Designing Safe Vehicles
(Egg Cars)
Introduction:
The popularity of the automobile has brought with it some undesirable effects.
Among these are air pollution, traffic jams, and traffic fatalities. Each year, thousands of
people are killed and injured as a result of automobile accidents. Because of this,
automotive safety design has become a major part of the auto industry.
Safety engineers have concluded that passenger restraints is one safety device that
could reduce automobile fatalities dramatically. Seat belts, shoulder harnesses, and air
bags keep passengers from being thrown from the vehicle or bounce around the vehicle’s
interior causing injury.
Another category of safety devices are energy absorbing devices. They absorb or
cushion the impact of a collision. Together, these devices can save many lives. This
activity will allow you to assume the role of a safety engineer as you design, install, and
test safety devices for a crash vehicle.
Problem:
You are an employee of a major automobile manufacturer in the safety
engineering department. You have been assigned the task of designing and installing
safety devices for a new test vehicle. The vehicle must be able to roll down the test ramp
and into an immovable object, (e.g., the wall, a concrete block) while protecting the
passenger (a raw egg) from injury. The vehicle will roll down three ramps, each at a
steeper angle than the previous. If it survives all three head-on collisions, it will be tested
in a roll-over accident.
Materials:
- test ramp
- raw egg (live passenger)
- wood/plastic egg (test dummy)
- zip lock bag (body bag)
- assorted materials for constructing safety devices:
- springs
- balloons
- rubber bands
- bubble wrap
- weather-stripping
- cotton balls
- sponge rubber
- Styrofoam
Specifications:
1. You cannot add more than three inches in any direction to your car. (e.g. the front
bumper cannot extend more than three inches from the block or the roll cage
cannot stick up more than three inches from the block)
2. The driver (egg) has to be able to see where they are going. There must be at least
one square inch of the egg showing straight ahead where the car is driving. You
cannot completely enclose the egg.
3. You cannot slow the collision by adding breaks, parachutes, or anything else that
will affect the car rolling down the ramp at the correct speed.
Procedure:
1. Brainstorm and research possible restraints as well as shock-absorbing additions to
your vehicle. Keep in mind that the goal is to protect the egg from damage upon
the collision.
2. Apply your solutions to your vehicle by constructing your vehicle and safety devices.
3. Test your vehicle with the wood/plastic egg. Observe the reaction of the egg to the
collision. You may wish to videotape the collision and play it back in slow
motion. Make changes if needed.
4. Replace the test egg with a raw egg and test your vehicle. In the unlikely event the
safety system fails to fully protect the passenger, place the egg into a plastic bag
(body bag) before installing it in the vehicle. This will make the clean-up much
easier.
Evaluation:
1. The following are required:
- Egg car creativity/originality
- Egg car workmanship
- Egg survival of crash (5 pts./ramp survived)
- Problem solving log sheet
20 pts
20 pts
20 pts
40 pts
Total = 100 pts
2. In addition, winners of each of the following will receive additional points:
- Most creative (as voted by class)
10 pts
- Best built (as voted by class)
10 pts