Crumple Zones & Balloon Compression

[darthchocobo]

Can somebody give me a link to a place where they explain crumple zones and know how to simulate that with poster board and balloons? And how would i figure out the perfect amount of air to put into a balloon to withstand as much compression as possible?

 

[Danger]

I can't give you any technical details, although a Google should turn some up for you. Essentially, crumple zones are structural aspects of a vehicle that are designed to absorb impact forces in a collision. You can think of them as shock absorbers.
As for the balloon, you ain't going to like the answer. For maximum compression tolerance, you put no air in it. The more it's inflated, the more vulnerable it is.