In 1985, at the International Patent Conference, the West German Patent Office, on the occasion of its 100th anniversary, named the eight most important inventions for mankind. Among them was the invention of the Swedish engineer Niels Bohlin.
Born in 1920 in the small town of Hernesand, Bolin received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 1939 and soon got a job at Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget (SAAB). While his colleagues dreamed of making planes more powerful and faster, Niels wanted to make them safer for pilots. Therefore, he took up rescue and ejection systems and, probably, would have become famous as an aircraft designer, if not for one of his compatriots.
In 1956 on Ford vehicles an unprecedented option appeared - a two-point lap belt designed by the Ligon brothers. In a collision, such a belt did not allow the driver to fly out through windshield, but sometimes caused serious injuries to the abdominal cavity. On the President Volvo Gunnar Ingellau was so impressed by this invention that he set himself the ambitious goal of making Volvo cars the safest in the world. To do this, he needed a person from the area where security systems have long ruled the show - aviation. Ingellau invited Nils Bohlin, who is well acquainted with the g-forces that pilots experience in accidents, to join his company, offering him a position as a safety engineer and complete carte blanche.
The task was not an easy one. Bolin later said that the pilots with whom he worked were ready to put on whatever they wanted to ensure safety in the event of an accident. But the drivers did not want to endure inconvenience even for a minute. Therefore, four-point aviation belts, carefully fitted to the figure, had to be discarded. Over the course of a year, Niels experimented extensively with different seat belt designs and eventually found the right solution - a combination of a belt that wraps around the driver's hips and a diagonal strap that holds the chest and shoulders. The solution turned out to be very convenient, since the combination of two straps made it possible to buckle up with one hand, and this played a huge role. Later, the inventor himself admitted: "My belt received public recognition as much because it was comfortable, as well as because it was safer."
In 1959 three-point harnesses appeared in two Volvo models for the Swedish market - P120 Amazon and PV544, and in 1963 they were equipped with all models. The company made the patent for the belt design free, so that other manufacturers soon began to equip their cars with this safety system. Over the years, designers have only added inertial coils, pretensioners and improved buckle.
The inventor died on September 21, 2002. At his funeral, one of the directors of Volvo said: "A piece of Niels Bohlin is present in every car."
December 13th, 2013
... but why paw? :-)
This is how seat belts work. Let's find out the history of this device in the car.
Believe it or not, they came up with it in 1885. It was in the United States, where the inventor Edward J. Claghorn from New York received the first patent for a seat belt. Which was intended ... to fix the coachman. At the beginning of the 19th century, the English inventor George Cayley (Sir George Cayley) suggested using seat belts for airplanes. And in 1913, the belt was first used by Adolphe Pégoud (Célestin Adolphe Pégoud), a French aviation pioneer and one of the first performers of the “dead loop” (he did it two weeks after Nesterov).
True, on May 11, 1903, the invention of "protective car brackets" for passengers in vehicle Gustave-Désiré Leveau also patented. And in the same year, the five-point seat belt was invented by Louis Renault.
Why didn't you buckle up?
The inventors invented, changed, improved - and the manufacturers did not want to hear about any belts. Firstly, they were imperfect, and secondly, they had to be additionally attached to the seat. The first car, originally equipped with seat belts, was in 1948. In 1959, the patented three-point belts became a mandatory accessory for the Volvo PV 544 and P120 Amazon, and a couple of years later for many Saab cars.
The inventor of the three-point belt was Nils Bohlin, a Volvo aeronautical engineer who originally worked for Saab. In 1985, the German Patent Office even noted this invention among the eight that brought mankind the most great benefit over the last 100 years.
How it was:
On August 13, 1959, a brand new Volvo car PV 544 equipped with latest novelty- three-point seat belts. The name of the inventor of these miracle belts, which saved the lives of millions of people, has never thundered to the whole world and is known only to those who are specifically interested in this topic. Indeed, the Swede Nils Bohlin has always been and remains a modest engineer who, like many geniuses, was primarily interested in the actual process of invention, and not in the benefits that this could bring him.
Nils Ivar Bohlin was born in 1920 in Swedish city Hernosand (Härnösand, Sweden). Nils received a degree in mechanical engineering from the Swedish school Härnösand Läroverk in 1939, and in 1942 he already began working as an aircraft designer for the Saab aircraft company. It was then that he focused his attention on the development and improvement of ejection seats.
In the late 1950s, Bolin was already working with automotive giant‘Volvo’, where he was listed as a safety engineer. It was here that he invented his famous three-point seat belts, which forever staked out the name of the Swedish inventor in the history of the automotive industry. Yes, he worked on seat belt during the year, and here the skills gained while working on the Saab ejection seats came in very handy.
