Defining a fluid inflator interaction property

You use a fluid inflator interaction property to model the deployment of an airbag. A fluid inflator interaction property can be referred to only by a fluid inflator interaction. The fluid inflator property defines the mass flow rate and temperature as a function of inflation time either directly or by entering tank test data. It also defines the mixture of gases entering the fluid cavity. For more information, see Defining a fluid inflator interaction.

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In Other Guides
Inflator Definition
  1. From the main menu bar, select InteractionPropertyCreate.
  2. In the Create Interaction Property dialog box that appears, do the following:

    • Name the interaction property. For more information about naming objects, see Using basic dialog box components.

    • Select the Fluid inflator type of interaction property.

  3. Click Continue to close the Create Interaction Property dialog box.

    Abaqus/CAE opens the Edit interaction property dialog box.

  4. In the Fluid Inflator Property tab, select one of the following fluid inflator definitions:

    Dual pressure

    The inflator mass flow rate and temperature of the gas entering the fluid cavity are calculated using the dual pressure method. You enter a table of tank pressure and inflator pressure versus inflation time; and specify the volume of the tank, the effective area, and the discharge coefficient.

    Temperature and mass

    The inflator mass flow rate and temperature are given directly as functions of inflation time.

    Tank test

    The inflator mass flow rate and the temperature of the gas entering the fluid cavity are determined by the results of a tank test. To calculate the mass flow rate using the results of a tank test, you enter a table of tank pressure and inflator temperature versus inflation time, and specify the volume of the tank.

    Inflator pressure and mass flow rate

    The inflator mass flow rate and inflator pressure are used to obtain the gas temperature. You can enter a table of the mass flow rate and inflator pressure versus inflation time and specify the effective area and discharge coefficient.

  5. If you selected the Dual pressure or Inflator pressure and mass flow rate fluid inflator definition, enter the Effective area. The effective area is the total inflator orifice area.
  6. If you selected the Dual pressure or Tank test fluid inflator definition, enter the Tank volume.
  7. If you selected the Dual pressure or Inflator pressure and mass flow rate fluid inflator definition, enter the Discharge coefficient.
  8. In the data table, enter the appropriate data. You can enter data into the table using the keyboard. Alternatively, you can click mouse button 3 anywhere in the table to view a list of options for specifying tabular data. For detailed information on each option, see Entering tabular data.
  9. In the Fluid Inflator Mixture tab, enter the number of fluids to define for this inflator.
  10. In the Type field, select whether you want to specify the mixture in terms of the mass fraction or molar fraction.
  11. In the data table, for each fluid, select the fluid cavity interaction property that defines the fluid behavior. Then enter the inflation time values and enter the corresponding mass fraction or molar fraction for that fluid.
  12. Click OK to create the fluid inflator interaction property and to exit the editor.