CRUMPLE Zones
Crumple zones are areas of a vehicle that are designed to crush in a controlled way in a collision and absorb the impact load in a crash. They increase the time taken to change the momentum in a crash, which reduces the force involved. During impact, the force of the collision is absorbed by the vehicle. They are designed to maintain the cabin's structure and prevent serious injury to occupants. They are made of steel or titanium, high density and low density polymeric foam, spaced reinforcing fibres, spaced mechanical ribs and reinforced metal inserts with notched section for predetermined crumpling. The first crumple zone was invented in 1952 by Bela Barenyi a Mercedes Engineer and was first seen in 1959 in a Mercedes Heckflosse.