Patent for new type car belt No. 3043625 was received in the same 1959, and 10 years later, in 1969, Bolin was already head of the Central Research Department of Volvo.
Today, a three-point seat belt has become the standard for all cars, but it took some time until drivers around the world got used to the innovation and began to use it correctly. How did the new, three-point belts differ from the old ones? As it turned out, the fact that in the event of a collision they did not allow the driver to “peck” facing forward, and, in addition, the new seat belts snapped into place with one click.
He left Volvo in 1985. It is known that Nils was married, and he and his wife (Majbrict Bohlin) had two adopted children, and later had many grandchildren.
Nils Bohlin died on September 26, 2002, at the age of 82, from a heart attack; he was buried at Torpa Church in Ramfall, Sweden.
By the way, in Germany, belts with the sign "Gurt zum Anschnallen, Flugzeugbauart" first appeared in 1957 on serial machines Porsche and Mercedes-Benz W111. On others German cars officially approved type of three-point seat belts appeared on April 1, 1961.
Appeared - and caused a storm of discontent. And not only manufacturers (most cars were not ready to install three-point belts), but also drivers who were tightly “chained”. Moreover, since 1967, seat belts have been installed on the rear seats of cars. But from January 1, 1974, the installation of belts on new German cars became mandatory. Although their use was still a matter of voluntary.
The volunteer was persuaded for a long time. In 1972, an inertial belt tensioner appeared, providing passengers with more freedom and safety. The belts have a red unfastening "button" American model. A broad campaign was held in the country under the slogan: Erst gurten, dann starten (First buckle up, then start). Nevertheless, as most often happens, only money could stop the “feat of a volunteer”. On August 1, 1984, driving without a seat belt became punishable - the fine was 40 DM. And the number of fastened drivers and passengers immediately soared to 90 percent.
And I had to buckle up!
By this time, Germany was trailing behind the countries that had passed the law on mandatory use seat belts. The pioneers here were Czechoslovakia (1969), Côte d'Ivoire (1970), Japan (1971), Australia, Brazil and New Zealand (1972). Sweden, by the way, made the use of belts "mandatory" only in January 1975.
Well, in the USSR, the mandatory use of seat belts in the front seats of all cars introduced in 1979. Although the belts themselves were introduced back in 1969 on the 412th Moskvich (in 1973 appeared domestic development, the author is Leonid Oskarovich Teder, the chief specialist of the Estonian plant Norma, which began producing belts), and since 1977 - on the GAZ-24.
In the event of a collision or emergency braking the force of inertia is so great that it throws a person forward, and this threatens with serious injuries. Scientists have calculated that a small "compact car" that weighs no more than one ton at a speed of 50 km / h has a kinetic energy of 100 J. During a collision, this energy is used to deform the front of the body. The deformation ranges from 30 to 50 cm depending on the design of the machine. In a collision, the magnitude of the force that acts on the driver and passengers is determined according to Newton's second law by the formula F=ma, Where m is the mass of the driver in kilograms, A– acceleration or deceleration in m/s2.
Let's do some simple calculations. If a car that is moving at a speed of 50 km/h collides with a fixed obstacle, and the deformation of the front of its body is 50 cm, then the deceleration value will be 385 m/s2. If we take the average driver, whose mass is 80 kg, then at this moment a force equal to 30,800 newtons will act on him.
What does it mean? This means that in a collision, the mass of the driver increases by 40 times! It is hardly necessary to explain what kind of injuries can be received in such a collision. At least not compatible with life.
THE USE OF SEAT BELTS CAN REDUCE THE RISK OF DEATH:
● when head-on collision 2.3 times
● Side impact 1.8 times
● when the vehicle rolls over 5 times
The Moscow Automobile and Road Institute conducted studies that made it possible to establish that most often passengers and drivers of cars get chest and head injuries. At the same time, the source of injuries to people who are driving, in 68%, is steering column, in 28.5% - windshield, in 23.1% - dashboard, in 12.5% - a side pillar and in 3% - a roof.
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According to their design, all seat belts are divided into lap, diagonal and combined. If the waist and diagonal types of belts are not able to provide complete fixation of the body, then the combined one, including both the waist and diagonal straps, guarantees complete security. In turn, the combined three-point belts are of two types: inertial and non-inertial. Inertial belts security are used on all modern cars. These belts retract special device in an unfastened state.
Today, automakers are trying to improve safety systems as much as possible, including seat belts. Today, seat belts with pretensioners are very popular, the signal for which is the emergency deceleration of the car. They pull passengers and the driver to the seatbacks and react even faster than airbags.
