aadaasdark8072
06-28-2019, 08:25 AM
aluminum-bodied vehicles are safer than their steel counterparts thanks to better energy absorption, larger crush zones that fold more predictably and larger overall size.
Dr. Hall brings up an interesting counterpoint to these advantages: It’s not the material that matters so much as how you design with that material.
“You can design a safe vehicle with other materials [than steel], but it’s a combination of materials and design,” she said. “It’s absolutely, scientifically incorrect to say that aluminum, as a material, is ‘safer.’”
When I brought up the counterpoint that every aluminum-bodied vehicle on the road has a five-star safety rating, she pointed to the confounding variables that may explain why:
“All are newer, higher-end vehicles. Luxury vehicles can afford the extra engineering to get that rating, and in the case of the Ford F-150, I think it’s a very aggressive and risky move to convert a pickup to aluminum. I think they did absolutely everything they could to make sure it would work.”
So, aluminum can be as safe as steel—but at higher cost.
Dr. Hall brings up an interesting counterpoint to these advantages: It’s not the material that matters so much as how you design with that material.
“You can design a safe vehicle with other materials [than steel], but it’s a combination of materials and design,” she said. “It’s absolutely, scientifically incorrect to say that aluminum, as a material, is ‘safer.’”
When I brought up the counterpoint that every aluminum-bodied vehicle on the road has a five-star safety rating, she pointed to the confounding variables that may explain why:
“All are newer, higher-end vehicles. Luxury vehicles can afford the extra engineering to get that rating, and in the case of the Ford F-150, I think it’s a very aggressive and risky move to convert a pickup to aluminum. I think they did absolutely everything they could to make sure it would work.”
So, aluminum can be as safe as steel—but at higher cost.