when did crumple zones become standard

What is the history of crumple zones?

Early examples of a crumple zones were developed and patented by Mercedes-Benz in 1952, first installed in the Mercedes-Benz 220 in 1959. Crumple zones are the simplest feature of passive safety design, absorbing the kinetic energy released in a crash to protect passengers.

Is a crumple zone a legal requirement?

On the other hand crumple zones are not a legal requirement for any vehicle although all new passenger vehicles are designed with crumple zones to improve passenger protection. Also, how effective are crumple zones?

What is the history of the automobile safety cell and crumple zones?

Early development history. The safety cell and crumple zones were achieved primarily by the design of the longitudinal members: these were straight in the centre of the vehicle and formed a rigid safety cage with the body panels, the front and rear supports were curved so they deformed in the event of an accident,...

Why are crumple zones important in transportation structures?

Crumple zones in any transportation structure are important since they are used to absorb kinetic energy during crash events. Consequently, fatalities among passengers in the compartment can be reduced. To enhance the capability of absorbing the crushing energy, the metallic structures can be wrapped with fiber-reinforced composite.

When did crumple zones become a thing?

An Austrian engineer patented the concept of the crumple zone in 1937. However, the concept wasn't put into use until the 1950s. Prior to the introduction, cars were once designed to inflict as little damage as possible on the car itself. This often left vehicle occupants extremely vulnerable to injuries.

Do old cars have crumple zones?

But there are also fundamental differences between older cars and newer ones: high-strength steel and crumple zones combine to protect the passenger's compartment while also dissipating the energy of the impact. Older cars just miss these elements and are like death traps on wheels.

Are crumple zones mandatory?

On the other hand crumple zones are not a legal requirement for any vehicle although all new passenger vehicles are designed with crumple zones to improve passenger protection.

Do all modern cars have crumple zones?

Crumple zones. All new vehicles are required to have crumple zones for passenger protection. Crumple zones work to absorb crash energy within the outer parts of a vehicle, instead of transferring the crash energy to passengers.

Are 80s cars safe?

Motor vehicle safety standards improved a lot in the early Seventies, but the popularity of smaller, more efficient cars throughout the Eighties made for cars that subjected their occupants to more risk in crashes. "Japanese cars from the Eighties and Nineties are very minimal in terms of safety," Bloch said.

What year did cars become safe?

1960s. Effective on new passenger cars sold in the United States after January 1, 1964. front outboard lap belts were required. On September 9, 1966, the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act became law in the U.S., the first mandatory federal safety standards for motor vehicles.

Are cars safer now than 10 years ago?

Car companies are constantly striving to improve efficiency, but also safety, and innovations have been shared across the industry. As a result, cars are now far safer than they were even ten years previously.

Are cars safer now than 40 years ago?

Lives saved. The average vehicle on the road in 2012 would have an estimated 56% lower fatality risk for its occupants than the average vehicle on the road in the late 1950s. NHTSA estimates that vehicle safety developments helped raise the annual number of lives saved from 115 in 1960 to 27,621 in 2012.

When did cars get shoulder belts?

The first three-point seatbelt was sold in a Volvo PV544 in Sweden on August 13, 1959. It took several years after that for the feature to catch on with automakers and the public, and the first U.S. federal law mandating seatbelts wasn't till 1968.

Are cars meant to crumble on impact?

Crumpling allows the vehicle to take a little longer before coming to a stop, in effect lowering the average impact force, and increasing the survival space for the belted passengers.

Why do modern cars crumple so easily?

Crumple zones more allow the car to decelerate more slowly, and to spread the energy of the car in motion around to other structural components of the car. This, combined with rigid-body safety cells for the passengers, allows kinetic energy to go other places besides the human driver and passengers.

Why do newer cars crumple?

They do crumple because this allows for the force to be spread out. The energy from a crash is then sent across the front end, for example, rather than all the force being placed directly at the impact site. The zones are built to break down a predictable pattern.

Overview

Early development history

The crumple zone concept was originally invented and patented by the Hungarian Mercedes-Benz engineer Béla Barényi in 1937 before he worked for Mercedes-Benz and in a more developed form in 1952. The 1953 Mercedes-Benz "Ponton" was a partial implementation of his ideas, by having a strong deep platform to form a partial safety cell, patented in 1941.
The Mercedes-Benz patent number 854157, granted in 1952, describes the decisive feature of p…

Function

Low speed impact absorption

Computer modelled crash simulation

"Sleds" inside safety cells

See also

External links