Here are some of the T-shirts they're making right now:
The English company TRL (Transport Research Laboratory) conducted a very serious study and found out why people do not wear seat belts. These data will allow much more effective promotion of the use of this simple, but very effective remedy life saving.
It turns out that many drivers do not use a belt because ... they are afraid of it. A significant part of motorists believe that seat belts do more harm than good. Drivers who do not use belts claim that in a side impact, the seat belts can suffocate the driver, and during frontal collision they break ribs. And drivers also believe that if a person is not fastened, then in a strong head-on collision, he will simply fly out through Windshield, fall on the soft grass and stay alive.
The fear of burning out in a car in the event of an accident is also strong - it is believed that a driver wearing a seat belt when a car ignites will not be able to quickly get out of the passenger compartment and eventually roast alive. But if you do not buckle up, then the fire will not be terrible. Yes, and when the car falls into the water, the fastened person will definitely have to choke and drown. And not fastened - will emerge.
Taxi drivers and truckers have their own fears. Many of them believe that by wearing a seat belt they are more likely to die at the hands of bandits. Taxi drivers are sure that if they are attacked by robbers, they will have time to quickly open the car door and run out into the street. And if they are fastened, they will be killed.
However, the most dangerous misconception concerns another. A huge part of the drivers sincerely believe that the use of a belt is not necessary if their car is equipped with airbags! But in the event of an accident, the pillow can cause very serious injuries to a person who is not wearing a seat belt.
Researchers have found that men, especially young men, are the most likely to not use seat belts. In addition, passengers in the back rows rarely fasten their seat belts. For some reason, they sincerely believe that the second row is much safer in an accident than the front seats. It is also interesting that drivers usually refuse seat belts in the evening and at night. In this case, motorists say that there are few cars on the roads and, they say, you can relax (at the same time, drivers forget that in this case the speed of cars becomes higher, and as a result, the severity of the accident increases).
What do you think? Do you still need to buckle up or is it an obligation, which is not a fact that will help if anything?
sources
Let's remember The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy is made -
But if you buckle up, you have a chance to survive even in the most terrible accidents ... It is not without reason that the history of the creation of this simple device has more than a hundred years! Today we can choose from two, three, four and five dots. Our ancestors, of course, did not have such diversity. And they were originally designed not for cars at all. But first things first…
How did the journey of a hundred years begin?
As we know, at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, aviation developed at a much faster pace than the automotive industry. The pilots of that time needed a mechanism that was simple in its design, which would securely fix them in the seat and prevent them from falling out of the cockpit when performing aerobatics.
The first seat belt was installed in an aircraft in 1913. It was an ordinary elastic band encircling the pilot - the prototype of modern belt two-point belts, which until recently were very widely used on the rear, as well as the seats of buses. It was called two-point because it was attached to the body at two points.
The Americans were the first to think of using . And these were the two-point mechanisms already familiar to us. But due to the peculiarities of the structure, they often did not save, but, on the contrary, maimed people. The reason is that in a head-on collision on high speed the human body with all its mass rushed forward. On his way, a waist belt arose, which did not allow the body to fly out through, simultaneously crippling the organs in the human abdominal cavity ... After some modifications, the devices took the shape of the letter Y. But such a design, although it was more successful than the previous one, still remained quite traumatic.
Video about how the seat belts were created:
And then the Swedes came to the rescue. At the end of the 1950s, the Swedish aeronautical engineer Niels Bohlin, who at that time served as chief of security, invented three-point construction. After a year of continuous testing, he was able to prove that this type of harness is much safer than a two-point one. And since 1959, such devices began to be installed on all Volvo cars.
By the end of the 1970s, most of the developed automotive countries legalized seat belts and obligated all drivers to buckle up.
What types of seat belts exist in the world today
In addition to the already mentioned two-point, which can still be found today in buses or in the back seats of some cars, we can choose from three-, four- and five-point. When choosing a belt, you must first take into account the features of the operation of the car. In simple words- what is it for you. It is clear that five-point mechanisms are complex and expensive, but if you install it in your car for every day trips to the supermarket, you will be terribly uncomfortable. You can't even reach the glove compartment! Let's see how modern seat belts work.
Three-point
They are made in the form of an inclined Latin V and almost all are equipped with them. serial cars for ordinary citizens. At their core, they are not much different from the belts invented by the Swedes. They are attached at three points and hold the human body not only around the waist, but also diagonally - from hip to shoulder. This design allows you to evenly distribute the load on the body and minimize injuries to internal organs.
