Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

What a 120mph Crash-Test Looks Like
Reaganite Republican ^ | November 30, 2010 | Reaganite Republican

Posted on 11/30/2011 8:28:18 AM PST by Reaganite Republican

Occupants experience "up to 400 g"

As you are likely aware, our own NHTSA test-crashes all new cars for sale in the US at speeds up to 40 mph- as do EU authorities and a few others. 

One day the folks at English television show Fifth Gear (not to be confused with Jeremy Clarkson's unparelled Top Gear) wondered over tea

what would happen if they had some crash-test pros set up the cement barrier and run a Ford Focus into it at 120 mph... triple normal testing speeds.

So they did it... and this is what happens:

Buh-bye dummies:

[YouTube]

Video/more at Reaganite Republican

_____________________________
Edmunds.com   StreetLegalTV


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Miscellaneous; Science; TV/Movies
KEYWORDS: auto; crash; safety; test
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-32 last
To: NativeSon
As an ER/Trauma nurse, one of the things I study is the science of kinematics- or in layman's terms, "mechanism of injury." But we don't just look at the impact itself, but also the kind of car a victim was driving.

You might be surprised (I know I was) to know that the Smartcar 4-2 actually did well in crash testing for both frontal and side impact. Not as well as a larger car might, but still surprising well.

But here's where it doesn't do so well: The body of the car has to be much stiffer to make up for lack of front end and door-to-driver distance, and the result is when it hits something, or is hit by something, it tends to bounce off the object and careen uncontrolled in a random direction until something else stops it- or it is hit by something else. That's more concerning, because then you are dealing with two (or more) collisions instead of just one.

So even if an occupant does fine with the first collision, the second one may very well do him in.

It's a really interesting science.

Plus, anything can be made to work well in the lab. Not everyone drives 30mph in a 30mph zone.

21 posted on 11/30/2011 9:05:23 AM PST by 60Gunner (Eternal vigilance or eternal rest. Make your choice.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Reaganite Republican

—Careful out there... esp. you Hemi Challenger guys lol—

I was in a bit of a road rage incident westbound in eastern Montana on I-90 a few years back with a couple of guys from Minnesota in Jeep Cherokees. I finally got my 2001 Chrysler 300m up to 140 for a spell just to lose them. And when I backed off to 90, their “105 MPH governor” jeeps would catch up with me and I’d have to do it again. I finally got a mile or two ahead of them and pulled off into a Glendive, just in case they were REALLY crazy.

At that speed, even on I-90 in smooth desert roads, you can feel the difference in the front and rear suspension geometry when you corner.

Fortunately there were no brick walls to slam into, though a flat would have made things a bit uncomfortable.


22 posted on 11/30/2011 9:13:22 AM PST by cuban leaf (Were doomed! Details at eleven.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: ottbmare

Not so sure I agree. I’ll take todays cars for safety reasons over olders cars anyday. Saw this on the Speed Channel the other day

http://www.videobash.com/video_show/stuntbusters-head-on-collision-1962-cadillac-vs-2002-cadillac-198429


23 posted on 11/30/2011 9:13:28 AM PST by Gettin Betta
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: Reaganite Republican

When I was in grade school, I accidentally burned down my neighbor’s fence in Vallejo CA. Yeah, their fence. The year before my brother burned out the entire vacant area behind our neighborhood in Benbrook TX.


24 posted on 11/30/2011 9:17:54 AM PST by cuban leaf (Were doomed! Details at eleven.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Reaganite Republican

3x the speed = 9x the energy. Not surprising.


25 posted on 11/30/2011 9:20:11 AM PST by Paradox (The rich SHOULD be paying more taxes, and they WOULD, if they could make more money.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Reaganite Republican

Looks pretty close to the results of 40 mph front-end crash testing of Chinese cars.


26 posted on 11/30/2011 9:21:16 AM PST by Hazwaste (Democrats are like slinkies. Only good for pushing down stairs.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Dr. Bogus Pachysandra
How fast can they get a Volt to go? That’s a crash I’d like to see. 120 mph Volt, into concrete barrier! Cool!

Shoot... Send it into the wall at 50 mph (if it can go that fast) and it will turn into a can of spam. I think AlGore should sit behind the wheel to put his money where his mouth is.

27 posted on 11/30/2011 9:21:16 AM PST by Never on my watch (WTF happened to my country?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: ottbmare

—Says something about the quality of old-fashioned Detroit sheet metal, as opposed to today’s little plastic boxes.—

Actually, you may want to revise your thinking.

Crash test Chevrolet 1959 vs Chevrolet 2009:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_ptUrQOMPs

And some interesting thoughts on why things happened the way they did: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZ3Y0lxGz6s


28 posted on 11/30/2011 9:27:09 AM PST by cuban leaf (Were doomed! Details at eleven.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: Reaganite Republican

But the dummy in the trunk survived


29 posted on 11/30/2011 9:31:59 AM PST by Wernstrom
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Reaganite Republican

I ran the numbers they give here. It looks like the average acceleration over the .068 second period is 80 g. I don’t see how they got 400 g. Instant of impact for a few microseconds?


30 posted on 11/30/2011 10:42:46 AM PST by 17th Miss Regt
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cuban leaf
When I was in grade school, I accidentally burned down my neighbor’s fence in Vallejo CA. Yeah, their fence. The year before my brother burned out the entire vacant area behind our neighborhood in Benbrook TX.

When I was in HS(a long time ago)my brother and I caught a neighbor's(or actually THE neighbor, only one we had)yard on fire, using a home made black powder fire cracker, burned some of his fence posts(he had a barbed wire fence)and most of his two acres of grass, but the worse thing was we caught his fire wood pile on fire and burned about 1/2 cord of Oak before we finally put the fire out.

Lesson learned: Black powder and dried grass in 100 degree heat in July do not mix. He was gone at the time and the terrible thing about it(after the beatings administered by my mother)was we had to go to his house and explain to him how stupid we were and apologize. He was a great guy and kind of laughed about it. In today's world I am sure we would have gone to jail for such a prank.

31 posted on 11/30/2011 11:20:13 AM PST by calex59
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: 17th Miss Regt

I am not educated enough on this particular calculation to confirm or deny it’s accuracy, bus assuming you’re right and it is 80, what can the human body take, anyway... 15-20 maybe?


32 posted on 11/30/2011 1:56:58 PM PST by Reaganite Republican
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-32 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson