Auto body repair & detailing: zero injury car, acceleration force, progressive fashion

Question
Sir

I am planning to design a "Zero Injury Car" as a part of my Univ. project.So i require some help regarding the same.

Initially i would like to know about the basic areas i should cover while designin the same.It would also be of great assistance if you could provide me with a few links regarding the same topic..Regards"


Answer
Krishna, ask me something hard, please. Zero injury is a pipe dream, I'm afraid. You would have to design a vehicle capable of striking another vehicle head on at highway speed, for a total of 120 MPH. Occupants also range in age from newborns to persons 100 years old, and each type of occupant presents its own special challenge. Now, there are 3 impacts in a collision- the initial impact of the vehicle, the impact of the occupants against the restraint systems, and the impact of the internal organs against the body and skull cavities. I believe the ratio for force is mass X acceleration = force. A body will just accept x number of G forces, it doesn't matter what you are encapsulated in. Cars are currently designed to collapse in a progressive fashion, and the occupant cabin is sort of a little sheet metal cage, the last defense of the occupant against intrusion. That is, from something  like another car or a Semi truck. Your hypothetical car will have to be able to accept tremendous G forces without breaking up or allowing intrusion into the passenger compartment, keep occupants restrained yet cushion them from excessive g forces, keep the head restrained enough to prevent the brain from separating from the brain stem in severe g force induced whiplash situations, be heavy enough that impact with something like a Semi won't crush it like a tin can or swat it into other traffic like a tennis ball, yet be light enough to be economical and pass government regulated fuel consumption standards. Sounds like a giant nerf football on wheels. I applaud your idea, but there are reasons that cars are only tested to 35MPH impact standards. If everyone drove around at 35MPH in Sherman tanks filled with marshmallows, there would be far fewer traffic injuries. High speed is the killer in about 15% of all fatal traffic accidents, don't quote me on that- that is a local statistic. I bet it's accurate within 5%. The problem isn't"t the cars, Krishna- it's the drivers. Design a car, and a highway system that takes driving away from the driver, that takes alcohol out of the hand of the operator, that takes the cell phone out of the hand of the guy behind the wheel. Good luck on your project, and think outside the occupant cabin on this one. Don't fixate on the car- attack the WHOLE problem. I see the car itself as only maybe 50% of the problem. It's what the car lacks- that is the real problem. Keep it realistic, and set a realistic goal- like injury free to say, 65 MPH into a brick wall with a 2/3 impact. Full frontal impacts into a flat barricade aren't realistic, most front collisions are 3/4 frontal. The car twists, the rear end skids around, and sometimes the car does a 180. I hope this all helps, I was intrigued by the question- I want you to have realistic parameters, and not design a car 50 years into the future- design one 10 years into the future. Something everyone can grasp, and say yes, I can see that! I believe they could build this, and it will save lives, and be affordable to the masses. Not a Sci-Fi novel. Bill