Important point! DO NOT fasten children with such belts, as in the event of a collision, the upper belt of the belt can pinch the child's throat, which can lead to sad consequences. For this, there are special adapters that cost mere pennies and.
Three-point belts are inertial and non-inertial. What is the difference? The fact that when unfastened, the inertial one is drawn into the wall of the cabin by a special mechanism, and the non-inertial one remains lying on the seat. When fastening with an inertia belt, you only need to pull it out and fasten it in the seat belt buckle. You need to first adjust the non-inertial one for yourself, choosing the length you need so that it does not overtighten you beyond measure.
Also today, pretensioner belts have become widely used. They are designed in such a way that in the event of an accident, they automatically adjust the force of holding a person. Progress does not stand still, and automakers are striving to make.
Four-point
This is already an option for those who like fast, but at the same time safe driving. It has four attachment points to the body and consists of a waist and two shoulder belts, which are located not diagonally, like three-point ones, but vertically. This design securely holds the driver in the seat and does not cause much inconvenience. Belts of this type are usually equipped with “charged” versions and thoroughbred sports cars.
If you want to equip your car with this type of belts, be prepared for the fact that they will cost more than standard three-point belts and additional top mounts will be required to install them, which, most likely, are not provided for by the design of your car.
Five-point
This, but at the same time the most expensive and inconvenient to use seat belts, which are usually equipped with racing cars. They consist of two waist, two shoulder and one belt, which is located between the legs. A similar design is also used in child car seats.
There are also six-point ones that have two "crotch" straps that provide more secure fixation driver.
The most common misconceptions about seat belts
Myth #1: "It's inconvenient to buckle up!"
In fact, it is a matter of habit. It is clear that if a person has never fastened a seat belt for 40 years, he will experience some discomfort. But if you initially cultivate a culture of using a belt, then. On the contrary, psychologically you will feel more secure.
Myth #2: "If it happens serious accident better to be thrown out of the car.”
Really? And if you are thrown straight under the wheels of a truck driving towards you? The truth is that even if you are thrown out of the car, your chances of surviving will be negligible ...
Myth #3: “If the car has airbags, then you don’t need to buckle up.”
In the event of an accident, it begins to deploy to “take over” a person. But the problem is that a person moves towards the pillow quite quickly and in a direct collision with it has every chance of getting serious injuries. That is why it is necessary to buckle up, as the seat belt does not allow the driver to “meet” the airbag too quickly.
As we now know, the seat belt was invented for a reason. He actually saves people's lives. So we all need to get in the habit of wearing our seat belts. At least so that our children, looking at us, get used to this from an early age.
P.S. Do you buckle up while driving? Write to us in the comments!
From the title of the article, it becomes clear that we are talking about such an important and vital, and, to be precise, life-saving element of your car as a seat belt.
It is believed that there are about 600 million cars on the roads today, but their total number has long exceeded 1 billion! However, over the past 50 years, the seat belt is believed to have saved one million lives. Let's find out the history of this device in more detail.
Almost 60 years ago, the first car with a three-point seat belt as standard rolled off the assembly line, and it was the Volvo PV544. August 13, 1959 Swede Nils Bohlin (1920-2002) - the first engineer in history Volvo safety, invented the three-point seat belt, which is still widely used today.
But, the very concept of a seatbelt was described as early as the beginning of the 19th century by the English aeronautical engineer Sir George Cayley (1773-1857) for his airframe. True, the first patent for a seat belt was received by Edward Claghon in 1885 in New York, which was intended to fix the coachman and looked like a fitter's safety belt. However, in 1903, Louis Renault intended to equip all his cars with his own invention - five-point harnesses safety, but this idea did not take root, because drivers did not want to constrain themselves in their movements, and accidents did not happen often. But, the pilots did not have such a choice, and the Frenchman Adolf Pegu, for the execution of the "dead loop" in 1913, for the first time resorted to using seat belts to stay in his seat. And here's the paradox, pilots began to widely use seat belts only from the 30s of the 20th century, and racing drivers - from the 20s.
And now, a few decades later, in 1949, the American car company Nash began offering seat belts to its customers, and as an option in some Ford models they appeared in 1955. And in 1958, the Swedish Saab was the first manufacturer to have seat belts included in standard equipment. Although but they were all two-point and just held the chest. And the first car, originally equipped with seat belts, was the Tucker Torpedo in 1948.
