What are the material of which the crumple zones re nade of in passenger cars?

Question

i m doing a project on crumple zones and i would like to know the materials of which it could be made and if possible hoe to find the dimensions of it?

Answer 1

Less stiff materials, like plastic are used in for the rumple zones in cars......

Prior to 1959, people believed the stronger the structure, the safer the car. But in actuality, such construction proved deadly to passengers, because the force from impact went straight inside the vehicle and onto the passenger.

Crumple zones with rigid cabs are now the standard in every car made throughout the world.

A 1999 study by the Society of Automotive Engineers found that light trucks with 4 and 5 star ratings (lower risk of severe injury) have more maximum crush, lower maximum deceleration, and longer duration crash pulses than those with 1 and 2 star ratings (higher risk of severe injury).

In 1967, the Mercedes Heckflosse was the first production car in the world with “crumple zone” safety features including a safety cage with crumple zones and a trunk that had been made almost 50% bigger.

Crumple zone dimensions vary from vehicle to vehicle.......

Try this site.............

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/

Answer 2

Steel.

Steel is a wonderful material for this, because when it fails, it bends long before it breaks.   Some aluminum alloys can do that too, but not as well as steel.  

Go to a pick-n-pull yard with a hacksaw and a micrometer, and find cars with the front bumpers pulled.  Just measure the steel.  It looks to me like 16-20 gauge steel, but it's the shape and how it's welded that makes it a good crumple zone.  

Crumple zones are NOT just a matter of putting a bunch of cushions in the frame.  It's not like that at all.

Plastic parts on cars are non-structural, and do not help with crush zones.  Plastic has very little strength in shear, though it compresses quite nicely.  Some cars have polystyrene foam under the bumpers.