safety envelope

Question

Hi,"Electronic stability control is one part of an expanding active safety envelope" is from an article about cars safty system. Does "safety envelope" here refer to the airbags?Thank you!

Avangi · Accepted Answer

Here "safety envelope" refers to the total "package" of safety devices and considerations available on autos.

"Electronic stability" refers to the inertial stability of the vehicle on the road. New sensors are now available to detect when a car may be going out of control, or when the suspension adjustments are not appropriate for road conditions. Springs, shocks, brakes, steering ratio, etc. may all be articulated to respond to commands from the computer, in response to information from the sensors. This process could be described as electronically controlled stability.

"Active" is the operative term here. Airbags are certainly part of the package, and a great example of sensors detecting a problem, and electrically deploying the safety device. (Sometimes explosives are used in deploying safety equipment, eg. exploding bolts to release a pilot's seat.) ABS (automatic braking system - reduces skids by preventing a wheel from locking up) is another early part of the package.

An airbag may well be described as an "expanding active safety envelope," and your assumption is certainly understandable. "Expanding" in this case refers to the fact that the number and extent of the new safety devices is/are constantly increasing.

- A.

Ahava_yin · Answer

Thank you Avangi. You are such a patient expert! Now I understand.

Would you please help me with another one? "When you drive a 1906 steam car and you have no brakes and it's on fire, it tends to keep you involved."

How do you explain "on fire"? Does it have double meaning? In my understanding, on the one hand, it refers to how the steam car works; on the other hand, it means cars without much sophisticated techology bound to it provides much more excitement. I'm not sure about it. Thank you again, and look forward to your expertise.

Avangi · Answer

I'd have to do some research. I expect the sentence refers to the Stanley Steamer. It doesn't much matter what fuel you burn to heat the water to make the steam. I've heard some were wood burners, as were some early steam locomotives (railroad). At any rate, there would be a fire on board. I'd say it's a double meaning only because the author phrases it to evoke the connotative sense of being on fire. Hopefully, the fire would be well under control, but would certainly add to the driver's duties and concerns (involvement - excitement, as you say).

I had never heard there were no brakes. I'll see what Mr. Google says. If it's true, they probably employed a type of dynamic braking, such as is available with electric motors. The power source is simply reversed. I expect that if that's the case, it would take an experienced operator - and an involved one.

Steam is an incredible medium for transferring power, since it has no torque curve. I've heard that Stanley Steamers have been clocked at over 200 mph on the Bonneville salt flats, and that no one ever dared to attempt to reach maximum speed.

Trust me, I'm not an expert, but it's nice of you to think so.

- A.

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