I have an idea tu use turbos tu air up the air bags on custom autos we could use valves in and never worry about having tu use a compresser or air tank.If any bites this idea let me know we could make alot uf lute off uf it i don't have the money tu make them but i du have the idea please write back at velf31@hotmail.com or Jon A Haynes 1123 w. 33rd st. Yuma AZ 85365.-- velf2, Dec 19 2003 you could hook the lute up to the air system and play it as you drive.-- python, Dec 19 2003 I assume you're talking about a suspension, not a suplimental restraint system when you say air bag. In that case you should move this to the catagory car:suspension.
About the idea... That's actually an interesting idea since the turbo is a good air compressor, and I'm guessing that in most cases you wouldn't be playing with your suspension and trying to accelerate rapidly at the same time.
The problem I see is that a turbo is designed to pump a large volume of air at a fairly low pressure. A quick google search makes it appear that turbos normally provide 5-30 psi, but 30 psi isn't something that's you'd find in your every day custom auto. Also, I'm not expert on turbocharged cars, but isn't it hard to get full boost pressure except when you're accelerating at top speed?
After a quick look at info on air bag suspensions it looks like they operate from 5-100 psi. One site has a table showing that 35psi is the max for a car, but I assume 35psi is for normal operation, and you might want a little more than that in a custom auto. Plus the compressor should pump at a higher pressure so it can fill the air bags rapidly. It looks to me like a typical turbo isn't going to give very satisfying performance with a typical air bag suspension. I'm sure you could create a suspension that could work on the low pressure, but by that time it's probably easier just to install a separate compessor.-- scad mientist, Dec 19 2003 Airbags utilize the explosive force of sodium azide, which releases a large volume of nitrogen gas when it detonates. This expansion is so rapid that the airbag can fracture windshields and human skulls. The rapidity is necessary because in a collision, you have only milliseconds before your skull hits the dashboard. Any air compressor, no matter how turbo charged, would simply be too slow to inflate the bag fast enough.
2NaN3 (s) ---> 2Na (s) + 3N2 (g)
Of course, the sodium metal so generated immmediately oxidizes to Na2O, which hydrates to NaOH, a corrosive, so they put some silicates in there to form a glass.-- mystic2311, Dec 20 2003 So no- one else so far has a sense of humour?-- python, Dec 20 2003 good luck "tu" you. i hope you "du" make a lot "uf" "lute" on your idea.-- irollerblade, Dec 20 2003 random, halfbakery