Major Airbag Expansion at MGA

Airbags were first introduced to the public in motor vehicles in the early 1970s with some automobile manufacturers providing passenger and driver side systems on certain limited models. The technology and knowledge was of course not what it is today, and it took a long time for airbags to be accepted by the driving public. However, once their usefulness and effectiveness was understood, interest in airbags became driven more by consumers.

We have an experienced staff of engineers and technicians who have worked with many different types of airbags including side curtain roof rail, frontal (single and dual stage), knee, and seat-mounted side. Bill Mangum Jr. is the Chief Technician currently working on airbag deployments. Bill has worked with airbags for the past three years, and is also very knowledgeable of the video and deployment systems. Andy Gould has worked at MGA for over five years, and is currently the Lead Engineer of the Airbag Deployment Group. He also works closely with Safety Testing Group Leader DJ Whiteside in the dynamic area growing our newest testing capability, FMVSS 226 Ejection Mitigation, which involves deploying roof rail airbags while performing a head impact after a short delay to simulate a rollover situation.  

Our 400-acre Proving Grounds in Burlington, WI has been performing FMVSS 208 testing for the NHTSA since 2004. This contract involves the evaluation of airbag systems for regulatory injury requirements. Hundreds of airbag deployments for the NHTSA, global OEMs, and suppliers have been conducted there. Additionally, hundreds of crash tests are conducted each year involving all types of airbags that are designed to improve occupant safety. Jeff Lewandowski, the Lead Project Test Engineer for airbag testing at MGA-WI, has over 25 years of automotive experience in both production and engineering including vehicle development programs for global automotive manufacturers and suppliers. Jeff is part of our team of engineers that has extensive experience with airbag development, validation, and FMVSS certification.

Our Greer, SC facility is in its second year of operation, and recently expanded its capabilities to include airbag deployment testing. This location has allowed us to work with manufacturing plants of many major OEMs and top suppliers in the Southern Auto Belt. Our Greer facility supports local plants in Conformance of Production (COP) testing, as well as warranty issues as they arise. The airbag facilities are state-of-the-art and well-suited to support southern OEMs and suppliers.

Airbag testing has benefited greatly from recent renovations at our Troy, MI laboratory. The testing is performed in a section of the lab that contains two (2) full vehicle drive-in environmental chambers, and 3,000 square feet of open floor space. The chambers are 24'x19'x9' and are capable of handling 2 full vehicle bucks simultaneously while operating at a temperature range from -40°C to 90°C. A total of 4 vehicles can be conditioned at once, which adds to the versatility of the area and helps in meeting critical deadlines.

A Kayser-Threde data system is used to trigger cameras and strobe lights, fire the airbags, and record all data required for the test including squib current, airbag pressure, strain, and temperature. The system is completely enclosed and portable which allows for quick transfer and setup at adjacent chambers or test cells. 

Due to the increase in technology over the years, a single airbag can now respond differently according to the size and weight of a passenger sitting in the seat with the use of secondary inflators. For example, a passenger airbag will inflate more rapidly with a large male, as opposed to a child, where it may take 5-10 times longer to reach full inflation. This may seem like a drastically large difference when it comes to safety, but the amount of time (measured in milliseconds) makes quite a difference to the occupant. Autolab™ software permits the ability to adjust current, voltage, pulse, and stage delays to test for the various output levels a single airbag can possess.

High-speed video is used to capture the event photographically, which is completed in a fraction of a second. We have a multitude of cameras at our disposal which allow us to give the customer a customized viewpoint from many different angles of the airbag deployment. Depending on our customer's requests for speed and resolution, we are able to record up to 5,000 fps. These incredibly detailed videos are processed immediately following the test so that post-test deployment analysis can happen without delay.

We also offer a diverse selection of impactors to simulate different body segments such as the abdomen, torso, and head which can be synchronized with the airbag deployment. Examples include Ejection Mitigation, Active Hood Pedestrian Headform testing, Body Block testing, and Dual Headform Side Curtain Airbag testing. The impacts occur while simultaneously deploying the airbag, which simulates an impact event. Acceleration data collected from these forms can then be used to determine how much energy is dissipated by the airbag.

We are proud to be a large part of the future of motor vehicle safety. For additional information or a quote for airbag testing, contact Andy Gould (andrew.gould@mgaresearch.com) at (248) 925-8092.