Foam and FRP Sheets Packaging for Headliner Stiffness at Curtain Airbag Area

As we all know, automotive headliners are an essential component of any car’s interior as they cover all the internal components and provide a clean and finished look. Headliners not only increase the aesthetic appeal of a car’s interior, but also acts as an insulation and sound absorption source. As per the latest Government norms, Curtain Airbag (henceforth called as CAB) has been made mandatory and this change calls for the corresponding changes in the Headliner packaging of all passenger vehicles. In general, curtain air-bag deployment calls for a twist open of Headliner at lateral sides (a portion below Hinge-line) during the deployment. This enables the inflated airbag to flow inside the passenger cabin to protect the passenger from any injury. Conventionally no components are packaged below the hinge-line area of headliner to avoid obstruction for CAB deployment and any part fly-off concerns. For this reason, no foams/components are kept below the hinge-line region of the headliner. In this paper we are discussing the pros of introducing the Polyurethane (henceforth called as PU) foams below the hinge-line without hampering the CAB deployment criteria.

This paper also dwells upon the characteristic and type of the foams that need to be used to serve the purpose. These foams have been specifically designed to increase the stiffness and solidity of Headliner at all joinery/interface areas without any compromise on the CAB deployment requirements mandated by ARAI*. Height and the width of the foams are optimized to act as a guide for deployment rather than obstructing it.