Case Study: Automotive Systems Laboratory improves airbag testing and design optimization with MSC Software

Tougher Airbag System Testing Requires Simulation for Success

Automotive Systems Laboratory, Inc. (ASL), a Michigan-based automotive testing organization, needed a better way to evaluate increasingly complex airbag restraint systems as government and industry regulations expanded testing for different occupant sizes and out-of-position scenarios. To reduce the cost and time of physical prototype testing, ASL turned to MSC Software’s MSC.Dytran and MSC.Dytran OOP simulation tools.

MSC Software implemented a virtual product development environment that combined structural and gas-flow simulation for realistic airbag deployment analysis, including contact behavior, dummy interaction, and crash and OOP conditions. The result was a more robust, repeatable, and cost-effective development process that helped ASL optimize restraint system designs and prepare for a growing number of certification tests without relying solely on expensive physical prototypes.