Is a Smart Car Safe in a Crash? Designing an Experiment to Test Its Safety

In summary, the instructor is looking into the safety of a smart car in a crash by testing how much the cage deforms. They also suggest looking into fifth gear to see if there have been any recent studies on car safety.
  • #1
woomba
2
0
Hi everyone,


As part of the IB program, we are all required to design an experiment and write about how we would go about testing it .

My instructor's decided that the best way to test this would be to "Determine using physics whether a Smart Car is safe in a crash"

Since this is a theoretical experiment, we can go about proving this in any way we like, as long as we have a substantive methodology for doing so.

Any ideas on how I should proceed?
 
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  • #2
well, the smart car has an internal safety cage, which would be my main point of focus, as the crumple zones in this car are negligible

calculate the bending stress in the safety cage, and from that you can model how much the cage will deform under impact, and therefore how much of an intrusion into the safety cage and therefore passenger space has been incurred, and from that determine whether or not an occupant will have come to harm.

It is also worth noting that major organ damage is caused by rapid deceleration, due to collisions of organs and the bodies skeletal structure (think brain inside skull, lungs and ribs etc) - i can't remember the exact percentage but in crashes where an occupant sustains a deltaV of 50mph or more, something like 90% of people suffer an AIS 6 injury (which is either dead, or not quite dead yet, but almost definitely going to die)

hope this helps

ed
 
  • #3
That was actually very helpful, thanks a lot :)
 
  • #4
no worries - you might also want to know that in an old episode of fifth gear (a uk tv program on channel five) they were looking at car safety and crashed a smart car into a wall at 50mph... might be worth having a trawl for..

hth
ed
 

What is a car crash safety experiment?

A car crash safety experiment is a controlled test designed to evaluate the safety features and performance of a vehicle in the event of a crash.

Why are car crash safety experiments important?

Car crash safety experiments are important because they help to identify potential safety risks and improve the design of vehicles to better protect drivers and passengers in the event of a crash.

How are car crash safety experiments conducted?

Car crash safety experiments typically involve placing crash test dummies inside a vehicle and subjecting it to various types of collisions at different speeds. High-speed cameras and sensors are used to measure the impact and collect data on the safety performance of the vehicle.

What are the key factors that affect the results of a car crash safety experiment?

The key factors that can affect the results of a car crash safety experiment include the speed of the collision, the angle of impact, the weight and position of the crash test dummies, and the design and integrity of the vehicle's safety features.

How are the results of a car crash safety experiment used?

The results of a car crash safety experiment are used by automotive manufacturers to improve the safety features and design of their vehicles. They may also be used by regulatory agencies to set safety standards and by consumers to make informed decisions about their vehicle purchases.

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