An Experimental Study on UNDEX Characteristics of Airbag Inflators

This paper deals with an experimental study of the dynamics of an underwater bubbles and shock waves, generated by rapid underwater release of highly compressed gas. Aribag inflators, which are used for automobile’s airbag system, are used to generate the extremely-rapid underwater gas release. Experimental studies of the complex underwater bubble dynamics as well as underwater shock wave were carried out in a specifically designed cylindrical water tank. The water tank is equipped with a high-speed camera and pressure sensors. The high-speed camera was used to capture the expansion and collapse of the gas bubble created by inflators, while pressure sensors was used to measure the underwater shock propagation and magnitudes. The experimental results were compared against the results of explosion of pentolite explosive. Several physical phenomena that has been observed and discussed, which are different from the explosive underwater explosion.