LEVEL 2 PHYSICS
VEHICLE CRUMPLE ZONES
Introduction:
A Crumple Zone is a strategically designed and manufactured structure used in modern day vehicles that has been invented to reduce the force present during the impact of a crash, the redistribution of the forces is critical for the vehicle’s passengers’ safety. the crumple zone of a vehicle will vary between each vehicle due to the size and weight. In this report i will be investigating the physics of the ‘crumple zone’ linked to relevant equations, what is meant by the terms impulse, kinetic energy, conservation and work, the advantages and disadvantages of the car crumple zone and an explanation in terms of a physics theory, for how crumple zones are effective in reducing the severity …show more content…
By increasing the time it takes for a collision to unfold the force applied will be minimised. A critical factor when attempting Impulse problems is to ensure that the change in momentum (Force x Distance) remains the same. An increase in time is useful in the event of a collision because the potentiality of a larger force exerted will be minimised therefore providing the occupants with some life saving protection. To calculate impulse we use the equation: Change in Momentum (p) = Force (N) x Change in Time (s). Kinetic Energy is the energy an object obtains due to movement, Kinetic energy relies on the mass and speed at which the object is moving in order to therefore determine the Kinetic Energy of an object which is found applying the equation: Kinetic Energy (j) = ½ x mass x velocity^2. It is not possible to produce or eradicate energy although it is possible to transform energy from one form to another. The maximum energy within an isolated system will always stay the same. An isolated system is not affected by external forces. Realistically a loss of energy is not avoidable. This is more often than not a result of resistance or frictional losses of which the initial energy is transformed into heat and sound …show more content…
The crumple zone essentially cuts the deceleration in half as well as the overall exerted forces as a result the duration of the crash is increased and therefore causing the vehicle to decelerate meaning that the magnitude of the collision will not be as severe as it would have been if the vehicle did not include the crumple zone. The disadvantages of a crumple zone as some motorists have claimed is that as the crumple zone at the instance of a collision it has the risk of ensnaring and possibly even collapsing on the occupants, this claim has been responded to by Engineers with the use of steel framing around the driver and passenger compartments of the vehicle. Another disadvantage of a crumple zone is the cost to repair the damage caused from a less severe collision, with a crumple zone in place the vehicle may have to be considered out of order due to the fact that the crumple zone has been bent or stretched in a minor collision the whole structure will be out of proportion deeming it unsafe costing a fortune to fix or replace the vehicle. After conducting my research i can justify that the advantages of having a crumple zone in your vehicle heavily outweighs the disadvantages of having one, this is because
VEHICLE CRUMPLE ZONES
Introduction:
A Crumple Zone is a strategically designed and manufactured structure used in modern day vehicles that has been invented to reduce the force present during the impact of a crash, the redistribution of the forces is critical for the vehicle’s passengers’ safety. the crumple zone of a vehicle will vary between each vehicle due to the size and weight. In this report i will be investigating the physics of the ‘crumple zone’ linked to relevant equations, what is meant by the terms impulse, kinetic energy, conservation and work, the advantages and disadvantages of the car crumple zone and an explanation in terms of a physics theory, for how crumple zones are effective in reducing the severity …show more content…
By increasing the time it takes for a collision to unfold the force applied will be minimised. A critical factor when attempting Impulse problems is to ensure that the change in momentum (Force x Distance) remains the same. An increase in time is useful in the event of a collision because the potentiality of a larger force exerted will be minimised therefore providing the occupants with some life saving protection. To calculate impulse we use the equation: Change in Momentum (p) = Force (N) x Change in Time (s). Kinetic Energy is the energy an object obtains due to movement, Kinetic energy relies on the mass and speed at which the object is moving in order to therefore determine the Kinetic Energy of an object which is found applying the equation: Kinetic Energy (j) = ½ x mass x velocity^2. It is not possible to produce or eradicate energy although it is possible to transform energy from one form to another. The maximum energy within an isolated system will always stay the same. An isolated system is not affected by external forces. Realistically a loss of energy is not avoidable. This is more often than not a result of resistance or frictional losses of which the initial energy is transformed into heat and sound …show more content…
The crumple zone essentially cuts the deceleration in half as well as the overall exerted forces as a result the duration of the crash is increased and therefore causing the vehicle to decelerate meaning that the magnitude of the collision will not be as severe as it would have been if the vehicle did not include the crumple zone. The disadvantages of a crumple zone as some motorists have claimed is that as the crumple zone at the instance of a collision it has the risk of ensnaring and possibly even collapsing on the occupants, this claim has been responded to by Engineers with the use of steel framing around the driver and passenger compartments of the vehicle. Another disadvantage of a crumple zone is the cost to repair the damage caused from a less severe collision, with a crumple zone in place the vehicle may have to be considered out of order due to the fact that the crumple zone has been bent or stretched in a minor collision the whole structure will be out of proportion deeming it unsafe costing a fortune to fix or replace the vehicle. After conducting my research i can justify that the advantages of having a crumple zone in your vehicle heavily outweighs the disadvantages of having one, this is because