Study on cushioning characteristics of soft landing airbag with elastic fabric

Based on the energy conservation principle and thermodynamic equations, an analytical model of soft landing considering the elasticity of airbag fabric was presented. The analytical model was verified by comparing the results with those results from a similar simulation using ls-dyna and our design-oriented model is solved with less calculation time than the finite element method. Then this analytical model was used to investigate the deceleration characteristics of a horizontal cylinder airbags. A series of simulations were conducted to find out the influence of fabric elasticity, initial airbag pressure, and vent size on attenuating properties.