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Throughout the first decade of the twenty first century, large improvements in occupant safety have been made in NASCAR®'s (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc) race series. Enhancements to the occupant restraint system include the development and implementation of head and neck restraints, minimum performance requirements for belts and seats and the introduction of energy absorbing foam are a few highlights, among others. This paper discusses nineteen sled tests used to analyze hypothesized improvements to restraint system mounting geometry. The testing matrix included three sled acceleration profiles, three impact orientations, two Anthropomorphic Test Device (ATD) sizes as well as the restraint system design variables.

Currently, airbag module development methodology and prototyping heavily relies on the application of single-use pyro-technic, hybrid, or stored gas inflators. A new development test methodology using a Cold Gas System (CGS) is proposed, in which the inflator is replaced by a re-chargeable, high-pressurized, gas compartment that can be rapidly opened using an electronic valve. This new methodology overcomes the problem of variability in inflator output. In a first approach, the methodology is researched by using a single gas in the compartment, i.e. 100% Helium. At first, an inflator baseline tank test pressure-time curve is established. This can be obtained from any “off the shelf” inflator that is on the market.