4 ms·

I've often wondered about this. Instead of just having a single thin metal skin that deforms, wouldn't it be even better to have multiple skins sandwiching a k

I've often wondered about this. Instead of just having a single thin metal skin that deforms, wouldn't it be even better to have multiple skins sandwiching a kind of honeycomb structure? That way you have even more stuff to deform and absorb the impact.

kiba 13y ago
If there's a way to increase safety, I am sure that they had thought of it.
- jstanley 13y ago
  So you're saying we're at the theoretical optimum of car safety and that there are no possible improvements?
- bdamm 13y ago
  High performance aircraft and cars already do this. They thought of it - and it's expensive.
bagels 13y ago
Right now, you have multiple skins sandwiching air.
AnimalMuppet 13y ago
You know how the original Volkswagen Bugs had that empty front hood, because the engine was in the rear? My dad advocated filling the front hood with bags full of empty aluminum cans.
Retric 13y ago
The only stuff that actually matters is keeping people from being squashed and the occupant's deceleration profile which you can already customize by changing how the car deforms. To really make a difference vs a high end car we could mandate 3 point seat-belts and helmets like you have in racing world. Still a 70MPH a head on collision is already fairly safe assuming people are belted the real killers are unbelted passengers, collision debris, and rolling. Edit: Head on collisions still kill a lot of people but they tend to be higher speeds accidents and often involve unbelted individuals. Also we are slightly below 1 death per 2 million hours in a car we just spend a lot of time in our cars. PS: Worldwide it was estimated that 1.2 million people were killed and 50 million more were injured in motor vehicle collisions in 2004. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epidemiology_of_motor_vehicle_collisions http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epidemiology_of_motor_vehicle_c...
- bagels 13y ago
  Nearly every form of motorsport racing requires the following: 5, 6 or 7 mounting point harnesses Head and Neck restraints Helmets
rdl 13y ago
They do this; for front (especially) and rear impact, you have the entire crumple zone, with lots of cross-hatched struts and other components to take away energy in deformation. There are various side impact technologies to try to 1) prevent ultimate penetration and 2) absorb energy. The problem is the doors need to be relatively thin, relatively light, and contain a bunch of other components, as well as function as doors. Multiple layers is one. The best right now seems to be use the door to prevent penetration, and use a side curtain airbag to reduce peak acceleration on passenger (along with seat design and seat belts). I personally picked used cars no earlier than ABS and side curtain airbags whenever friends asked for cheap used car options.
rgbrenner 13y ago
Yes, you're right.. that's why it's more than just the skin of the car.. it's called the crumple zone: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/safety-regulatory-devices/crumple-zone.htm http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/safety-regu... The idea is that the entire front of the car is a crumple zone (to absorb the impact), and there's a rigid frame around the passenger compartment.
sp332 13y ago
In a frontal collision, the engine is directed down underneath the drive and passenger. That design alone gives you a few extra feet.
megablast 13y ago
You have often thought of this, but never did any research into what they currently do?
- abstractbill 13y ago
  What they currently do is crumple zones. That's not what I was talking about (the entire skin of the car being a honeycomb sandwich).
arg01 13y ago
Honeycombs are a difficult structure to manufacture. They often get mentioned in relation to 3d printing as one of the useful application. They're actually a very strong structure for the amount of material used and were even hand pieced together from wood for some aircraft during world war 2 rather than using more easily manufactured materials due to this advantage.

kiba 13y ago

If there's a way to increase safety, I am sure that they had thought of it.

jstanley 13y ago
So you're saying we're at the theoretical optimum of car safety and that there are no possible improvements?
bdamm 13y ago
High performance aircraft and cars already do this. They thought of it - and it's expensive.

bagels 13y ago

Right now, you have multiple skins sandwiching air.

AnimalMuppet 13y ago

You know how the original Volkswagen Bugs had that empty front hood, because the engine was in the rear? My dad advocated filling the front hood with bags full of empty aluminum cans.

Retric 13y ago

The only stuff that actually matters is keeping people from being squashed and the occupant's deceleration profile which you can already customize by changing how the car deforms. To really make a difference vs a high end car we could mandate 3 point seat-belts and helmets like you have in racing world. Still a 70MPH a head on collision is already fairly safe assuming people are belted the real killers are unbelted passengers, collision debris, and rolling. Edit: Head on collisions still kill a lot of people but they tend to be higher speeds accidents and often involve unbelted individuals. Also we are slightly below 1 death per 2 million hours in a car we just spend a lot of time in our cars. PS: Worldwide it was estimated that 1.2 million people were killed and 50 million more were injured in motor vehicle collisions in 2004. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epidemiology_of_motor_vehicle_collisions http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epidemiology_of_motor_vehicle_c...

bagels 13y ago
Nearly every form of motorsport racing requires the following: 5, 6 or 7 mounting point harnesses Head and Neck restraints Helmets

rdl 13y ago

They do this; for front (especially) and rear impact, you have the entire crumple zone, with lots of cross-hatched struts and other components to take away energy in deformation. There are various side impact technologies to try to 1) prevent ultimate penetration and 2) absorb energy. The problem is the doors need to be relatively thin, relatively light, and contain a bunch of other components, as well as function as doors. Multiple layers is one. The best right now seems to be use the door to prevent penetration, and use a side curtain airbag to reduce peak acceleration on passenger (along with seat design and seat belts). I personally picked used cars no earlier than ABS and side curtain airbags whenever friends asked for cheap used car options.

rgbrenner 13y ago

Yes, you're right.. that's why it's more than just the skin of the car.. it's called the crumple zone: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/safety-regulatory-devices/crumple-zone.htm http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/safety-regu... The idea is that the entire front of the car is a crumple zone (to absorb the impact), and there's a rigid frame around the passenger compartment.

sp332 13y ago

In a frontal collision, the engine is directed down underneath the drive and passenger. That design alone gives you a few extra feet.

megablast 13y ago

You have often thought of this, but never did any research into what they currently do?

abstractbill 13y ago
What they currently do is crumple zones. That's not what I was talking about (the entire skin of the car being a honeycomb sandwich).

arg01 13y ago

Honeycombs are a difficult structure to manufacture. They often get mentioned in relation to 3d printing as one of the useful application. They're actually a very strong structure for the amount of material used and were even hand pieced together from wood for some aircraft during world war 2 rather than using more easily manufactured materials due to this advantage.