Small Car Aspirator Air Bag Restraint

Development of an aspirator air bag has been completed at Calspan Corporation. The aspirator air bag has been developed through computer simulations and sled tests, and has been evaluated in a 41.6 MPH crash of a standard Volvo into a flat barrier. This evaluation included both out-of-position and normally seated occupants. This paper describes the aspirator system and presents results of the sled tests and the car crash.

This research was conducted under U. S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Contract No. DOT-HS-5-01254.