
How efficient is it during accident?
These question and other question will be treated and answered.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
The goal is to bring the driver or passenger to zero kinetic with little or no damage to the occupants of the vehicle. The system has what is known as the G-Sensor and S-Sensor which helps to detect every kind of rapid deceleration, to ensure safety. Below is summary of its sequence of operation.
The vehicle hits an obstacle and begins a rapid deceleration.
An electronic chip that measures acceleration which is called an accelerometer will detect the sudden deceleration
Depending on the magnitude of the deceleration, the airbag circuit is triggered
A sudden deceleration as a result of braking system does not trigger the airbag circuitAn electric current is passed through a heating element which ignites a chemical explosive
When the explosive burns, a massive amount of harmless gas is generated which rushes into a nylon container behind the steering wheel, the dash board, the curtain, and other necessary parts.
When it expands, it forces the plastic covering on the steering wheel to break, thereby causing an inflation of the airbag.
An instant deflation also occurs at the impact of the passenger's head or chest on the airbag.
IMPORTANT FACTS TO KNOW
The deflation that occurs immediately the head hits the airbag is necessary so that the head does not bounce back and make the essence of the SRS airbag useless.
The speed of inflation is about 0.03 second, and the entire process takes place in about 0.1 second.
People say that they do not notice when the airbag deflates, that's because the blinks in about 0.1 to 0.3 sec. The entire inflation and deflation takes place in the blink of an eye, literally.
At what speed does an impact triggers the SRS circuit?
When the vehicle travels at speed less than 30 km/h, an impact will not force the airbag to inflate.
How efficient is it during accident?
Studies down the years have proven that if properly used, it saves life and reduces the damage to the human body after accidents.
How do you know if your airbag is in a good working condition and will keep you safe in an event of accident?
How do you maintain the SRS airbag system
What are the things to avoid when driving that can make the airbag inefficient?
These questions and more will form the highlight of a sequel. Just keep your fingers crossed and anticipate.
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