Early three-point harnesses designed by the Americans, Roger Grisworld and Hugh DeHaven in 1951, were in the form of a Y with a tummy buckle, and there was also a design with a belt buckle in the middle. But these belts were far from flawless and often maimed the people wearing it. Niels Bohlin was the first to design a three-point seat belt that was attached to the thigh of an adult. By the way, Bolin, who previously worked for Saab, helped develop the ejection seat and used his experience to develop a model of seat belts that would be easy and convenient to fasten with one hand. He combined for the type of two-point belts - waist and shoulder, which became a breakthrough in the system passive safety car. This is another confirmation that everything ingenious is simple.
In 1963, three-point seat belts became standard for the first time worldwide.
1967 - At the request of the automaker, seat belts began to be installed on the rear seats of cars.
1972 - An inertial belt tensioner appeared, giving passengers more freedom.
1973 - At the Estonian plant "Norma" started mass production Soviet seat belts.
Since October 1, 1978 in Europe, equipment rear seats new cars seat belts has become mandatory.
1979 - The mandatory use of seat belts in the front seats of passenger cars was introduced in the USSR.
1987 - Beginning of the use of pretensioners, which allow the belt to be tightened at the moment of a collision, pressing passengers to the seats.
In 1985, the German Patent Office ranked Nils Bohlin's invention as one of the eight that have brought the greatest benefit to mankind over the past 100 years. Nils Bohlin was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame for his invention in 1999. \
BUCK IN!
According to one version, the first belts appeared around the 3rd millennium BC. in ancient Egypt and served to tie a men's suit, which was a loincloth made of a narrow strip of linen fabric, which was wrapped around the hips and reinforced with a belt like an apron.
These belts were considered sacred, and for a long time used only by the pharaohs and their entourage. Such belts were made of dense matter or thin leather, they were worn by tying them in a knot.
In ancient Greece and ancient Rome, belts were worn over a chiton - men's and women's clothing, which was a piece of fabric folded in half with a slit in the fold for the arm and sewn on the opposite side, with a slit for the other hand. In ancient China, a belt was worn over a robe, the Celts wore belts with women's dresses.
It is believed that the Persians were the first to wear pants, and they also began to use several belts and belts. As a rule, the Persians wore a wider lower waist belt (a belt for fastening weapons) 
and a narrower belt for clothing. In addition to bright sashes (a wide piece of fabric for tying or wrapping outerwear), which were worn by both men and women, the Persians also had belts made of harnesses, as well as purely masculine wide ones, decorated with square metal overlays with geometric patterns.
Belts and belts were important element clothes of many nomadic peoples, such as the Scythians, Sarmatians, Turks, etc. 
these peoples because difficult conditions life, which limited the possibility of decorating the clothes themselves, it was often the belt that was the focus of jewelry and decor.
Belts were made from precious metals, with elaborate buckles, rivets and even sea shells. The richness of the belt decoration traditionally spoke of the status of a person. At the same time, women's belts were often supplemented with small leather bags for small items.
By the beginning of our era, fabric, cord and leather belts, belts and scarves had already become familiar elements of clothing. They were worn by the Byzantines, representatives of the barbarian kingdoms (Franks, Ostrogoths, Visigoths, etc.) and Slavs. The leather belts of the barbarians were famous for their jewelry-made buckles: they were cast from gold and silver in the form of bird heads, elongated plates with a slotted pattern, and inlaid with foil and precious stones.
Belts came to our middle lane along with the Crusades. The nobles began to gird themselves with long and 
wide silk garters, but the peasants used just a piece of hemp to support trousers. Everything changed in the abnormally hot summer of 1893. Then the men decided that they could just cook if they used their voluminous garters.
The solution was found very quickly, and, as it were, by itself - leather belts. The skin did not warm the body, but rather cooled it a little. The quality of the belt, as well as the material from which the buckle was made, spoke of the status and prosperity 
person. Since that time, leather has been considered an ideal material for making a belt. Well, then everything is quite simple - English gentlemen made a leather belt an indispensable attribute of a business suit and a synonym for elegance.
Without a doubt, a belt is a status thing. Even at the beginning of the last century, no colors were recognized for men's leather accessories, except for one single color - black. Now any store is ready to offer huge assortment styles, colors and designs of belts and everyone can choose the right accessory for him.
Today, wearing a belt is, albeit a small, but still 
philosophy, way of highlighting, a certain sign of good taste, a partial reflection of your inner world. Not for nothing, by the way, in the Russian language there is the word "unbelted" - sloppy, sloppy, ill-mannered.
Now it is fashionable to play with the texture of the belt leather. The noble skin of a crocodile, python or stingray is perfect for this. Accessories made of high-quality leather of exotic animals always look stylish and emphasize the taste of their owner.
Belts made from such materials. always look really expensive. Belts finished with a small buckle cast from high-quality metal and decorated with leather, from which the belt itself is made, look great with any clothes.
